Burger King unveiled two futuristic restaurant designs that offer a “touchless” experience, complete with conveyor belts that deliver orders to customers.
The new designs, which will debut in new restaurants opening next year in Miami, the Caribbean and Latin America, will feature dedicated mobile order and curbside pick-up areas, drive-in and walk-up order areas, an enhanced drive-thru experience, exterior dining spaces and sustainable design elements, including solar panels. (Specifics are at end of article.) The footprint is about 60% smaller than a traditional Burger King restaurant site.
The new designs, created by Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International’s in-house design group, were unveiled as drive-thru visits at restaurants have surged during the pandemic. The design plans were drafted with input from tech, operations and food innovation teams.
“In March our in-house design and tech team accelerated new restaurant design plans and pushed the limits of what a Burger King restaurant could be,” said Josh Kobza, COO, Restaurant Brands. “We took into consideration how consumer behaviors are changing and our guests will want to interact with our restaurants. The result is a new design concept that is attractive to guests and will allow our franchisees to maximize their return.”
One design option features a suspended kitchen and dining room above drive-thru lanes configured to reduce the building footprint, making it ideal for urban areas. There are three drive-thru lanes, with one exclusively for delivery drivers.
With this design, drive-thru customers will have their order delivered from the suspended kitchen by a conveyor belt system (each lane has its own pick-up spot.) Customers can also eat their food in the dining room and covered outdoor seating situated above the drive-thru entrance. The design of this restaurant allows a 100% touchless experience. The re-agined restaurant blueprints emphasize the following… Chain Store Age