What Wahlburgers does

Wahlburgers is a privately held fast-casual burger restaurant chain founded in 2011 by brothers Mark, Donnie, and Paul Wahlberg in Hingham, Massachusetts. The company operates 50+ locations across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, with a franchised business model supplemented by non-traditional distribution formats including airport concessions (Detroit Metro via Delaware North, Boston Logan, Sarasota-Bradenton via SSP America), casino and resort placements (Foxwoods, MGM Springfield, Ocean Casino, Resorts World Las Vegas), retail-anchored stores (Bass Pro Shops), and off-premise food trailers at The Home Depot locations through Adaptiv Provisions. The menu centers on Certified Angus Beef burgers with proprietary recipes including Wahl Sauce, Government Cheese, and the Butcher's Blend Smash, alongside sides, shakes, and full bar service at most locations.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: franchised dine-in and off-premise restaurant sales (captured via a 6% royalty on gross sales plus $40K franchise fees and $10K development fees per location), online ordering and catering via the OLO platform, WahlGear branded merchandise, and the Wahlburgers At Home retail grocery line. Customer segments are diversified across general consumers and families (primary), airport travelers, casino and resort guests, and franchisees. The brand leverages the Wahlberg family's celebrity profile, an A&E reality series, and entertainment tie-ins (Prime Video, Twitch activations) for marketing. Corporate operations are managed from a Restaurant Support Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, under the legal entity Wahlburgers Franchising LLC, with Randy Sharpe serving as CEO and Paul Wahlberg as Executive Chef.

Name

Wahlburgers

Legal name

Wahlburgers Franchising LLC

Website

https://wahlburgers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wahlburgers is a privately held fast-casual burger franchise founded by the Wahlberg family in 2011, operating 50+ locations across the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada through traditional restaurants, airports, casinos, and retail-anchored formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-casual burger restaurants

akta.pro primary industry

Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)

Keywords

• Fast casual restaurants
• Burger restaurant chains
• Restaurant franchise operations
• Online food ordering
• Corporate catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Traditional restaurant revenue from dine-in customers at company-owned and franchise locations across the US and international markets
2. Takeout and Delivery: Online ordering and delivery services generating revenue from off-premise dining
3. Catering Services: Catering offered at many locations for parties, office lunches, and events
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of WahlGear branded merchandise and gift cards through online store
5. Franchise Royalties and Fees: Revenue from franchise development fees ($10K per location), franchise fees ($40K per location), and 6% royalty on gross sales

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wahlburgers operates fast-casual burger restaurants serving Certified Angus Beef burgers, side dishes, shakes, cocktails, and full-bar service through company-owned and franchised locations. It also provides online ordering, takeout and delivery, catering, customer loyalty, gift cards, branded merchandise, grocery products, and franchise opportunities.

Product overview

Wahlburgers is a fast-casual burger restaurant chain founded by Mark, Donnie, and Paul Wahlberg, offering gourmet burgers made with Certified Angus Beef. The core offering includes dine-in restaurant locations, online ordering via OLO platform, and catering services. The company operates a loyalty program (WahlClub), sells merchandise (WahlGear), and offers retail products (Wahlburgers At Home) for grocery. Recent expansion includes off-premise trailer formats through partnerships with Home Depot and Bass Pro Shops, airport locations via SSP America and Delaware North, and international franchise development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wahlburgers Restaurant Fast-casual restaurant service offering Certified Angus Beef burgers, side dishes, shakes, and full-bar service at physical dining locations.
• Our Burger Wahlburgers' signature burger made with Certified Angus Beef and listed at $12.95, with 700 calories.
• Butcher's Blend Smash / Stackhouse Smashburger A smashburger featuring Certified Angus Beef blended with brisket and short rib, seared into a crispy caramelized crust and offered as part of a limited-time menu with Wicked Soda variations.
• Cloud23 Collaboration A chef collaboration featuring Cloud23 with bold flavors and sweet heat across burgers, wings, and cocktails.
• Impossible Burger A plant-based burger option for guests seeking a non-beef alternative.
• WahlKids Menu
• Online Ordering
• Catering Service
• WahlClub
• WahlGear
• Wahlburgers At Home
• Gift Cards
• Franchise Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Our Burger named one of America's Best Cheeseburgers by Fox News

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Bass Pro ShopscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Partnership for restaurant locations at Bass Pro Shops stores including Memphis Pyramid location and new 200,000 sq ft Sayreville NJ location anchoring $2.5B mixed-use development, creating 300 jobs.
• The Home DepotcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2026Strategic partnership with Home Depot to open food trailers outside Florida stores, designed to differentiate the retailer and drive foot traffic through captive-market dining. Expansion of off-premise trailer format through Adaptiv Provisions.
• SSP AmericacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirport expansion partnership with SSP America at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport as part of 2026 growth strategy.
• Delaware NorthmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelaware North, a global hospitality and food service company, owns and operates the Wahlburgers location at Detroit Metropolitan Airport Terminal A, serving travelers daily from 6am-10pm.
• Adaptiv ProvisionsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for managing Home Depot off-premise trailer format expansion across Florida locations.
• Asia-Pacific Master FranchisemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster franchise agreement for Asia-Pacific market expansion announced at 2025 Restaurant Leadership Conference.
• Australia Drive-Thru PartnermajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDrive-thru concept development in Australia as part of international expansion plans.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Five Guys: Five Guys is the largest US-focused fast casual burger chain with a similar premium-ingredient value proposition (fresh-ground beef, customizable toppings) and a comparable franchise + company-owned footprint, making it the closest like-for-like comparable.
• Shake Shack: Shake Shack competes in the premium burger fast casual category with strong brand-building and non-traditional locations (airports, stadiums, urban cores), overlapping directly with Wahlburgers' positioning and channel strategy.
• Smashburger: Smashburger is a national fast casual chain with a similar signature-smashing technique, regional franchise model, and mall/retail-anchor presence, making it a direct comparable in scale and format.
• Bobby's Burger Palace: Bobby Flay's Bobby's Burger Palace pioneered the celebrity-chef burger concept in casual dining, the same structural positioning Wahlburgers occupies with its Wahlberg family branding and chef-driven menu.
• BurgerFi: BurgerFi is a publicly traded fast casual burger chain positioned around premium ingredients (Angus beef) and non-traditional locations, closely mirroring Wahlburgers' growth-stage scaling and franchise model.
• Bareburger: Bareburger operates a fast casual burger franchise in the same mid-tier premium positioning as Wahlburgers, with organic and customizable menu options and a similar franchise footprint.
• The Counter: The Counter is a customizable burger fast casual concept with a chef-driven menu, paralleling Wahlburgers' premium ingredient narrative and chef-celebrity origin story.

Broad incumbents

• Fatburger: Fatburger is an established multi-decade burger chain with broader footprint and franchise depth, representing a more mature incumbent in the same product category though tilted more toward QSR than fast casual.
• Steak 'n Shake: Steak 'n Shake is a long-standing US burger chain with a comparable combo-pricing model and franchise structure, providing an incumbent benchmark for unit economics and brand longevity in the category.

Emerging players

• Mooyah: Mooyah is a smaller fast casual burger franchise with a similar premium-ingredient positioning and franchise growth model, making it an emerging-stage comparable in scale and channel mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wahlburgers
• Facebookfacebook.com/wahlburgers
• Instagraminstagram.com/wahlburgers
• TikToktiktok.com/@wahlburgersofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wahlburgers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wahlburgers