The Sunset Hills Burger King franchise re-opened July 12 as one of the first restaurants to sport the company’s new “Pavilion” exterior design. (Courtesy of Broadway Restaurant Group)
A view of the previous design of the Sunset Hills Burger King. (Courtesy of Google Street View)
SUNSET HILLS — If you want to get a look at the future of a fast-food giant, head to South County.
The Burger King franchise here reopened this week as one of the first in the world sporting the company’s new exterior design.
The new look, dubbed “Pavilion,” swapped the location’s old brick, blue roof and dated playground for a showcase of natural wood, sheet metal and larger windows that allow in more sunlight.
The company’s new retro-style logo is front and center, and the slogan “Flame Grilling Since 1954” is written high on the facade in large, ’70s-era block letters.
“The idea is to acknowledge where we came from but also push forward and chart a new path,” said Henry Delouvrier, co-owner of Maryland Heights-based Broadway Restaurant Group, which owns the franchise.
The Miami-based brand could use a new trajectory.
Sales growth has lagged behind competitors such as McDonald’s and Wendy’s in recent years, company filings show. Its recovery from a pandemic-plagued 2020 got off to a slow start this year, too. The changes in design are the latest iteration of a companywide rebranding launched in January that a branding expert called a clear attempt at greasing the skids for a turnaround.
“The worst thing that can happen to a brand is become irrelevant,” said Aaron Perlut, partner at the downtown marketing firm Elasticity, “and in the past few years, that’s what’s happened to Burger King. You just haven’t heard much about them.”
The retro stylings appear to be an effort to create a certain “kitschiness” that appeals to an older demographic, Perlut said. The emphasis on natural wood and clean lines in Sunset Hills, on the other hand, are attempts to constructing a millennial aesthetic.
Not every location will have this look, Delouvrier said. The company is experimenting with the design and will be learning from reaction to revamped locations in the months to come.
Perlut said customers ultimately will judge the company less by the look of a store and more by the quality of its food and how it engages with them.
To that end, Delouvrier said the company will soon release a manifesto declaring that “real food tastes better” to highlight recent efforts to remove artificial ingredients from Whoppers and serve only freshly sliced lettuce and tomatoes.
Delouvrier also took pains to show a reporter the flames in a broiler that cooks Whoppers and the hand-breading process for new Ch’King chicken sandwich.
He acknowledged that during the pandemic the restaurant fell behind its competitors but said the rebranding and a successful launch of the new chicken sandwich have him optimistic.
“And we have great people,” he added.
The rebuilt location has hired 30 people so far and could add 10 to 20 more, store officials said. A news release noted that employees at the revamped store earn a $50 per week bonus “starting Day 1.”