The Man Behind the Franchise: Interview with Basil Al Salem

By Hessa Al Habshi

It’s no secret that the B+F franchise is one of the most distinguished in Kuwait. Not only because of its dining experience, but also because of its unique designs. Recently, I had the chance to interview Basil Al Salem, the creator and designer of not one or two but seven successful restaurants in the Arab Gulf.

How did you get the idea for B+F?
In the architectural perspective, we wanted to create a burger joint to reflect the product in a way; that was the concept. We wanted to create a restaurant that would use materials that came out recently, which is similar to what the 1950’s burger joints did at the time. The diners, which were usually found in intersections and highways, used materials that had been available at the time such as chrome and neon signs. That was during the peak of industrial materials. We adapted some ideas to reflect industrial works; we also used the newest materials of this generation such as recyclable materials and cutting materials using CNC routers. In the end, the most important things for the concept were the shape, technology used, and materials.

What inspires you?
Anything can be an inspiration! But the concept is the core of the design, so I have to keep that in mind as well as the ambiance. Not a lot of people know this, but I first got the inspiration for Open Flame Kitchen from my iPhone cover. It was black and there were oval shapes, which represented islands. That was the starting point of my designs, and I worked from there in my templates. My designs developed when looking at different materials but that was what inspired me at the start.

How would you describe your signature style?
Mostly industrial. I love metals, they’re my favourite material. They’re extremely versatile; they can be easily cut and bent into different shapes. I used metals in all my designs. In Slider Station the metals are rusted whilst in Open Flame Kitchen and Burger Boutique, they’re painted.

What is your ultimate goal when it comes to your work?

My ultimate goal is that the designs are efficient in terms of aesthetics and function. These two things have to combine well. If the aesthetics and functions don’t combine perfectly, this will lead to issues. For example, there won’t be enough chairs and tables or the kitchen is too small, which would then affect the business side of the restaurant. So for me it’s very important that the combination of aesthetics and function is good, that’s my ultimate goal.

What do you feel is the greatest challenge when designing?

I love challenges! When I was designing Slider Station, there was a column in the site, and that was quite a challenge, but while others would have avoided the column and tried to hide it, I embraced the challenge and made it work to my advantage. I used the column as a design feature, and the bar in Slider Station emerged because of the column. So the challenge actually was an inspiration.

What do you think sets your chain of restaurants apart from the rest in Kuwait?

The designs are different, and I give each of them a personal touch to separate them from the others. I try to shy away from repetition because I don’t know if you've noticed, people hate repetition, so I try to make them different and unique from the others. That’s what I think sets B+F apart from the rest of the restaurants in Kuwait.

Can you list some things you dislike seeing in design?

Fake materials, anything too faux. Whether its leather, wood or shiny surfaces. Basically anything fake. I’d rather buy something cheap and real, rather than something expensive and fake.

Can you see yourself in this field twenty years from now?

I can’t say for sure, probably not, but still I’m not certain. I’m really enjoying this field at the moment. But I might be interested in designing hotels, so that might be something I would do in the future. Whatever I’ll be doing in twenty years, I can say for certain that I’m going to have a passion for it just as I do now.

Photos were taken at the recently renovated restaurant, Burger Boutique, located at Arraya Mall in Sharq, Kuwait.