Cheddarburger

How much cheese is too much? The concept board answers on a T-shirt: 'No Such Thing as Too Cheesy'. Everything else follows from that position. Cheddarburger is a name about generosity, the slice that hangs over the edge of the patty and the second slice nobody asked for but everybody is glad of.

It is a plain name, and the plainness is a strength worth weighing. A cheddar burger is something people already order by name, so the word needs no explaining; the brand's task is to become the one they mean. The logo goes about it with relish: a double stack under a glossy sesame bun, cheese running over both patties and dripping off the wordmark itself, cream lettering on a deep brown banner. There is a version for dark backgrounds and one for light, and both look as if they were left a little too long under the grill, in the good way.

The slogans keep the tone warm and slightly greedy. 'Built to Drip' sits on the apron and on a fries carton. 'Melt the Rules' goes on a cap. A cup of cheese sauce says 'Cheese First. Always.', which reads as policy as much as copy. Picture a counter where extra cheese is the default rather than an upgrade, a sauce pot on every tray, and staff in rust-orange caps who would rather apologise for too much than too little. The name settles the menu's centre of gravity before a single burger is designed. In American slang, cheddar also means money, a second reading that does a till no harm.