Restaurant Brands International earnings beat driven by strong Burger King sales growth
Published: 12:02 06 Aug 2026 EDT
Restaurant Brands International (TSX:QSR, NYSE:QSR) reported second quarter 2026 adjusted earnings above Wall Street expectations on Thursday, supported by stronger comparable sales led by Burger King in the US.
The company posted adjusted diluted earnings of $1.07 per share, above the $1.03 consensus estimate, while revenue of $2.52 billion was in line with expectations.
Global comparable sales increased 3.8% in the quarter, ahead of the estimated 3% growth.
Burger King US was the strongest performer among RBI's major brands, with comparable sales increasing 8.5%. Burger King International comparable sales rose 5.5%, while Tim Hortons (TSX:THI) comparable sales were broadly flat at 0.1%. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (NASDAQ:PLKI)'s US comparable sales declined 5.1%.
Consolidated system-wide sales increased 6.4% year over year to $12.7 billion, including 10.7% growth internationally.
RBI's restaurant count increased 2.9% to 33,156 locations at the end of the quarter.
Adjusted operating income rose to $715 million from $668 million a year earlier, while adjusted EBITDA increased to $810 million from $762 million. Organic adjusted operating income growth was 6.7% during the quarter.
RBI reported net income from continuing operations of $665 million, compared with $264 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $1.45, up from $0.58.
The company returned $435 million of capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter.
RBI said it remains on track for 8% organic adjusted operating income growth in 2026.
"We built on our strong start to 2026 with another quarter of over 3% global comparable sales and double-digit earnings growth, led by Burger King's standout performance and continued strength at International,” RBI CEO Josh Kobza said.
“These results show the benefits of our diversified portfolio and that the strategy we outlined at Investor Day is working. Burger King's performance is a great example of what's possible when you invest in the fundamentals and execute well – an approach we're applying across all of our brands.”
Shares of RBI were down 2% post-earnings.
