Cocorico

Cocorico was borne of Toulouse native Elodie Habert's goal of bringing authentic French Cuisine to Nashville. After finding incredible success at farmer's markets and pop-ups around the city, Elodie reached out to MZA to design Cocorico's first brick-and-mortar location.

What was previously a vanilla, second-generation restaurant storefront needed to be transformed into a space that gave guests the feeling of being transporté en France, meanwhile updating the kitchen and point of sale to optimize operations. A limited budget demanded intentional choices about where materiality would bring maximum impact to the space at minimal cost. Reclaimed brick was added to two prominent walls, a nod to Toulouse, The Pink City. A custom mosaic tile at the cash wrap welcomes guests with a playful BONJOUR! Applied wood trim and cream-colored paint bring warmth to the perimeter, and a mix of decorative pendants help define the seating area and point of sale.

The project had aggressive schedule demands, requiring a nimbleness of design-thinking and a very efficient collaboration from all parties. Design and construction were completed in five months, successfully delivering the space both on time and under budget. Cocorico has become an immediate favorite in the neighborhood.