Burger King's US same-store sales rose 8.4% in the third quarter of 2026, up from 3.2% a year earlier, parent Restaurant Brands International reported.
Value deals including Whopper Wednesday, "2 for $5" and "3 for $7," plus new drinks like matcha, drew more diners to the chain in the quarter ended Sept. 30.
It was the sixth straight quarterly increase for the burger chain. The earlier chapter of this recovery is in our coverage of Burger King’s Whopper revamp.
Burger King US Same-Store Sales Growth More Than Doubled
US comparable sales growth, third quarter, %
Bar chart. Quarter. Q3 2025: Same-Store Sales Growth (%) 3.20%. Q3 2026: Same-Store Sales Growth (%) 8.40%.
Source: Reuters, CNBC, Franchise Herald
Group revenue rose 3.1% to $2.53B, slightly below the $2.54B analysts surveyed by LSEG expected. Same-store sales across all restaurants grew 3.8%, ahead of the 3.25% estimate.
The Burger King segment's adjusted operating income climbed to $136M from $123M a year earlier.
Popeyes is still going the other way
Popeyes US same-store sales fell 2.2%, a seventh consecutive quarterly drop for the fried chicken chain.
The decline did moderate from the 5.2% erosion in the second quarter.
CEO Josh Kobza blamed an underperforming limited-time offer and menu simplification, including a deliberate decision to scale back the chain's wings lineup to cut kitchen complexity.
Bringing back the $6 Big Box in September did little to add sales at Popeyes, according to Kobza.
Rivals have been luring away Popeyes customers with discounts in recent quarters, while the international business posted 3.9% same-store sales growth. For the broader backdrop, see our coverage of the restaurant consumer divide.
The remodel bill is still mostly unpaid
Burger King's Reclaim the Flame plan commits up to $700M through 2028, including up to $550M for Royal Reset, covering remodels, kitchen equipment, and restaurant technology.
RBI had funded $198M of the Royal Reset program as of Sept. 30, with the broader investment program continuing through 2028.
Menu improvements are doing some of the heavy lifting. Whopper sales are up double digits year over year, and nugget sales have spiked ~35%, Kobza told analysts.
The company is speeding up its exit from company-operated restaurants. Burger King has refranchised 135 restaurants so far in 2026, with a couple hundred more planned by year-end.
CFO Sami Siddiqui said the chain aims to finish refranchising the Carrols system, which once included more than 1K Burger Kings, by the end of 2027.
The Restaurant Holdings segment, which houses those company-run units, saw adjusted operating income fall to $5M from $10M as labor and occupancy costs rose.
The turnaround is also showing up in the mix of spending. RBI completed a $150M advertising and digital tranche in 2024. The remaining Royal Reset allocation targets remodels, kitchen equipment, restaurant technology and building improvements, rather than advertising alone.
Popeyes has reported gains in customer satisfaction across the first three quarters, particularly on value and food quality, Kobza said. Satisfaction with its core chicken products is at a record high, but the improvement has not yet reversed the decline in comparable sales.
