Restaurant Brands International Inc.
Company History
Restaurant Brands History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 2014 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada
When was Restaurant Brands founded?
Restaurant Brands was founded in 2014 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada by Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Herrmann Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira, making it 12 years old.
- Founded
- 2014
- Founding place
- Oakville, Ontario, Canada
- Founders
- Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Herrmann Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira
- Headquarters today
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1954–2026)
- Current CEO
- Joshua (Josh) Kobza
- Acquisitions
- 4
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Burger King is founded |
| 1964 | Tim Hortons begins |
| 1972 | Popeyes is founded |
| 2014 | Restaurant Brands International is formed |
| 2017 | Popeyes joins RBI |
| 2021 | RBI agrees to acquire Firehouse Subs |
| 2023 | Joshua Kobza becomes CEO |
| 2024 | Carrols acquisition closes |
| 2025 | System-wide sales grow 5.3% |
| 2025 | Burger King China joint venture announced |
| 2026 | Investor Day reaffirms 2028 targets |
| 2026 | Burger King U.S. comparable sales up 8.5% |
- Where was Restaurant Brands founded?
- Restaurant Brands was founded in Oakville, Ontario, Canada in 2014.
- Who founded Restaurant Brands?
- Restaurant Brands was founded by Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Herrmann Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira.
- When did Restaurant Brands start?
- Restaurant Brands was founded in 2014.
- How old is Restaurant Brands?
- Restaurant Brands is 12 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
3G Capital bought Burger King in 2010 and, in December 2014, combined it with Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons in a deal of roughly US$11 billion, with Berkshire Hathaway providing preferred-equity financing. The combined company, Restaurant Brands International, was designed as a platform for owning and franchising multiple restaurant brands. It acquired Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in 2017 for about $1.8 billion and Firehouse Subs in 2021 for $1.0 billion.
Founders
Jorge Paulo Lemann
Jorge Paulo Lemann is the absolute driving force behind 3G Capital. A legendary Brazilian billionaire, he orchestrated the massive, multi-billion dollar mergers that created AB InBev and Kraft Heinz. He applied his exact same playbook to the fast-food industry, aggressively acquiring Burger King and merging it with Tim Hortons to form RBI. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Marcel Herrmann Telles
Marcel Herrmann Telles is a core founding partner of 3G Capital alongside Lemann. Known for his absolute, fanatical obsession with operational efficiency and zero-based budgeting, he helped execute the ruthless cost-cutting strategies that initially skyrocketed RBI's profit margins following the massive Burger King acquisition. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Carlos Alberto Sicupira
Carlos Alberto Sicupira is the third core founding partner of 3G Capital. His massive financial expertise and aggressive deal-making heavily facilitated the massive debt structures required to acquire Tim Hortons and Popeyes, cementing RBI as a global fast-food behemoth. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Burger King is founded
James McLamore and David Edgerton founded Burger King in Miami, creating the flame-grilled burger brand later owned by RBI.
Source: s26.q4cdn.comTim Hortons begins
Tim Horton and Ron Joyce built the Canadian coffee and quick-service brand that later became central to RBI.
Source: s26.q4cdn.comPopeyes is founded
Al Copeland opened the Louisiana-style chicken brand that RBI acquired in 2017.
Source: s26.q4cdn.comRestaurant Brands International is formed
Burger King and Tim Hortons combined to form Restaurant Brands International as a multi-brand quick-service restaurant platform.
Source: s26.q4cdn.comPopeyes joins RBI
RBI acquired Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, adding a global chicken growth platform.
Source: s26.q4cdn.comRBI agrees to acquire Firehouse Subs
RBI announced the Firehouse Subs acquisition for $1.0 billion, adding a fourth brand to the platform.
Source: rbi.comJoshua Kobza becomes CEO
Joshua Kobza became CEO effective March 1, 2023, succeeding Jose Cil.
Source: rbi.comCarrols acquisition closes
Burger King completed the acquisition of Carrols Restaurant Group for about $1.0 billion to remodel and refranchise a large U.S. Burger King portfolio.
Source: prnewswire.comSystem-wide sales grow 5.3%
RBI reported FY2025 total revenues of $9.434 billion and consolidated system-wide sales growth of 5.3%.
Source: rbi.comBurger King China joint venture announced
RBI and CPE announced a China joint venture with $350 million of primary capital and a plan to grow Burger King China to more than 4,000 restaurants by 2035.
Source: rbi.comInvestor Day reaffirms 2028 targets
At its February 2026 Investor Day RBI reaffirmed 8%+ organic AOI growth and 5%+ net restaurant growth by 2028, with about $1.6 billion of planned 2026 capital returns.
Source: prnewswire.comBurger King U.S. comparable sales up 8.5%
Q2 2026 consolidated system-wide sales grew 6.4%, comparable sales grew 3.8%, and Burger King U.S. comps rose 8.5%.
Source: rbi.comMajor Acquisitions
Tim Hortons combination
2014Create RBI by combining Burger King and Tim Hortons.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
2017Add a global chicken brand to the RBI platform.
Firehouse Subs
2021Add a sandwich brand with long-term unit growth potential.
Carrols Restaurant Group
2024Gain operating control over a large U.S. Burger King franchisee to remodel and later refranchise restaurants.
Keep researching Restaurant Brands
Restaurant Brands Company History FAQ
What is the complete corporate history and founding timeline of Restaurant Brands International?
RBI's history traces back to the 1954 founding of Burger King, the 1964 founding of Tim Hortons, the 1972 founding of Popeyes, and the 1994 founding of Firehouse Subs. These four legacy chains converged into a single corporation in December 2014 when 3G Capital merged Burger King with Tim Hortons to create Restaurant Brands International.
How did 3G Capital transform Burger King prior to the creation of RBI?
After purchasing Burger King for $3.3 billion in 2010, 3G Capital re-franchised nearly all company-operated restaurants to achieve an asset-light model, streamlined the global menu, overhauled operational efficiency, and partnered with Justice Holdings to take Burger King public again on the NYSE in 2012.
What was the 2014 Burger King and Tim Hortons merger?
In December 2014 Burger King Worldwide combined with Tim Hortons in a deal of roughly US$11 billion, creating Restaurant Brands International with headquarters in Canada. Berkshire Hathaway provided $3 billion of preferred-equity financing.
How did the 2019 Popeyes Chicken Sandwich launch impact RBI's market position?
Popeyes launched its chicken sandwich in August 2019, setting off the so-called chicken sandwich wars on social media and driving a large jump in Popeyes U.S. same-store sales in late 2019.
How did RBI handle the COVID-19 pandemic across its global restaurant network?
During 2020-2021, RBI pivoted rapidly to contactless digital ordering, expanded drive-thru double-lanes, established dedicated delivery aggregator partnerships (DoorDash, Uber Eats, SkipTheDishes), and provided temporary royalty relief and supply chain subsidies to support franchisees worldwide.
When did RBI launch Reclaim the Flame?
RBI announced Reclaim the Flame for Burger King U.S. in September 2022 with an initial $400 million commitment for advertising, digital and remodels, and later added further remodel investment tied to the Carrols restaurants.
What major international milestones has Tim Hortons achieved under RBI ownership?
Under RBI, Tim Hortons expanded aggressively beyond Canada and the US, launching hundreds of successful locations across the United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, India, and China.
What is RBI's sustainability and 'Restaurant Brands for Good' framework?
Established in 2019, RBI's 'Restaurant Brands for Good' framework focuses on three core pillars: Food (sourcing 100% cage-free eggs and eliminating artificial colors/flavors), Planet (achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and transitioning to sustainable packaging), and People & Communities (supporting local charities and educational foundations).
When and how was Restaurant Brands International formed?
Restaurant Brands International (RBI) was formed in December 2014 through the $12.5 billion cross-border merger of American burger icon Burger King and Canadian coffee and donut giant Tim Hortons, engineered by Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital with financing from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.
What was Burger King’s founding history prior to RBI?
Burger King was founded in 1953 in Jacksonville, Florida, as Insta-Burger King, and purchased in 1954 by James McLamore and David Edgerton in Miami, Florida; it introduced the iconic flame-broiled Whopper in 1957 before being acquired by 3G Capital in 2010 for $3.3 billion.
What was Tim Hortons’ founding history prior to RBI?
Tim Hortons was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, by legendary NHL hockey defenseman Tim Horton and partner Ron Joyce, growing into Canada’s premier national cultural coffee and baked goods chain.
When did RBI acquire Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen?
In March 2017, RBI acquired Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for approximately $1.8 billion in cash, igniting unprecedented viral sales growth with the 2019 launch of the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich.
When did RBI acquire Firehouse Subs?
In December 2021, RBI acquired Firehouse Subs for $1.0 billion in an all-cash transaction, adding a high-growth sandwich franchise with a strong community fire-safety charitable mission to its brand family.
What was the $1.0 billion acquisition of Carrols Restaurant Group in 2024?
In May 2024, RBI completed the acquisition of Carrols Restaurant Group (Burger King’s largest US franchisee, operating over 1,000 locations) for $1.0 billion to accelerate modern store remodels before refranchising locations back to local operators.
When did Patrick Doyle become Executive Chairman of RBI?
In November 2022, former Domino’s Pizza turnaround CEO Patrick Doyle was appointed Executive Chairman of RBI, investing $30 million of his own capital and launching aggressive operational plans ("Reclaim the Flame" for Burger King).
How large is RBI’s global restaurant footprint today?
Restaurant Brands International operates over 31,000 restaurants across more than 100 countries, generating over $40 billion in system-wide sales across its four iconic global brands.
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