Burger King to showcase Hirst art in revamp

9 July, 2012

Burger King is to display a work of art by Damien Hirst at its flagship central London restaurant that will be rebranded as a ‘Flameship’ site over the summer.

The Leicester Square branch of the chain is getting the revamp as London prepares for a surge in visitors for the Olympics. Hirst’s piece, which is aptly titled ‘Flame Grilled’, will take centre stage at the restaurant and will remain on display until the end of the year.

Burger King’s efforts at Leicester Square are part of a campaign to counter intense marketing activity by official Olympics sponsors like McDonald’s. The painting will help to highlight a refurb of the branch to emphasise Burger King’s flame-grilled cooking, and is part of a wider revamp of design across its estate.

The full name of the painting, which measures two metres across, is ‘Beautiful Psychedelic Gherkin Exploding Tomato Sauce All Over Your Face, Flame Grilled Painting 2003.’ It will be cased in reinforced glass and housed in the upstairs dining area at Leicester Square. The unlikely loan was apparently sourced thanks to a personal connection between Hirst and Django Fung, the franchisee at Leicester Square.

BK's UK marketing director Jo Blundell said: “Our new Flameship restaurant marks a period of continued growth and innovation for the Burger King brand. All of our new-look restaurants will provide a more modern experience to enjoy the great taste of our flame-grilled burgers.”