Brand Refresh Revitalizes Landmark Seattle Drive-In Burgermaster
I worked with Burgermaster's CEO and board of directors to lead a first ever company-wide re-brand. I hired a design agency, food photography and branding strategist, and re-designed the Burgermaster menu based on updated brand and operational guidance.
CompanyBurgermasterDuration6 monthsRoleArt Director and Project Lead
Burgermaster, Class Since '52
Family-owned drive-in chain Burgermaster wanted to prep the business for sale
Burgermaster was started by my grandpa Phil Jensen, in 1952. While nearly all of the family was involved in operational management of the company, I decided to use my interest in art and the internet to help the company get visibility online. I designed and built the company's first website in 2005, and eventually grew it into a marketing powerhouse, with 40,000 visitors and 4,000 calls equalling about $50,000 in revenue to the company (just from inbound phone volume, to say nothing of discoverability in Google Maps)
Burgermaster's brand presentation had fallen behind the times
Business buyers want to make improvements, but attractive menus and photography would help make the business attractive to buyers. I worked hard to show the family competing businesses and just how much Burgermaster was suffering in comparison when it came to the health of the visual brand of the company, in particular how the photography played into our broader marketing efforts.
Legacy Redesigns Are Challenging
For 2nd and 3rd-generation businesses, legacy, sentiment and nostalgia color what must be a balancing of business and personal connection to the brand
I sat at the kitchen table in my grandparent's Pinehurst, Seattle home with the president (my uncle Bob) and the other 2nd-generation owners and listened to the direction they wanted to take the company.
Goal
Rebrand all customer touchpoints
The re-branding effort needed to show up across customer touch points, including signage, menus, cups and fry cups, tray mats, to-go bags and more
Goal
Create operational wins
Branding can have a fuzzy ROI - we believed there were operational improvements we could make within a broader re-brand
Goal
Respect a 6+ decade legacy
The family wanted the new brand to be an elegant update with a link to the founder and past design
A Rich, Inspiring History
65+ years of Americana
Burgermaster Historically Focused on Value to the Customer – So I That's Where I Started
I started with an in-depth survey of 186 Burgermaster patrons
The Founder Phil Jensen's philosophy was always 'value to the customer'. Despite broad agreement that the customer was the be-all end-all, we knew relatively little about our best customers. As a way of generating alignment, I decided to do a survey to understand more about who frequented Burgermaster.
Survey Question
How often do you go to Burgermaster?
Survey Question
Did you know the following about Burgermaster?
Burgermaster's burger patties are 100% Grass-fed beef
Burgermaster's cookies are hand-made daily
Burgermaster's tartar sauce is scratch-made from a proprietary recipe
Survey Question
What is your yearly household income?
Far from being an empty demographic question, income got at the heart of what we were trying to accomplish with the brand - who were we trying to appeal to?
Survey Question
Which menu do you prefer?
We tested customers' menu preference against the competition
We asked customers which menu they preferred, and 77% said they preferred the cleaner, more readable, less cluttered, more appetizing menu from Sonic.
Survey Question
What's one thing that bothers you about the experience at Burgermaster?
These opened-ended questions ended up surprising us with the feedback - in particular what it said about the operational aspect of the business.
Sometimes when I order something to pick up I’m
waiting for just as long as if I would of just dined there
Circling the lot in Bellevue. But I’ll always circle until
something opens up!
Nothing really, sometimes the wait it longer than expected but it’s not like it takes away from anything.
Sometimes so crowded hard to find parking spot
Survey Question
If you could change one thing about the Burgermaster experience, what would it be?
I think having a designated curb side to go area is
needed or an app to order and customize food, I’ve taken older people who have a hard time reading the menus.
Menu cleanup ala In and Out simple style
Keep menu choices simple. Wait time
I think the menu is fine – I accidentally hit the number ‘4’ on that question – sorry! I just can’t SEE it/ READ it very well from my car without GLASSES these days!
Research Crystallized an Issue of Complexity
Burgermaster's whole business suffered from an over-complexity. Menu complexity drove many operation issues
Getting alignment on these items helped the team start with why and work from the inside out. In a redesign effort, values and other stances are like the vertical layout grid in a website design - they create an unseen structure that helps guide the design effort to success.
Imagine trying to read the above menu from 5-10 feet away
Compare the 2017 menu with the circa 1970s menu below - fewer options and larger text makes it much easier to read at distance
Complexity does tend to grow over time
Based on the survey and interviews with operations managers, I listed all the issues that arose out of a complex menu
This answered the differentiation question - knowing the range of visual communication styles in the industry helped us know where we could find opportunities to stand out.
Planning and Execution
The board voted unanimously to move forward
With decisions made by a board of 4 siblings (Phil's 4 children), creating unanimous decisions was critical for progress – and the research I did on the project helped achieve alignment of all 4 stakeholders
I started with an agency search
People People
I looked for an agency who had worked with other legacy brands in Seattle. People People (then called DEI) fit the bill perfectly. They were approachable, talented, within budget and were enthusiastic about working with Burgermaster
I Connected with a Talented Food Photographer
The photography had to be spot-on, and we found a talented photographer would could handle the detailed work required to make quality shine through a photograph
Photography, Before and After
The coloring is clearly more appetizing in the newer (right) photo. The burger also has a wider, slightly flatter profile which makes it feel more substantial. It makes a huge difference.
Old photography at left, updated photography at right
I Took on the Task of Redesigning the Menu
This was a place where I could use all the skills I had acquired over the last 20 years - business savvy, design and layout, as well as art direction to source both the branding and the photography. This project would have immediate operational impact and I felt I was the person with the skill, passion and knowledge to deliver the best possible design. Hindsight has proved this decision right.
Menu Design Brought All the Pieces Together
Branding & Photography
The updated branding worked perfectly for the new menu, creating a clean, organized and readable menu. With menu designs coming together, it was clear that all of our hard work over the past few months was coming together for something excellent.
The Menu was the Place Where Everything Converged
Menus were the Most Frequent Customer Touchpoint Behind the Restaurant Signage
For day-to-day operations of the business, the menu had the highest impact. Getting it right would create better customer comprehension, faster order times and market Burgermaster's high-quality offerings
Photography
This was a place where I could use all the skills I had acquired over the last 20 years - business savvy, design and layout, as well as art direction to source both the branding and the photography. This project would have immediate operational impact and I felt I was the person with the skill, passion and knowledge to deliver the best possible design. Hindsight has proved this decision right.