Grill'd (x Barbie) Dreamburgers
Grill’d partnered with Warner Bros. and Mattel on the release of Barbie: The Movie and tasked Bastion Experience with creating an engaging, memorable space that referenced key visuals and hero characters from the film.
Grill’d wanted to: turn Australia unapologetically pink, create cultural hype around the brand collaboration, build a space that captured the flavour ferocity of the Barbie movie and delivered an experience for customers exclusive to Grill’d. The space also needed to drive mass PR and social coverage, drive footfall into the venue, meet the high-quality production and visual standards of Warner Bros. and encourage purchase of the exclusive Barbie burger menu including the Barbie Dreamburger (a beef patty topped with pink mayo, tasty cheese, charred pineapple, avocado, tomato, lettuce, Spanish onion and tomato sauce served on a pink panini bun!) the Barbie Dreamburger Bundle (optional bundle with chips, pink mayo and pink Remedy Sodaly) and the Barbie Beach Roll (lobster, creamy avo, fresh lettuce and cucumber topped with zingy finger lime, crispy nori pieces and pink mayo served on a pink roll!).
Taking this into consideration, the team selected the Grill’d restaurant in the Galeries in Sydney’s CBD. This was one key location selected from the x 165 restaurants nationally, and so the space needed to have maximum impact.
The team developed the concept of Dreamburgers, an imaginary Dreamburgers diner that tapped into all the glory of the movie, whilst celebrating Australia’s love of beach culture and the best burgers on offer in our market. This new-world Barbie Land built with a Grill’d edge began at a striking front façade, with an overarching narrative that took you on a journey through the restaurant. The façade was inspired by the films architectural design aesthetic, of Palm Springs mid-century modernism, with contrasting Barbie pinks, and whites, glass brick detailing, columns, palm trees and outdoor seating for the ultimate Slim Aarons-esque photo moment.
The iconic Barbie pebble pattern greeted you at the front counter with directional signage through to the Barbie beach way. The branded cabana style seating included key visuals from the film and props including a Barbie branded surfboard, inflatable beach accessories and beach ware, instantly transporting guests to a summer afternoon at the beach. Venturing through Barbie beach way included a Dreamburgers Drive Thru a stop for an interactive photo moment and customised seated space. Continuing the diner aesthetic, the Grill’d uniform was on display with takeaway props, printed menu items and branded Impala skates.
Finally reaching Barbie’s Dreamhouse, which included key visuals from Barbie’s home, transporting guests into the highly anticipated space. With a photo wall of all the Barbie characters, selfie generator moment linking to the microsite and customised seating with customised table coverings and pink lamps. The bathrooms also included mirror decals and props encouraging interaction and content creation in every corner of the restaurant.
The team worked to source props that were specific to the film, this included branded Impala Skates from the movie that were displayed in the Dreamburgers Drive Thru. Key props such as the surfboard and pink cola bottles were also customised with Dreamburgers branding and pink liquid to replace the cola. The Bastion team also colour matched spray paint with specific Pantone colours to customise furniture and styling items such as the table setting and frisbee. The props and styling added to the overall aesthetic of the space, with considered and specific choices to meet the creative briefing objectives from Grill’d, Warner Bros. and Mattel teams.
The Bastion team successfully launched a branded, engaging, and memorable experience. A highly visual, detailed space from the custom-made build to the specific prop and styling inclusions. The overall feedback from Mattel, Warner Bros. and Grill’d was overwhelmingly positive with teams praising the attention to detail, accurate representation of the films look and feel and overall execution.
