Burger & Lobster Murals in New York’s Flatiron District

Burger & Lobster reveals a series of murals created by brand design agency Vault49 to help the New York restaurant stand out in the Flatiron District, where competition for diners is fierce. The murals connect the restaurant with its location and its core offering – prime-cut burgers and wild, fresh Atlantic lobsters. This work shows how art can help to communicate a restaurant’s brand story and personality, while achieving a point of difference in a crowded market. Passion for craft Burger & Lobster is a chain of restaurants with outlets in select cities around the world. The Flatiron restaurant was renovating its space and wanted a local artist to help it connect with its location and tell its brand story. Vladimir Borodin, Co-owner, Burger & Lobster, says: “Vault49’s team of talented artists and creatives have a passion for visual storytelling and we knew they would bring their authentic style to the narrative we wanted to tell around our history and story in a way that ignites our brand essence. “Their passion for craft signaled to us they understood the importance of quality and creativity in the simplest of forms, making them the perfect creative agency partner.” Storytelling through art Murals now decorate the walls in the downstairs bar, private dining room and above the lobster tank. The downstairs bar mural features a narrative provided by Burger & Lobster around provenance, connecting it with the lobster condo wall. It tells the story of the journey the lobsters take from Maine to the restaurant. Artwork inspires the mural’s elevated style and a pared back palette features a single color, accompanied by an accent of the Burger & Lobster brand color red. This story features in this area because the lobsters are housed behind the wall. And a lobster tank mural at the entrance tells the story at the heart of Burger & Lobster – the extraordinary union of lobster and cow - elevating the ingredient as the hero of the narrative. Upstairs a small private dining room showcases an urban cow scene mural with elements for visitors to discover. An open brief for this mural gave the team the chance to develop a story around New Cow City and style, weaving New York imagery of cabs, subways and water towers through the piece and giving them a cow twist. A pared back color palette lends itself to the size of the space and its use for private events. The copywriter on the project was Connor Hall, from Denver, Colorado. John Glasgow, Executive Creative Director, Vault49, says: “We were delighted when Burger & Lobster asked us to create murals for this site and we loved visually weaving the neighborhood into the restaurant’s brand story. The Flatiron District is a creative neighborhood with some of the best creative agencies in New York choosing to base their studios here, so it is a wonderful opportunity for Vault49 to contribute as our studio is close by. “It’s also important for us all as artists, myself and co-founder Jonathan included, who both started out as street artists, to be able to get our hands covered in paint. “One factor we had to consider was the team would need to paint during the restaurant’s opening hours which created a new set of challenges in terms of lighting and limited space, but we turned it into an exciting experience for diners to watch the murals take shape as they dined, creating elements of surprise and delight.”