The Burger Bros Opt for a Bit of Alchemy to Build Their Brand

Images of freshness, courtesy of photographer Barry Kinsella
Images of freshness, courtesy of photographer Barry Kinsella

Talk about a fun account. The Burger Bros — Peter and Nick Julius to their family and friends —  hired Alchemy to take its Fifties-esque logo and create a fully developed Brand Identity for its fresh-food franchise.

Humor works for the Burger Bros.
Humor works for the Burger Bros.

We started by getting a feel for the Fifties style of the Burger Bros.’ logo, and everything else seemed to organically grow from there,” says Steve Owens, Alchemy’s Partner/Creative Director. “They’re serious about the old-fashioned freshness and quality of their food, but we felt that a sense of humor was an important part of the whole aesthetic appeal.”

One of Alchemy’s tasks was to educate consumers on Burger Bros.’ has to offer: Fresh-made burgers, nothing frozen except the ice cream in their hand-dipped milkshakes, hand-cut french fries, and their own private-label soft drinks. “We need graphical representations in keeping with the brand identity, but also conveyed a heaping helping of fun.”

Alchemy started with a photo shoot to capture images of the food for all of the necessary signage and collateral, including menus, posters, the drive-thru menu board, in-store digital menus,  the tops of the tables, and table menus that double as advert handbills. Once again, Alchemy called in photographer Barry Kinsella to work his digital magic, as well as food stylists Firepoint Productions.

The in-store graphics
The in-store graphics: wall posters, tabletops, and other representations of the Burger Bros. sense of playfulness

The brothers Julius opened their first Burger Bros. in downtown West Palm Beach last year, and have since opened a franchise in Stuart, with another soon in Deerfield Beach. Their plan for world domination? Franchising smart, which means staying involved with location choices, ensuring their carefully crafted look and feel are duplicated, and choosing the right people to be franchisees. The bros are picky.

Alchemy designed all the graphics, right down to the label on the iced tea pots.
Alchemy designed all the graphics, right down to the label on the iced tea pots.

Up next is a website, traditional and social media campaigns, and other branding efforts. Duncan MacDonald, the Bros first franchisee with the location in Stuart, is making the most of the collateral to attract business to a location that opened just days before Christmas. MacDonald intends to open more franchises, as do Peter and Nick themselves. What started as a single drive-thru-only location in West Palm Beach is sure to be a major player in quick-serve restaurant (QSR) industry in South Florida before the end of 2011.


< Back to all news