CHICAGO -- Burger King plans to swap its generic fast-food feel and bland tiles and tabletops for a vibe that's more sit-down than drive-through.

As part of a plan to be revealed Wednesday in Amsterdam, the company will announce a massive effort to overhaul its 12,000 locations worldwide.

The sleek interior includes rotating red flame chandeliers, brilliant TV-screen menus and industrial-inspired corrugated metal and brick walls.

``I'd call it more contemporary, edgy, futuristic,'' Chairman and CEO John Chidsey told The Associated Press. ``It feels so much more like an upscale restaurant.''

But that comes with an upscale price: The new look is expected to cost franchisees, who operate 90 percent of Burger King's locations, between $300,000 to $600,000 per restaurant.

The company said the new design, called ``20/20'' at the Miami-based chain, is already in place at about 60 locations around the world. But it will take years before all its locations are switched. And it is not mandatory that franchisees adopt the new design, a Burger King spokeswoman told The Miami Herald.

There are two 20/20 locations in South Florida. One is in the food court at the Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs, which was converted to the new format in June; the other is a free-standing restaurant in Miami at 5721 NW Seventh St., which opened last month.

Burger King franchise owners are contractually required to update their restaurants after a set period, and executives said the redesign will be the primary option for future upgrades. All new restaurants will be built using the plan. Burger King said it expects about 75 more redesigned restaurants to be open by the end of next year.

But franchisees were surprised Tuesday afternoon over news that the company was stepping up the roll-out of the new 20/20 design. Burger King had last unveiled a new look in 2005 called the ROC building, standing for Return on Capital. Any new imaging in a system the size of Burger King's can take many years.

The new 20/20 design features a red, black and silver color scheme, borrowing design elements from the Whopper Bar that Burger King opened earlier this year in Orlando's Universal Studios.

``We knew the concept has been under consideration, but from what we heard it was still in experimental stages,'' said Alex Alex Salgueiro, president of the National Hispanic Franchisee Association. ``It's definitely a very eye-catching building. It's very modern looking.''

Observers say the hip, urban and masculine elements in the redesign may be a hit with Burger King's most loyal customers -- young men.

But some experts are skeptical about whether sales will climb as much as the company claims and how eager franchise owners will be to part with that kind of cash, especially in a tough economy.

A group representing Burger King franchise owners didn't immediately comment.

Chidsey said he thinks most franchise owners, who typically own both their restaurant's building and the land, won't have trouble obtaining financing and will be swayed by prospective sales gains.

Miami Herald business writer Elaine Walker contributed to this report.

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