the FLAMIN’ HOT SPOT:
A (second) RESTAURANT BY CHEETOS
Experiential, Print, Video, Digital, Website, Social, AR
CHALLENGE: The first Cheetos restaurant was a hit. How can we go bigger with a more challenging timeline and budget?
IDEA: For three days only, Cheetos turned up the heat and opened the doors to one of the hottest restaurants in Los Angeles. We fully transformed an existing restaurant and took over their daily operations to serve a menu of 10 signature Flamin’ Hot-inspired dishes that included Flamin’ Hot Elotes and Cheetos Sweetos Hot Cakes.
AWARDS
The Pro Awards
• Gold - Best Buzz
• Gold - Best Sampling or Trial Recruitment Campaign
• Bronze - Best Campaign Targeting Millennials
the menu
THE EXPERIENCE
The Flamin’ Hot Spot aesthetic captured the essence of Cheetos with a red-hot, L.A.-inspired twist. The building exterior was completely transformed using vinyl clings, custom marquee signage, fire pillars and a Chester Cheetah statue. Inside, guest were immersed in an Instagram-worthy environment with fiery details, including custom “Flamin’ Hot” and chili pepper-shaped neon signs, an 11'-high magic sequin fabric wall, a faux firewall and more. Warm colors, playful art and an interactive AR graffiti wall helped to create a mischievously fun experience that could only be synonymous with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
SOCIAL
parallax WEBSITE
MEDIA & EXCITMENT
The Results
The Flamin’ Hot Spot was an outrageous success, generating more than 1.6 billion impressions from top-tier outlets in only three weeks. All 500 dining reservations were filled within one hour of being online, and more than 9,755 were waitlisted. The pop-up restaurant organically attracted over two dozen major celebrities and influencers, garnered more than 420 million impressions from social conversations and served over 1,000 guests across three nights.