What Big Fernand does

Big Fernand is a French gourmet burger restaurant chain founded in 2012 in Paris (faubourg Poissonnière) and operated under the parent legal entity Big Groupe. The company pioneered the gourmet-burger category in France under the brand positioning of the 'Hamburgé' — a burger built around premium French terroir inputs including raw-milk cheeses from artisan fromagers, Charolaise and Limousine beef, fresh daily-baked bread, and house-made sauces. Its core menu comprises eight signature named recipes (Le Big Fernand, Le Bartholomé, Le Victor, Le Paulin, Le Philibert, Le Paolo, Le Lucien, Le Tartuffe), supplemented by seasonal items, sharing platters, premium butcher cuts, chicken, fish, and children's options (Little Fernand sausages).

The company serves individual consumers (B2C) through physical restaurant locations it calls 'ateliers,' supported by direct online ordering at commande.bigfernand.com for delivery and takeout, and by partnerships with food-delivery aggregators. Revenue is generated through three streams: in-restaurant and off-premise food sales (transaction-fee model), online-ordering sales, and franchise fees/royalties from a franchise program ('Devenez franchisés') that enables independent operators to open new ateliers under the brand. As of 2026, the footprint comprises approximately 50 ateliers across France and Luxembourg, with additional locations on Réunion island and a 2026 entry into Nouméa (New Caledonia), plus airport channel expansion via SPP at Nantes and Marseille.

Distribution combines company-operated and franchised ateliers in city centers, shopping centers, and airports. Recent strategic activity emphasizes menu diversification (chicken, fish, sharing, premium steak), channel expansion into airports, geographic extension to Pacific markets, and brand collaborations (Benoît Saint-Denis, Häagen-Dazs, Veepee, La Brasserie Fondamentale). The business has no disclosed funding rounds and no public revenue figures; it remains privately held with 501-1000 employees.

Name

Big Fernand

Legal name

Big Groupe

Website

https://bigfernand.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Big Fernand is a French gourmet burger restaurant chain founded in 2012 in Paris, operating approximately 50 'ateliers' across France and Luxembourg under the parent Big Groupe, serving individual consumers with premium terroir-driven burgers via company-owned and franchised locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)

Keywords

• Gourmet burgers
• Restaurant chain
• Franchise restaurants
• French casual dining
• Food service

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

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. Restaurant Sales: Revenue generated from dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders at physical restaurant locations. Customers order from the menu featuring signature 'Hamburgés' (gourmet burgers), sides, and beverages.
2. Online Ordering: Revenue from online orders placed through commande.bigfernand.com, including delivery and takeout orders.
3. Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchise partnerships where franchisees pay to open and operate Big Fernand restaurants under the brand.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Big Fernand operates a chain of approximately 50 gourmet burger restaurants ("ateliers") across France, Luxembourg, and now New Caledonia, selling its signature "Hamburgé" — a French-style burger made with premium regional ingredients including raw-milk cheeses from artisan fromagers, Charolaise and Limousine beef, fresh daily-baked bread, and house-made sauces designed by a Chef. The company also offers sides, beverages (including craft beer from La Brasserie Fondamentale and Häagen-Dazs ice cream), seasonal salads (Big Falades), sharing platters (La Boîte qui Déboîte), steak dishes (La Pièce du Boucher), chicken products, and children's options (Little Fernand), alongside an online ordering platform for delivery and takeout.

Product overview

Big Fernand operates a single-brand gourmet burger restaurant chain with a unified product portfolio centered on its signature 'Hamburgé' concept—a French-style burger differentiated by premium regional ingredients including raw milk cheeses, Charolaise and Limousine beef, and house-made sauces. The core offering consists of eight named hamburgé recipes (Le Tartuffe, Le Bartholomé, Le Big Fernand, Le Victor, Le Paulin, Le Philibert, Le Paolo, Le Lucien), supplemented by sharing platters (La Boîte qui Déboîte), premium steak dishes (La Pièce du Boucher), seasonal salads (Big Falades), and children's options (Little Fernand). The company operates an online ordering platform for delivery/takeout and offers franchising and event privatization services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Little Fernand: A sausage-focused product line offering sausages for everyone, mentioned in press releases about Saucisse pour tout le monde avec les Little Fernand.

Products and services

• Le Big Fernand The flagship signature hamburgé and namesake product of the brand, sold at all ateliers as part of the core menu.
• Le Bartholomé One of the named signature hamburgés in Big Fernand's core menu offering.
• Le Victor Signature named hamburgé available across all ateliers.
• Le Paulin Named hamburgé variation offered as part of the regular Big Fernand menu.
• Le Philibert Named hamburgé on the Big Fernand regular menu.
• Le Paolo Named hamburgé on the Big Fernand regular menu.
• Le Lucien Named hamburgé on the Big Fernand regular menu.
• Le Tartuffe A truffle-based burgers returning seasonally as an iconic limited menu item.
• La Boîte qui Déboîte A sharing platter offering designed for group dining, available for delivery and dine-in.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Benoît Saint-DenisminorOthers · 1 June 2026Collaboration with MMA fighter Benoît Saint-Denis on a limited-edition 'Hamburgé' recipe launch. Partnership tied to the Saint Fernand celebration week.
• SPP (Société de Participation Aéroportuaire)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2025Partnership with SPP for operating restaurants at airport locations. Big Fernand opened at Nantes Atlantique Airport through this partnership.
• La Brasserie FondamentaleminorOthersPartnership with local craft brewery La Brasserie Fondamentale to serve their beers at all Big Fernand locations. Beer is served on tap alongside the burger menu.
• Häagen-DazsminorOthersPartnership offering Häagen-Dazs ice cream as a dessert option alongside Hamburgés. Available as part of the menu or as an add-on to orders.
• VeepeeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromotional partnership with Veepee flash sales platform. Edition #4 collaboration offering special deals to Veepee members.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• McDonald's: McDonald's is the dominant mainstream burger QSR incumbent in France; while a different price tier, it sets consumer expectations on speed, price, and convenience that Big Fernand's premium positioning must continuously justify.

Direct peers

• Blend Hamburger Gourmet: Blend is a French gourmet-burger chain that pioneered the 'burger gourmet à la française' concept alongside Big Fernand in the early 2010s, with comparable branding and French-terroir positioning.
• Big Mamma: Big Mamma is a Paris-based group of Italian-inspired trattorias and gourmet restaurants with a similar French 'terroir-meets-premium-casual' positioning and rapid multi-city expansion across France and Europe, making it the closest direct competitor in the French premium casual dining segment.
• Five Guys: Five Guys is a US-origin premium-burger chain with a strong French footprint, competing head-to-head with Big Fernand on gourmet burgers in the same mall, high-street, and travel-hub locations across France.
• Burger & Co: Burger & Co is a French premium-burger restaurant group with multiple Parisian and regional locations competing directly in the gourmet-burger segment with similar ingredient-led differentiation.
• Shake Shack: Shake Shack is an internationally scaled premium-burger chain with locations in Paris, offering a similar 'better-burger' value proposition targeted at consumers willing to pay above fast-food prices for quality ingredients.
• Black & White Burger: Black & White Burger is a French gourmet-burger chain with a similar casual-dining model, French branding, and multiple French locations, competing in the same premium-burger category as Big Fernand.
• Le Burger Fermier: Le Burger Fermier is a French gourmet-burger concept emphasizing French-sourced ingredients, with a similar 'terroir' value proposition directly comparable to Big Fernand's Charolaise/raw-milk positioning.

Regional players

• Honest Burgers: Honest Burgers is a UK-based gourmet-burger chain focused on British-sourced beef and craft beer pairings, comparable to Big Fernand's premium-ingredient, beer-partnership model but operating primarily in the UK.
• Byron: Byron is a UK premium-burger chain offering a similar better-burger casual-dining experience with a focus on quality ingredients, comparable as a European regional premium-burger concept.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/big_fernand
• Instagraminstagram.com/big_fernand
• Facebookfacebook.com/bigfernand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-fernand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Big Fernand