Burger King is opening Flame Ground, its first flagship store worldwide, in Seoul's Seongsu district as it moves to broaden the brand experience. With sales expected to reach 1 trillion won this year, the company plans to make the site a core hub, pairing it with a reservation-only dining program that reinterprets its signature Whopper as a multi-course meal.
BKR, which operates Burger King in South Korea, unveiled the global flagship at a press briefing in Seongsu on the 26th. The official opening date is the 10th of next month. The company said the flagship extends the flame-grilling method it has used for 70 years across the space, the menu and the overall dining experience.
The most striking element is The Gastro, which turns the Whopper into a course meal. It operates by advance reservation in a separate 10-seat dining room at the back of the store. The components of a Whopper — the patty, bun, tomato, pickles and onion — are each presented as an individual dish within a single course. The price is 89,000 won per person, and reservations were booked through the middle of next month even before the official opening, according to the company.
Choi Young-jin, head of Burger King's product innovation center, said the aim was to break down the roles of the flame-grilled patty and each ingredient. "The Whopper is already a highly refined burger, but we wanted to take it apart and show what each part does," Choi said, adding that the company plans to turn Burger King's brand assets into new course menus each season going forward.
The main hall, with 90 seats, sells signature items available only at the flagship. They include three burgers: the K Cube Galbi Burger, which renders Korean-style galbi flavors over an open flame; the Memphis BBQ Burger, a take on American Southern barbecue; and the Philly Cheesesteak, which pairs ribeye with cheese. The store also offers three canned beers developed with Seoul Brewery, a local brewery in Seongsu — Seoul Rice Lager, Gold Rush California Common and Salinger Rye IPA — along with exclusive merchandise such as patty pouches, coaster sets and cold cups.
The interior is designed around the smoky char that is central to Burger King's appeal. Red brick, metal, charred wood and charcoal are used to give visual form to flame-grilling. Elements evoking fire and grills line the path from the exterior into the store, and the broiler used to cook patties serves as a main design motif. Works created with five emerging Korean artists are placed throughout the space. The movement of the broiler, along with charcoal and heat, is expressed through sound, light and installation art, giving the store the feel of a brand exhibition space rather than a fast-food outlet.
Lee Dong-hyung, chief executive of BKR, said South Korea is a place where new consumer experiences, content and trends are created dynamically. "Beyond offering the same experience at every store around the world, Burger King's next step is to present a special brand experience that can be felt at only one store," the CEO said, adding that Burger King is looking at 1.1 trillion won in sales and more than 600 stores this year. BKR posted consolidated sales of 892.2 billion won last year, and its store count has risen to 562 from 552 at the end of last year.
