Burger King had a fundamental problem - that most people simply don’t believe their burgers are flame-grilled; this despite spending millions of advertising dollars for decades to convince them. Classic comms solutions alone aren’t working.

Something much more fundamental was needed within the restaurant to shift guest perceptions and convince people that Burger King burgers really are flame-grilled.

That challenge required innovation in the design and engineering of the flame-grill itself and in reconfiguring restaurants to put flame-grilling right at the heart of the guest experience.

How to convince Burger King guests that their burgers really are flame-grilled, when advertising alone has thus far failed to achieve that consistently? And besides, many Burger King markets simply can’t afford traditional advertising but, on the other hand, every outlet around the world gets a periodic make-over, where design can dramatically change the experience of guests.

Unlike most other fast-food joints, Burger King don’t fry their burgers - they’ve been flame-grilling them since 1954, but it turns out that 2 out of 3 people aren’t aware that they flame-grill, and while a third of them are... they simply don’t believe it.

That’s hardly surprising because fast food restaurants typically hide the kitchen from people, which is pretty much the opposite of what most high-end restaurants do. And back there it really didn’t matter if the flames were invisible and the product looked brutal, engineered and industrial.

Clearly, if people are to believe in the flame, they actually need to see it.

So, the idea was to completely rethink the flame-grill and bring it front of house so that guests could see their burgers being flame-grilled.

That idea was never going to be simple to achieve. First, it required a ground up rethink of the grill to provide visibility of the flame. Second, that in turn needed a completely new design expression to reinforce the brand’s credentials in store. And third, a reorganisation of the restaurants was necessary to bring it front of house and put it at the heart of the guest experience.

Client briefed SP – January 2018

SP first presentation – February 2018

Concept approved / data supplied – June 2018

First prototype built – September 2018

Patent approval – 4th April 2019

Manufacturing commenced – Sept 2019

Roll-out across US branches – Jan 2020 onwards

You’d think it would be simple and straightforward to put a glass window into the grill! But that didn’t work, because visibility is quickly compromised and too much heat is lost. Eventually, after iteratively reconfiguring the mechanical architecture of the cooking ‘engine’ and endless prototyping different solutions, the team had success with a clever laminate of materials, which maintain heat, while safely allowing visibility of the flames.

This innovation also required changes to the burners and a complete reconfiguration of the complex airflow for much greater efficiency. In parallel, the team redesigned the construction of the whole appliance to distance it from its semi-industrial siblings in the back kitchen... and to give it instead the personality of a high-quality professional barbecue, with visual cues in the handles, die-cast metal sides, stainless steel pressings and the thermometer on the outside where people can see it. In short, a product to be proud of, and a celebration of what Burger King does.

The drive for innovation continued into kitchen layouts for both counter and drive thru, which are reconfigured to maximise the new product’s positioning and impact and put it right at the heart of the guest experience.

Now, not only are guests able to see the flames, but the new design is 15% more efficient, reducing cooking and waiting times without compromising quality. And, since its introduction, 60% of guests surveyed noticed the flames as a differentiator for Burger King, while their overall opinion of their food is up 11%.

Completely redesigning this most essential piece of equipment has put a smile on the faces of guests, transforming their dining experience, and physically demonstrating an undeniable truth - that Burger King burgers really are flame-grilled...

...and have been since 1954.