Burger King’s “Restaurant of Tomorrow” Design Supports the New Normal

As restaurants have reopened their doors to serve customers during a global pandemic, it’s become clear that there are new safety protocols and design features that need to be in place to support community health, as seen in the new Burger King restaurant design. The new Burger King concept was created to support changing consumer behaviors and safety measures with dedicated mobile order and curbside pick-up areas, as well as drive-in and walk-up order areas.

The Restaurant Brands International chain is the latest restaurant company to announce permanent changes to its locations after the coronavirus pandemic transformed consumer behavior. Drive-thru visits increased by 26% in April, May and June, according to data from the NPD Group. “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,” Restaurant Brands’ Chief Operating Officer Josh Kobza said in a statement. “We took into consideration how consumer behaviors are changing and [how] our guests will want to interact with our restaurants.”

The restaurant’s “Your Way” concept features just two lanes but adds a walk-up window for takeout orders, but also introduces an enhanced drive-thru experience, since the overall physical footprint of the location is about 60% smaller than usual. Some of the most notable features of BK’s “Restaurant of Tomorrow” include pick-up lockers for mobile and delivery orders, and a shaded outdoor patio for on-premise dining. Customers can also opt to park their cars under solar-powered canopies and have their Whoppers and fries delivered right to their cars after scanning a QR code at their parking spot and placing their order on Burger King’s mobile app.  At a Next Level restaurant, customers can eat their food in a dining room that juts above the drive-thru lanes to maximize square footage.

The company said the first new designed restaurants will be built next year in Latin America, the Caribbean and Miami, where Burger King is headquartered.

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