Burger King

It was time for a refreshed environment. Burger King’s restaurants didn’t deliver on its “Have It Your Way” brand promise or its hip, irreverent advertising campaign. We helped the company complete its brand strategy loop, elevate the experience globally and extend the brand into new markets.

Our strategists, analysts and designers conducted a global experience audit and found that the one aspect of Burger King that every culture understood quickly was the flame grilling of the burgers. We created a dynamic, urban, industrial-feeling prototype that builds on this key brand attribute and differentiator.

Signature design elements align the restaurant with the brand image and invigorate the environment. The new experience also extends to the customer’s car. Without expanding wait times, we created a technology-driven drive-thru that is visually powerful. The dynamic new concept builds consistency in a way that is relevant, ownable and scalable.

Burger King also asked us to help them drive innovation and create a new growth vehicle for the brand. Together we developed a new spin-off concept that would expand the brand’s reach and broaden its core demographics.

The award-winning Whopper Bar, which offers guests a customizable, indulgent Whopper-based menu, elevates the brand promise. Its smaller footprint and enhanced “cool factor” opens up new real estate opportunities, including nontraditional locations.

The new look extends online on the accompanying Whopper Bar microsite, and the packaging and crew uniforms have a hip “bar scene” attitude to match.

The Whopper Bar continues to excite franchisees around the world, while the new restaurant concept has generated double-digit sales increases, with some locations seeing gains as high as 30 percent.