Case Study: David’s Café & the Un-Guayabera

Latin Americans from all across the globe seem to claim some sort of origin rights to the Guayabera. No matter whom you ask – Cubans at the dominoes table, Mexicans at the local restaurant, or New Yoricans in their respective boroughs – they’ll all say they’re the ones to originate the ultimate cultural camiseta. But what of the Guayabera t-shirt? We’re not much for boasting but, let’s call a spade a spade – that idea is all us. Here’s the story.

For more than 35 years, David’s Café has been Miami Beach’s unofficial capitol of Cuban Cuisine; a haven for locals, a destination for tourists. Their team came to us in search of ideas for new uniforms for their employees. A simple request; we get that all the time. The goal? To create something innovative and fun that paid homage to the restaurant’s Cuban tradition, but that wouldn’t leave their employees dripping in sweat like abuelo. The solution? Well, we’d had it in our back pocket; The Guayabera t-shirt, which was already being sold in our Surropa online store.

The finished product was modified to fit David’s Café’s branding and, quite simply, it’s awesome. Of course we’re biased, but David’s Café tends to agree, and so do the restaurant’s customers.

Set in two classic colors – pastel light blue for day and navy blue for night – the custom t-shirt is made of a standard cotton blend to keep the employees comfortable – but that’s about the only ‘ordinary’ thing you’ll see with this custom t-shirt. With simulated stitch marks across the chest, sleeves and back, the shirt is unmistakably the much cooler spawn – literally and figuratively – of the Guayabera. It even has simulated buttons running down the front torso, with one button undone toward the neckline for a truly authentic feel (because who buttons a Guayabera all the way up to the neck?).

A far cry from the standard ‘slap your logo on the chest and call it a day’ t-shirt, wouldn’t you say? When it comes to custom t-shirts, we’re always thinking of the bigger picture. Simply put, promotional items are a huge extension of your brand – why would you even consider designing them half-heartedly?

The David’s Café ‘Un-Guayabera’ custom t-shirt is just one of many examples of our ability to incorporate richly textured branding messages in simple, yet profound finished products. And did we mention that because of the favorable response, David’s Café now sells the shirt in its restaurant to customers? Talk about hitting your mark!

The SOBO Concepts team is different, but aren’t you, too? Don’t invest in another crappy promotional item. Get the SOBO Concepts treatment and get something you won’t be embarrassed to have. Call us today at 1-888-752-0432 to get started!