Atlanta-based fast-food burger chain Krystal has partnered with Butter.ATL, a media company focused on Atlanta culture, to open Krystal x Butter. The dual-branded restaurant and “immersive experience” will feature art installations, murals and more at the renovated Krystal Northside Drive location, which will launch the revamp on Friday, Aug. 20.
“Culture is Atlanta’s number one export and Butter drives the culture forward by putting a spotlight on the cultural mecca that Atlanta is — all things cool, current, and authentic in a city that has tremendous hometown pride,” Brandon Butler, Executive Director of Butter.ATL, said in a statement. “Krystal has occupied its own unique space in southern food culture for decades and we couldn’t be more proud of our partnership with this legacy brand.”
The restaurant renovation was conducted through a partnership with The Spice Group, an Atlanta-based production company. The Spice Group oversaw the development of the Trap Music Museum, a museum by rapper T.I. that explores the history of hip-hop culture, and 21 Savage’s Motel 21, a 2018 interactive exhibit launched to promote the artist’s album.
For Krystal x Butter, the team is re-painting the exterior of the restaurant black with red accents and added a gold chain around the storefront Krystal sign. On the side of the building, they’re painting murals with headphones, the “A-Town Down” hand gesture and, of course, Krystal burgers. The drive-thru lanes will be painted to look like Atlanta highways.
On the interior, the walls will be decked out with an Atlanta timeline (featuring the day in 2013 when Krystal relocated its headquarters from Chattanooga to Atlanta), neons signs and floor-to-ceiling wall wraps of Atlanta skylines. The restaurant will also include a speaker-inspired art installation and a jukebox loaded with hits from Atlanta artists.
As for the menu, it will stay the same: Tiny square hamburgers, cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches, along with sides of fries and tater tots.
Let’s hope the crater pot holes/water and mud feature on 14th Street entrance gets repaired by their neighbor, The Atlanta Waterworks maybe soon. It’s only been screwed up for 10 years.
Indeed…I think it’s been more like 20 years though.