Burger King in France: a 16-year comeback

When the first Burger King restaurant opened on boulevard du Montparnasse in Paris in 1980, the American chain founded in Miami in 1954 by James McLamore and David Edgerton had already celebrated its 26th anniversary. For seventeen years, Burger King would open thirty restaurants in France, mainly in Paris, but never succeeded in imposing its Whopper against McDonald’s’ roller press.

1997: the silent withdrawal

In 1997, Burger King decided to withdraw from the French market. The Quick group bought up the entire park, converted the franchises, and the brand disappeared from the French landscape. For sixteen years, French travelers who crossed paths with a Burger King in Brussels, London or Geneva would sigh, saying that France was one of the few developed countries without access to the “King”.

This prolonged absence created a measurable lack effect: opinion polls, online petitions, viral success of the parodical Twitter account “Burger King France”… The public let know that it was waiting for the chain. When the Marseille-Provence airport opened in December 2013 a temporary Burger King in its terminal, queues of several hours formed, captured by national media. The effect was massive.

2013-2024: the rapid growth

The official return took place via Bertrand Restauration, master franchisee for France, who inaugurated a Burger King in La Défense (Paris) on December 16, 2015. From there, the rate of openings accelerated:

• 2016: 14 restaurants opened
• 2018: 200 restaurants
• 2021: ~400 restaurants
• 2024: more than 500 restaurants claimed

The acquisition of Quick by the Bertrand group in 2015 accelerated the deployment: almost all of the 360 French Quick restaurants were converted to Burger King between 2016 and 2019, capitalizing on already tested locations.

The figures in our database

According to our cross-referenced INSEE-SIRENE + INPI database, the Burger King France ecosystem currently counts:

• 85 franchised companies (each operating 1 to 15 restaurants)
• 572 establishments declared to INSEE, of which 470 are open
• Burger King Restauration (SIREN 801363227) as a pivot structure

The most densely covered departments are the Gironde (33) with 13 establishments, followed by the Seine-et-Marne (77) with 12, then the Ille-et-Vilaine (35) and the Haute-Garonne (31) with 10 each.

Why it works

Three factors explain this success of the return:

1. A differentiated product: the flame-grilled Whopper remains a distinctive gustatory landmark compared to the McDonald’s burger.
2. A cunning implantation strategy: taking over Quick locations (already tested in the fast zone) and choosing premium positions in airports / stations.
3. An offensive marketing: direct comparison campaigns with McDonald’s, provocative signature, sector-recognized social media.

The challenge of the coming years remains profitability: despite spectacular revenue growth, many establishments have not yet reached the break-even point. This is the subject of our detailed financial analysis Burger King France 2024.