Burger King forging ahead with plan for 30 new UK restaurants despite rising costs
Burger King UK has announced that it is pushing ahead with plans to open 30 new restaurants this year despite pressure on consumer finances and rising costs.
It came as the UK operation of the US-based fast food chain confirmed it also secured a £60m financing deal to help support its growth efforts.
Burger King, which has 574 restaurants across Britain, said the investment will help power its “next phase of expansion” across the UK and Ireland.
It said it is targeting the opening of more than 30 new restaurants in 2026, with between 18 and 20 of these set to be company-owned, with others being franchise sites.
The hospitality business added that more than 60 restaurants have also been earmarked for refurbs.
In 2025, the company opened seven new UK restaurants and remodelled a further 31 sites.
Growth efforts were boosted by £30m of funding from long-standing investor Bridgepoint last year.
The group said it is set to expand further after securing a £60m facility from lenders Metro Bank and OakNorth.
The growth strategy comes despite wider cost pressures in the UK hospitality market, as well as wider economic uncertainty putting pressure on consumer spending.
A statement from Burger King said “the macroeconomic environment remains challenging” but that inflationary pressure has begun to moderate in some key cost areas.
The company highlighted that higher labour costs are a significant headwind but it expects wage growth to ease.
Burger King also highlighted that it is “largely insulated” from some short-term inflationary costs, with energy, food and foreign exchange costs largely hedged.
It added that it is continuing to witness sales growth despite wider pressures.
The group reported that revenues increased by 10 per cent to £448.7m in 2025, with like-for-like sales growth of 6.8 per cent, amid growth in home delivery.
Meanwhile, underlying earnings improved by seven per cent to £28m for the year.
Speaking on the results, Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Burger King UK, said: "I am pleased to report another year of solid performance for Burger King UK in 2025.
“Despite a challenging global macroeconomic environment and significant sector cost pressures, we have grown revenue by 10 per cent to £448.7m and delivered like-for-like sales growth of 6.8 per cent, demonstrating the resilience of our brand and the quality of our offer in a competitive market.
“We continued to grow and optimise our restaurant portfolio, opening seven new restaurants and remodelling 31 existing sites, and evolved our customer proposition through the launch of several new products, the rollout of technology and continued investment in the Burger King UK app.
“Building on this progress, we plan to open over 30 new restaurants in 2026 – between 18 and 20 of which will be company-owned – and significantly accelerate our remodelling programme, with over 60 restaurants targeted for upgrade.
"Looking ahead, we will continue to monitor the potential impact of geopolitical uncertainty on inflationary pressures and consumer confidence.
“We continue to generate strong sales growth and, through disciplined cost control, are well-positioned to convert these sales profitably. With a clear pipeline of new openings and £60m of additional funding secured post year-end to support future growth, we enter 2026 with confidence."