Scotch Egg Club
A restaurant takeover turned underground culinary movement
Client: Dewar’s
New York City (Bowery) · 2016
MODA Role
Creative Direction · Experiential Design · Environmental Transformation
(Developed within an agency-produced collaboration)
Context
For years, the humble Scotch egg lived on the fringes of mainstream culinary culture.
Dewar’s set out to change that—not with a traditional brand activation, but by staging a cultural uprising. The result was Tommy’s Egg Kitchen: a bodega by day, an exclusive members-only Scotch Egg Club by night.
The project was conceived as both satire and serious culinary expression—using food, ritual, and environment to elevate an overlooked icon.
The Big Idea
Create a dual-identity restaurant takeover that could seamlessly shift personas over the course of the day.
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By day: a functioning Scotch egg bodega serving the public
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By night: the Scotch Egg Club—an underground venue for chef-driven competition, performance, and social ritual
The transformation wasn’t symbolic. It was architectural, operational, and experiential.
Scope & Contribution
MODA collaborated with Epsilon, who produced the project, contributing creative direction and experiential design for the full takeover.
MODA’s work included:
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Concepting the dual-day/night identity and narrative
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Designing and building a highly custom interior environment within an existing Bowery restaurant
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Reworking the space to function as both bodega and club
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Designing visual language, signage, and spatial cues to support the transformation
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Shaping the experiential flow for both public and invite-only audiences
The environment was treated as theater with consequences—fully operational, fully immersive.
Culinary Collaboration
Trailblazing chef Michael Voltaggio was enlisted to lead the kitchen.
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During the day, Voltaggio served his Scotch egg interpretations to the public
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At night, he faced off against local chefs in live Scotch Egg throw-downs, turning the club into a culinary arena
Food wasn’t a prop—it was the engine of the experience.
Design Intent
The design leaned into subculture, humor, and authenticity.
Rather than polishing away the underground tone, the environment embraced it—using material choices, lighting, and spatial compression to evoke something discovered rather than advertised.
The space felt earned, not staged.
Outcome
The Scotch Egg Club generated strong buzz across food, culture, and brand media—earning coverage from outlets including BizBash.
By transforming a restaurant into a living narrative, the project demonstrated how experiential design can manufacture culture—not just reflect it.
Attribution
This project was produced in collaboration with Epsilon. MODA contributed creative direction and experiential design within that collaboration.