Brand strategy · Product design · Go-to-market
¿Qué Bab?
At 4 AM outside a Madrid nightclub, hunger is universal. ¿Qué Bab? is a kebab brand built for that exact moment, based on field research on the street at the hour it happens.
- Type
- University project
- Format
- Food truck and pop-ups at nightlife venues
- Slogan
- "Hotter than your ex"
- One word
- Afterparty
The gap
Madrid's clubs close at 6 AM, and thousands of people leave hungry, tired and unwilling to make a decision. Fast food and random kebab vans treat them as an afterthought. Nobody had built a brand for this moment.
Research at 4 AM
We observed from 4:00 to 5:30 AM outside Madrid nightclubs, and interviewed 18 to 30 year olds in the moment. Each finding became a design decision.
Distance is the number one barrier
Choices are made on proximity before taste, price or brand. Being there is the advantage.
Language barriers lose customers
Madrid's nightlife is international, and most late-night vendors can't serve non-Spanish speakers.
Packaging fails at the worst moment
Standard kebab wrapping falls apart when people walk, talk and eat at once.
Groups need speed
Four to eight people can't agree on a long menu at 4 AM.
Positioning
The one-word position, Afterparty, separates the brand from every other late-night option. It owns a moment rather than a category.
Why
Turn late-night hunger into a social experience. The end of the night deserves its own ritual.
How
Nightclub partnerships, recognisable placement, multilingual staff.
What
A short menu with bold names, built for the conditions of 4 AM.
A three-item menu
Three items at €6 to €8 close sales faster, reduce errors and build recall. Each name is a character rather than a description, such as The Hot Ex and Doner Daddy. The names are deliberately provocative and made for social media, so they also filter for the right audience.
Growth plan
Year 1: own the ritual
Permanent placement at the exits of high-traffic Madrid clubs.
Year 3: expand through nightlife
Revenue-share placement deals with clubs in Barcelona, Valencia and Ibiza.
Always: content from the moment
People at 4 AM are already filming. Give them names and packaging worth filming.
Creative
Deep purple and magenta survive compression, read on phone screens and glow under venue lights. The packaging is designed for one-handed eating while walking, with a logo readable at the angle someone holds it.
What I took from it
This brand started from a real observation rather than a brief. It taught me how constraints and creativity relate: a three-item menu is a positioning statement, and the names are a filter. When every bold choice is also a strategic one, the brand feels coherent rather than just provocative.