FRESH, CHEEKY AND HANSEATIC

AHOI by Steffen Henssler is the most accessible brand in the Henssler universe – developed with the goal of introducing new audiences to the brand. Culinarily uncompromising, but deliberately approachable in price, tone and attitude. Unlike the established restaurants Henssler & Henssler or Ono, AHOI speaks to a broader, more democratised audience – more direct, cheekier, more approachable. The challenge: to design a brand world that makes this democratisation of the Henssler brand credible, without losing character and quality.

Client:

Henssler Gastro GmbH

Industry:

Hospitality

Services:

Development of a holistic dining concept for Ahoi by Steffen Henssler – including brand strategy, visual identity, communication and interior design.

Ahoi neon lettering on the dining room's wooden wall, photographed through the window pane.

The starting point was a clear strategic positioning: AHOI as an urban harbour bistro with a clear edge – inspired by street food, sailor slang and north German honesty. Accordingly, a tone was developed that brings exactly that to the point: loud, punchy, sometimes coarse – but always likeable and on equal footing.

The communication speaks directly, avoids detours and formulates an attitude that makes it clear: this is about the food. And nothing else.

Server in a blue Ahoi apron carrying a pan of sushi rolls with ginger and wasabi.

Steffen and Peter Henssler on a bench beside the claim “2 Brüder, 1 Idee ohne Ende – Gastronomie im Blut”.

The spatial concept was a central part of this: the interior design consistently translates the brand idea into physical space. Industrial materials, open structures and graphic interventions create a deliberately unpolished look that reinterprets the atmosphere between harbour and street food. Typographically animated walls, wayfinding systems and analogue markings in the space pick up on design elements and connect them to concrete usage requirements.

Ahoi dining room with a glass-and-steel partition, white tiled wall and typographic wall signs.

Wall collage of framed typographic posters such as “In Hamburg sagt man Moin” and “Geil Schnitzel!” behind a steel mullion.

Large stippled whale illustration on a white brick wall above the banquette seating.

Illuminated letters reading “Hauptsache lecker” above the black upholstered bench in the dining room.

Hand-drawn interior design sketches of Ahoi showing the whale mural and the “Hauptsache lecker” façade.

Beyond classic branding and interior, the brand world was also extended into the digital space. The tone and visual language show up in social media assets and digital applications just as much as at the POS. A specially staged Instagram spot within the interior connects the physical space with the digital brand presence and invites playful interaction.