In the modern world of fast food, joints like Burger King aren’t just national; they’re mostly international — and almost all these chains are owned by a handful of companies. When you walk into Panera or Buffalo Wild Wings or dozens of other chains, you aren’t just patronizing those businesses but large conglomerates with names like JAB Holding Company and Roark Capital, which own entire collections of restaurants. Sometimes, these brands even own the competition making the same products. As for Burger King, this burger chain is owned by a similar conglomerate with the vague name Restaurant Brands International. In addition to BK, RBI also owns the three popular chains Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs.
Restaurant Brands International came about from the unique merger of Burger King and Tim Hortons in 2014. The two companies were brought together by an outside owner named 3G Capital, based in Brazil, and the deal was partially funded by famous investor Warren Buffett. While it was technically Burger King and the Brazilian 3G that made the purchase, Restaurant Brands International is now located in Tim Hortons’ home country of Canada. Tim Hortons is even more of a big deal in Canada than Burger King is in the U.S., being the country’s largest chain restaurant and an iconic part of the culture. In fact, Canoo reports that 80% of Canadians visit the chain at least once a month, which is certainly a fact about Tim Hortons worth knowing.
Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs are all owned by Restaurant Brands International
The 2014 merger eventually led to RBI acquiring Popeyes in 2017. The chicken chain was seen as a growing brand that had even more potential than Burger King and Tim Hortons. That turned out to be a good bet. The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich came out two years later, and the brand has seen rapid growth since being acquired. In 2017, Popeyes had 2,600 total stores, with only 25 outside the United States. By 2023, that number had topped 4,100, with more than 1,200 international locations. Turns out it’s never a bad idea to count on people’s love of fast food chicken sandwiches.
The final acquisition in RBI’s portfolio was Firehouse Subs in 2021, which is also the newest of these chains, being founded in 1994. Like Popeyes, Firehouse Subs has been a fast-growing brand, and RBI has plans to open an additional 800 locations by 2028. This includes major expansions into international markets like Mexico, Brazil, and Australia.
While all four of these chains are owned by this single conglomerate based in Toronto, Restaurant Brands International does still operate them as independent businesses in each’s home country. Tim Hortons’ headquarters has remained in Canada, while the rest are based in Florida. Burger King and Popeyes are based in Miami, while Firehouse is headquartered in Jacksonville. It might not make the company “local,” but at least some of the employees still are.
