Goal: As TikTok’s number one food & beverage content creator, Dylan Lemay regularly entertains over 15 million followers across numerous social media platforms with his ice cream “throwing” antics. As his reputation grew, the influencer sought a home base to meet and entertain both existing and soon-to-be-fans. Ready to pursue his dream of launching a brand establishing a brick-and-mortar flagship, Dylan and his team partnered with MG2/The Lionesque Group to design and build Catch’N: an innovative, interactive ice cream shop experience in the NoHo neighborhood of New York City.
Lionesque: In order to fundamentally capture Dylan’s style and personality, designers custom-created every facet of Catch’N, from the logo and style guide, to fixtures, counters, and wallcoverings. The store’s design language is crisp, clean, and modern, with angular details that draw guests eyes to the culinary performance that is Dylan Lemay. Curated with intent, the brand’s color palette boldly diverts from the industry’s traditional, frequently used shades while still befitting that of an ice cream company.
The Catch’N experience—hand-selected from dozens of options, the venue itself is a traditional podium retail space in the historic Bayard-Condict Building: the only structure in NYC by the great modernist architect Louis Sullivan. The space centers around a huge cold slab counter where staff chop, fold, and throw ice cream to customers, replicating the influencer’s signature style. The user journey, both kinetic and sensory, puts each patron in the spotlight, akin to Dylan’s digital brand and video creations.
As guests wait their turn, they’re awarded ample sightlines to the cold slab experience and the ability to explore the full line-up of ice cream-themed merchandise. Technological touches such as digital menus and projection mapping infuse humor and keep in-store content fresh, rounding off a stylish, engaging experience created by—and for—the next generation.
Outcome: Catch’N debuted in the summer of 2022 to immense fanfare and excitement from new and established fans alike. Opening week, the ice cream shop garnered thousands of customers, millions of social mentions and content views, and coverage in dozens of publications, including Good Morning America, People, Time Out, The New York Times, Retail Brew, Eater, PSFK, and Distractify.
