How Does BurgerFi Company Work?

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How does BurgerFi create a premium fast-casual burger experience?

BurgerFi pairs chef-driven menus and eco-forward branding across a dual-brand platform after acquiring Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings. The company targets higher check averages via clean-label proteins, experiential dining, and a mix of company and franchised units.

BurgerFi monetizes traffic through dine-in, off-premise, and digital channels, combining company-operated and franchised BurgerFi and Anthony’s locations to drive systemwide sales and margin recovery amid commodity and labor pressures.

How does BurgerFi Company work? It operates a premium fast-casual model emphasizing higher check averages, clean-label ingredients, and franchising plus company-owned units to scale revenue; see BurgerFi Porter's Five Forces Analysis for competitive context.

BurgerFi’s core operations center on premium-sourced proteins, simplified kitchen execution, and multi-channel sales that drive higher average checks and dine-in attachment through complementary Anthony’s pizza concepts.

Ingredient-led positioning

Menu emphasizes 100% American Angus beef with no antibiotics, steroids, or hormones, hand-cut fries, hand-breaded chicken, hot dogs, and frozen custard to justify premium pricing and attract burger enthusiasts.

Expanded dayparts and formats

Anthony’s adds coal-fired pizzas, Italian-American appetizers, wings and alcohol, increasing dine-in AUV and group occasions while smoothing traffic volatility across dayparts.

Centralized supply chain

Procurement is centralized for proteins, dairy and bakery; contracted beef suppliers meet clean-specs; national distributors and 3PLs service company and franchised units for scale and cost control.

Multi-channel sales

Sales channels include on-premise, first- and third-party delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats), curbside and catering, with digital ordering and loyalty integration to drive repeat visits and LTO uptake.

Operations hinge on streamlined kitchen footprints — griddled burgers at BurgerFi and coal-fired ovens at Anthony’s — enabling consistent throughput, predictable labor, and faster menu innovation across formats.

Competitive advantages and economics

BurgerFi’s value proposition combines premium ingredient claims, chef-driven LTO cadence, and dual-brand flexibility to extract higher per-guest spend and operational leverage.

• Customer mix: urban/suburban professionals, families and burger loyalists willing to pay a premium for cleaner labels.
• Revenue streams: dine-in AUV uplift from Anthony’s alcohol and group dining; delivery and catering add incremental sales; digital upsells raise check averages.
• Cost structure: centralized procurement and cross-brand purchasing deliver purchasing power and shared G&A efficiencies.
• Format flexibility: inline, endcap and nontraditional sites (airports, colleges) supported by dual-brand capabilities to balance traffic and maximize unit economics.

For historical context on brand evolution and strategic moves that shaped these operations, see Brief History of BurgerFi.

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Revenue Streams and Monetization Strategies for BurgerFi center on a blend of company-operated sales, franchise royalties, digital delivery, catering, and ancillary retail, with company stores and Anthony’s restaurants driving the bulk of consolidated revenue; in 2024 company-operated sales represented roughly 80–90% of consolidated revenue depending on store mix and count.

Company-operated restaurant sales

Primary revenue source from BurgerFi company stores and Anthony’s locations. Anthony’s typically posts higher AUVs and captures an alcohol mix; BurgerFi benefits from off-premise and late-night demand.

Franchise royalties and fees

Ongoing royalties commonly around 5–6% of franchise sales plus advertising fund contributions and initial franchise fees; franchise income usually equals a high-single-digit to low-double-digit percentage of total revenue.

Digital and delivery commissions

Menu price differentials on third-party marketplaces and first-party ordering fees lift check averages; delivery represents a material share of transactions, often 20–30% in fast casual, supporting higher ticket sizes.

Catering and group events

More meaningful at Anthony’s given pizza format and alcohol upsell; seasonal and sports-event spikes drive incremental revenue and higher average checks during peak periods.

Gift cards and merchandise

Smaller but margin-accretive streams including branded retail items and limited-run merch, contributing to loyalty and incremental cash flow.

Pricing, LTOs and cost offsets

Price increases and limited-time offers have been used to offset commodity and labor pressure while upsell prompts and bundles boost average checks; franchise expansion targets higher royalty share over time.

Recent dynamics show a durable shift to off-premise and digital: digital penetration across fast casual sits commonly between 30–50%, and BurgerFi leverages bundles and upsells to lift checks; regional concentration is heavier in the U.S. Southeast and East Coast with selective airport and nontraditional venue growth to capture travel day-parts.

Key monetization levers and metrics

How BurgerFi works economically depends on mix, unit economics, and channel penetration; primary levers include AUVs, royalty rate adherence, digital mix, and alcohol/catering upsell.

• Company-operated sales drove about 80–90% of consolidated revenue in 2024.
• Franchise royalties typically near 5–6% of franchisee sales plus ad fund contributions.
• Digital/delivery can represent 20–30% of transactions in fast casual, increasing average ticket.
• Anthony’s pizza and alcohol mix meaningfully lift AUV and catering revenue per location.

Further reading on strategic growth and franchising context is available in this piece: Growth Strategy of BurgerFi

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Key milestones trace a SPAC-led public listing (2020–2021), a strategic acquisition creating a dual-brand platform, portfolio optimization through 2022–2023, menu and format innovations in 2024, and disciplined franchise-led growth and footprint refinement in 2025.

Capital Markets and M&A

Public listing via SPAC in 2020–2021 enabled capital access and funded the acquisition of a complementary casual-dining brand, broadening AUV and margin mix across the platform.

Portfolio Optimization

2022–2023 saw unit closures of underperforming restaurants, cost-control measures to combat inflation, and acceleration of digital and third-party delivery channels to stabilize same-store sales.

Menu, Loyalty and Pricing

2024 emphasized premium limited-time-offers (LTOs) across burgers, chicken and custard, targeted pricing to offset beef and cheese inflation, and loyalty upgrades to lift frequency and AUV.

Format and Capital Allocation

In 2025 the company refined store formats (smaller footprints, airport/nontraditional sites) and prioritized unit-level EBITDA improvements plus franchise-led expansion to conserve capital.

Operational responses addressed inflation, labor and delivery economics via price optimization, procurement leverage, simplified menus to improve throughput, and channel mix management to protect margins.

Competitive Edge

The dual-brand platform combines a clean-label burger proposition with an alcohol-enabled group-dining concept, enabling shared services, cross-brand marketing and broader margin diversification versus single-brand peers.

• Clean-label positioning drives premium pricing potential and consumer differentiation in burgers.
• Anthony’s adds alcohol sales and larger-ticket group dining, smoothing average unit volume and peak-period revenue.
• Test-and-learn LTO engine accelerates novelty, improves margin mix and informs menu and pricing strategy.
• Shared G&A and procurement leverage create potential cost synergies and improved supply chain resilience.

Key metrics: post-SPAC capital funded the acquisition; targeted closures improved systemwide profitability with management citing mid-single-digit AUV lift from LTO and digital channels; procurement and pricing actions aimed to offset beef and cheese inflation which peaked industry-wide in 2022–2023, and franchise pipeline reactivation targets measured growth while emphasizing unit-level economics.

Further reading on corporate culture, mission and governance is available in the related piece: Mission, Vision & Core Values of BurgerFi

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BurgerFi operates in the better‑burger fast‑casual niche with Anthony’s covering polished‑casual pizza/wings; national market share is modest but concentrated strength exists in Florida and the U.S. East Coast. Key levers include loyalty, digital engagement, airport and nontraditional placements to boost visibility and resilience.

Industry Position

BurgerFi competes vs. Shake Shack, Five Guys and regional better‑burger concepts while Anthony’s targets polished‑casual pizza/wings peers; portfolio mix diversifies customer occasions and revenue streams.

Market Footprint

National share remains modest; brand awareness is highest in Florida and along the East Coast with accelerating nontraditional placements such as airports and college venues increasing reach.

Risks

Primary risks include commodity cost volatility (beef, dairy), wage inflation, delivery margin pressure, and intensified competition from premium QSR value menus that can erode traffic and check.

Franchise & Capital Constraints

Franchisee financial health, slower unit development pace, and capital market constraints for new‑unit growth can limit royalty expansion and corporate cash flow upside.

Regulatory shifts on labor scheduling, tipping rules, and packaging sustainability add potential cost pressure; delivery and third‑party fees compress digital margins absent effective pricing and mix strategies.

Future Outlook & Strategic Priorities

Management is prioritizing franchised expansion, airport and nontraditional growth, and investments in digital loyalty to drive higher‑margin mix and recurring visits.

• Focus on unit‑level profitability and disciplined new‑unit ROI metrics to improve EBITDA margins.
• Revenue mix expected to shift toward royalties as franchising scales, while company revenue remains supported by Anthony’s and core BurgerFi company units.
• Growth channels: digital ordering, catering, alcohol sales and loyalty to lift average check and margins if commodity headwinds ease.
• Execution risks: development cadence, menu‑pricing science, and converting dual‑brand innovation into repeat traffic will determine sustained profitability.

Relevant metrics to monitor: same‑store sales trends, royalty vs. company‑operated revenue mix, restaurant‑level EBITDA margins, commodity cost as a percentage of COGS, and unit development pace; for additional competitive context see Competitors Landscape of BurgerFi.

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