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When Jeremy Kline bought 16 Burger King locations in the Salt Lake City area in February, he moved from selling franchise deals to running restaurants he once tried to place. His shift from corporate franchising executive to local operator illustrates the central role franchisees will play in Burger King’s U.S. rebound.
From corporate desk to local owner
Kline began his restaurant career as a Taco Bell crew member at 15 and later rose to director of franchising for Burger King North America. While overseeing company-owned asset sales, he spent years trying to find buyers for Salt Lake City stores—then decided to purchase them himself.
Burger King turns to local franchisees to jump-start its U.S. comeback
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The 16 locations were formerly part of Meridian Restaurants Unlimited, a large Burger King franchisee that filed for Chapter 11 in 2023. Kline relocated from Miami to Utah to run the business and says he has focused on facility upgrades and staff engagement since taking over. He reports a sharp drop in customer complaints since the acquisition.
Why refranchising is central to the turnaround
Restaurant Brands International, Burger King’s parent, has been reshaping the chain since late 2022 with new marketing, food improvements and restaurant renovations. The strategy has helped Burger King overtake Wendy’s as the No. 2 U.S. burger chain by system sales, and domestic same-store sales rose 8.5% in the most recent quarter.
In 2024 Restaurant Brands bought Carrols Restaurant Group—formerly the chain’s largest U.S. franchisee—for roughly $1 billion, adding about 1,023 company-owned restaurants to the roughly 175 it already controlled. The plan is to sell most of those back to independent operators, aiming to keep about 300 company-operated locations while franchising the rest of the chain’s more than 6,000 U.S. units.
Refranchising offers multiple advantages: it generates cash, creates a more asset-light corporate model and typically improves restaurant-level performance because local owners are directly invested in results.
Choosing the right operators
Restaurant Brands initially targeted refranchising roughly 300 restaurants this year but now expects to sell about 200 in 2026. Executives say the pace is deliberately measured: they want franchisees who fit the brand and will commit long term.
“A franchising contract is 20 years. The average marriage in the U.S. is 8.2. So you got to get it right,” Burger King U.S. President Tom Curtis told CNBC, emphasizing the company’s preference for owners who live and work in the communities they serve.
Analysts and executives argue that smaller, locally based operators often drive stronger results than large, private-equity-backed groups. TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles noted that handing stores to better operators is a “key part of the turnaround.”
Curtis has signaled a move away from prioritizing private equity franchisees. He said the company wants operators with significant personal equity and a long-term outlook rather than short-term, buy-and-flip strategies.
New buyers and on-the-ground changes
Individual entrepreneurs and small groups have been buyers in the refranchising push. In July 2025, CKJ Management—led by Todd Jackson, Thomas Crowson and Colby Kaminer—acquired 20 Burger King locations in Florida after nearly two decades as franchisees of Newk’s Eatery. They cited thorough franchisor due diligence as a positive sign.
Veteran franchisees are also expanding. Kevin Haas, a Burger King operator for four decades, recently added three former Carrols restaurants, bringing his company’s total to 15 locations.
First-time franchisees are part of the mix as well. Brian Orlando, a former consumer packaged goods executive who took on restaurants in Delaware, says his priority is changing store culture—insisting staff deliver simple hospitality rituals like handing out the chain’s paper crowns—and participating in a pilot where he takes customer complaint calls directly on his cell phone.
Burger King has introduced programs to help managers and leaders become owners, including a financing initiative called Crown Your Career, designed to support internal candidates in acquiring restaurants.
Remodels, investment and expected returns
Franchisees expect sales gains when locations are modernized. CKJ Management plans to remodel seven of its 20 restaurants to meet Burger King’s current design standards. Orlando plans one remodel and has already updated signage to the current logo.
Restaurant Brands has committed more than $1 billion to upgrades—remodels, equipment, technology and building improvements—with a goal of making about 85% to 90% of U.S. Burger King restaurants look “modern” by the end of 2028. Company executives say those investments, combined with franchising to motivated local owners, should help sustain the chain’s recovery.
Investors have taken notice: Restaurant Brands shares rose roughly 6% over the past year as Burger King showed signs of life, while rival McDonald’s shares fell about 23% over the same period. Still, the company is moving cautiously, vetting buyers and pacing sales to ensure the refranchising supports long-term profitability rather than short-term transaction gains.
