With lockdown restrictions clearly going nowhere, Burger King has recently announced its plans to optimize new locations for mobile ordering and contactless service.
On Thursday, the popular burger chain released its designs for two new restaurant layouts which are 100% touchless and 60% smaller than a typical restaurant. With dedicated drive-in and walk-up order areas, mobile order and curbside pickup areas, an exterior dining space, and streamlined drive-thrus, the new models also incorporate sustainable design elements. Burger King plans to build them in Miami, Latin America, and the Caribbean starting next year.
A press release about the new designs described some of the special features Burger King has planned;
Drive-Thru. A double or triple drive thru features digital menu boards and merchandising. The multi-lane ordering and pick-up expedites the process, while a living wall frames the guest’s view into the kitchen interior, featuring the iconic Burger King broiler. An external walk up window on the glass facade will also be an alternative ordering point for take-out.
Suspended Kitchen and Dining Room. One innovative design option features a suspended kitchen and dining room above the drive-thru lanes configured to reduce the building footprint, making it ideal for urban driving cities. Drive thru guests have their order delivered from the suspended kitchen by a conveyor belt system, and each lane has its own pick-up spot. This restaurant design option features a triple drive thru with a dedicated lane for delivery drivers. Guests who want to dine in can enjoy the dining room and covered outdoor seating situated above the drive thru entrance.
Burger King is not the first fast-food chain to redesign based on mobile order optimization; just last month, Taco Bell released its plans for a double drive-in restaurant design, with one lane streamlined solely for mobile order pickup.