Burger King’s sales surge while Popeyes struggles

Burger King’s U.S. same-store sales soared 5.8% in the first quarter, parent company Restaurant Brands International said on Wednesday, as the brand’s marketing apparently got customers to come in and taste the chain’s reconfigured Whopper.

As a company, RBI’s same-store sales rose 3.2%, which beat Wall Street expectations. But within the restaurant chain operator’s performance was some wide differences.

Brand performance comparison

Notably, the chicken chain Popeyes continued its slump. Same-store sales at the chain declined 6.5%, the chain’s worst performance in at least 19 years.

Same-store sales at Tim Hortons grew 1.6%, including 1.5% in Canada, where the coffee-and-doughnut chain is dominant. At Firehouse Subs, same-store sales in the U.S. rose 0.3%.

Outside of the U.S. and Canada, same-store sales at RBI’s four brands rose 5.7%, including 5.4% at Burger King. RBI is a major developer of restaurants internationally, and its success there is crucial for the company’s overall performance.

Financial results and outlook

Systemwide sales at the company’s four brands increased 6.2% in the first quarter, including 11.1% growth outside the U.S. and Canada. Revenues grew 7.3% to $2.3 billion. Net income doubled to $445 million, or 97 cents per share, from $223 million, or 49 cents.

RBI said that it has started buying back shares again and expects to repurchase $500 million worth this year.

For Burger King, the 5.8% affirms the brand’s marketing surge earlier this year. The company ended 2025 on a strong note with its Spongebob Movie Meal and kicked off a year-long menu improvement effort with an upgrade of the Whopper.

Tom Curtis, the brand’s president, took phone calls from customers over two weeks and then went viral for taking a big bite of a Whopper in a video—after a smaller bite by Chris Kempczinski, the CEO of rival McDonald’s, was widely panned.

Burger King then kicked off a new ad campaign highlighting its upgraded Whopper and Curtis’s in-home listening tour.

“As for Burger King, our results reflect several years of hard work by our franchisees and teams to elevate the guest experience, driving stronger engagement and clear outperformance,” Josh Kobza, CEO of RBI, said in a statement.

Burger King's same-store sales were its best in nearly three years and came during a generally tough period for fast-food chains in general as lower-income consumers cut back on dining and shift toward value offers.