Harrison is to work on a second Burger Shack venue for premium pub operator Young & Co following the success of our design for the new brand’s first permanent site at The Windmill pub in Clapham, which launched in May this year.
Our scheme for The Swan at Walton on Thames, which will open in November, will focus on boosting fast-casual dining options for Young’s in the premium pub market and will follow the thriving Burger Shack blueprint of an innovative beer garden food experience.
“Burger Shack is all about engaging a more urban, modern demographic and wowing them with a bold, attractive dining experience which fits in with their lifestyle”, explains designer Elsa Nugent.
“The brand started life earlier this year in an Airstream travel trailer which visited Young’s pubs serving amazing burgers, but Young’s have extended the concept with resident shacks that are more permanent, but with the same quirky, innovative approach to eating out.”
Designs for The Swan will have roots in our launch work at The Windmill, which transformed an existing outside bar and used an individually designed shepherd hut for seating as well as outdoor reclaimed timber sharing tables.
Elsa continues: “The Burger Shacks take inspiration from existing burger bars, which have a trend of being quite rough around the edges. We put our own twist on things by adding colour, vibrancy and ambience. At The Windmill, for example, we didn’t want to go too urban as it wouldn’t have sat well within the Clapham location, so we opted for ‘Shaker chic’. We will take a similar bespoke approach at The Swan for its Walton on Thames clientele.”
The Shacks are created to be the heroes of their sites, adorned with designer, vintage-style artworks. Each is cleverly adapted to the existing structure of the beer gardens, accommodating anything from decking bases and sloping ground levels through to the restrictions of building in a conservation area, which will be the case at The Swan.
Exposed lighting, and further retro artwork, evident at The Windmill, add to the ‘summer festival meets country village’ vibe.