Holy Cow!

What Holy Cow! does

Holy Cow! is a Swiss gourmet burger restaurant chain founded in 2009 in Lausanne by founder Richard, operating 22+ locations across both French-speaking (Romandie) and German-speaking Switzerland, including university campuses (EPFL), central business districts, and travel retail (Z\u00fcrich Airport). The chain differentiates on exclusively Swiss-sourced ingredients certified under the Suisse Garantie label, fries from the Seeland region processed in Swiss sunflower oil, and artisanal dessert partnerships (Les Oliviers ice cream, St. Gallen syrups). The menu centres on beef, chicken, and veggie burgers with complementary salads, Swiss-made beverages (including its own Holy Cola brand), and rotating limited-time creations driven by an annual employee Burger Creativity Challenge.

The operating technology stack is light and consumer-facing: a proprietary iOS/Android loyalty app built on the 5Loyalty platform providing QR-based point collection (50 points per CHF 10 spent; 1,000 points = CHF 10 discount) and Click & Collect pre-ordering, supplemented by third-party home delivery via Uber Eats and Just Eat across all operating cities. Marketing relies on owned social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), email newsletter, app push notifications, and website news content; no paid acquisition channels were disclosed. The company employs 300+ staff from 25 nationalities and operates an open-kitchen service model with ~10-minute ticket times.

Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) counter and table dine-in plus take-away sales at company-owned and franchised restaurants; (2) commission-bearing orders through Uber Eats and Just Eat; and (3) franchise fees and ongoing royalties under an active franchise recruitment programme. Customer segments are horizontal and consumer-led, with student menus (from CHF 14.90) and a kids menu creating price-tier access alongside the adult regular menu. Pricing is unitar-based and varies by location; no public ARR, GMV, or unit-economics disclosures exist, and the company remains privately held by its founder with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Holy Cow!

Legal name

Holy Cow!

Website

https://holycow.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Holy Cow! is a Swiss gourmet burger chain founded in 2009 in Lausanne, operating 22+ company-owned and franchised restaurants across Switzerland serving Suisse Garantie-certified beef, chicken, and veggie burgers to individual consumers via dine-in, take-away, click & collect, and third-party delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Burger Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Burger Fast Casual (THAFABAA)

Keywords

• Gourmet burger chain
• Fast casual restaurants
• Swiss restaurant dining
• Quick service burgers
• Casual dining services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices23 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in and Take-away Restaurant Sales: Revenue generated from burger, chicken, veggie, salads, beverages, and dessert sales at 22 restaurant locations across Switzerland, including dine-in and take-away orders placed directly at the counter.
2. Third-Party Delivery Orders: Revenue from orders placed through delivery aggregator platforms Uber Eats and Just Eat, which operate as third-party ordering and delivery partners covering all cities where Holy Cow! is present.
3. Franchise Fees: Holy Cow! recruits franchisees through a business development form on its website. Franchise partners pay fees to operate under the Holy Cow! brand and receive support for site selection, opening, and operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Holy Cow! is a Swiss gourmet burger restaurant chain operating 22+ locations across Switzerland, serving Suisse Garantie-certified beef, chicken, and veggie burgers alongside salads, Swiss-made drinks, and desserts prepared fresh in open kitchens. The company supplements in-restaurant dining with a 5Loyalty-powered mobile app offering QR-code-based loyalty points and Click & Collect ordering, plus home delivery through Uber Eats and Just Eat, and an active franchise program.

Product overview

Holy Cow! is a Swiss gourmet burger restaurant chain founded in 2009 in Lausanne. The core offering is gourmet burgers (beef, chicken, and veggie) made with Suisse Garantie-certified Swiss meat and fries, complemented by signature salads, Swiss-made beverages, and desserts including artisanal ice cream and cookies. The company operates a digital ecosystem comprising a loyalty app with QR-based points system and click & collect functionality, plus home delivery via Uber Eats and Just Eat. Additional services include the Burger Love charitable fund and Taphouse Bar concept at select locations. The product portfolio is unified around the burger chain concept with digital and delivery add-on services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beef Burgers Gourmet beef burgers prepared fresh in open kitchens from Suisse Garantie-certified Swiss-sourced beef, served at all Holy Cow! restaurants across Switzerland as the chain's signature menu category.
• Chicken Burgers Gourmet chicken burgers prepared fresh in open kitchens from Suisse Garantie-certified Swiss-sourced chicken, served at all Holy Cow! restaurants across Switzerland as a core non-beef menu category.
• Veggie Burgers Plant-based veggie burgers served as a vegetarian menu option at all Holy Cow! restaurants across Switzerland.
• Signature Salads (Fitnessteller) Signature salads branded as Fitnessteller offered as a lighter menu option at Holy Cow! restaurants across Switzerland.
• Swissmade Drinks Swiss-made beverage offerings served at Holy Cow! restaurants across Switzerland as part of the menu variety.
• Desserts Dessert offerings served at Holy Cow! restaurants across Switzerland, including items such as handmade ice cream and artisanal cookies launched in subsequent years.
• Holy Cow! Loyalty App Mobile loyalty application for iOS and Android, powered by the 5Loyalty platform, that enables customers to collect points via QR-code scans at checkout, access in-app discount coupons, place Click & Collect orders, and engage with the brand across all Holy Cow! restaurants.
• Click & Collect Ordering Pre-order and pick-up service integrated into the Holy Cow! loyalty app, enabling customers to place orders in advance and collect them at the restaurant.
• Home Delivery Service Home delivery service for Holy Cow! menu items, operated through third-party delivery platforms Uber Eats and Just Eat across Switzerland.
• Taphouse Bar Concept Taphouse bar concept operated at select Holy Cow! restaurant locations (introduced in Fribourg in 2023), extending the brand's venue format beyond traditional burger dining to include a bar experience.
• Franchise Program Franchise offering under which entrepreneurs and operators can open and run Holy Cow! gourmet burger restaurants using the brand's operating model, supply chain, and digital infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Just Eat Best Restaurant Chain of the Year 2022 — recognized for quality, passion for gourmet burgers, and customer satisfaction

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUber Eats serves as Holy Cow!'s home delivery partner, enabling customers to order Holy Cow! gourmet burgers for home delivery in all cities where the chain has a presence. Orders are placed through the Uber Eats platform.
• Just EatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJust Eat is a delivery aggregator partner enabling Holy Cow! customers to place delivery orders through the Just Eat platform in Switzerland. Holy Cow! was recognized as Just Eat's Best Restaurant Chain of the Year 2022.
• Les OliviersminorOthersLes Oliviers, based in Sainte-Croix (Canton of Vaud), is Holy Cow!'s artisanal ice cream supplier. Their handcrafted ice creams (including sorbets and dairy ice creams made with Gruyère AOP milk) are available as desserts at all Holy Cow! locations across Switzerland.
• 5Loyalty (App Technology Partner)coreTechnology or Integration5Loyalty provides the technology platform powering Holy Cow!'s loyalty mobile app, including QR-code-based point collection, Click & Collect ordering, and in-app discount coupon delivery.
• Swiss Syrup Producer (St. Gallen)minorOthersA family-run producer from St. Gallen specializing in natural fruit syrups made without preservatives, supplies Holy Cow! with Swiss-made syrups. The producer shares Holy Cow!'s values of quality, proximity, and sustainable production.
• Swiss Potato Supplier (Seeland Region)minorOthersHoly Cow! sources potatoes exclusively from suppliers in the Seeland region (Lake Neuchâtel, Lake Biel, Lake Morat area), one of Switzerland's most fertile agricultural zones. Potatoes are processed into fries in Swiss sunflower oil.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Burger King Switzerland: Mass-market burger chain with a national Swiss footprint, drive-throughs, and delivery partnerships. Comparable on the burger QSR category but priced and positioned well below Holy Cow!.
• McDonald's Switzerland: Dominant QSR operator in Switzerland with nationwide coverage and dine-in, take-away, and delivery infrastructure. Competes with Holy Cow! for everyday burger occasions at the value end of the market.
• Carl's Jr. Switzerland: American burger chain with Swiss presence, competing for premium-burger occasions against Holy Cow! with similar dine-in and delivery models. Broader portfolio than a single-category gourmet concept.
• Subway Switzerland: Nationwide Swiss sandwich chain with broad geographic coverage and comparable dine-in and take-away use cases. Competes for casual and lunch occasions even though the core product is sandwiches.

Direct peers

• Five Guys: American gourmet-burger chain with Swiss locations that competes head-to-head with Holy Cow! on premium beef burgers, fresh preparation, and dine-in dining experience. Most directly comparable competitor on positioning and menu architecture.

Emerging players

• Dean & David: Swiss-founded fast-casual restaurant chain offering bowls, salads, and burgers with a similar health-conscious and fresh-prepared positioning. Comparable on Swiss fast-casual culture and ingredients narrative rather than on classic burgers.
• Urban Hamburger Restaurant: Local Swiss gourmet burger restaurant competing in the same dine-in, fresh-prepared, premium-ingredient niche as Holy Cow! at a smaller scale of one or a few locations.

Regional players

• Hans im Glück Burgergrill: German/Austrian premium burger concept expanding into Switzerland with dine-in, craft cocktails, and stylized interiors. Comparable on premium-burger positioning but primarily a German-speaking market entrant rather than a Swiss-domestic brand.
• Peter Pane Burgergrill & Bar: German premium-burger chain with dine-in, cocktails, and bar elements similar to Holy Cow!'s Taphouse Bar concept. Comparable on positioning but is primarily German-market, not Swiss.

Others

• Birdhaus / Swiss Gastro Group: Local Swiss restaurateurs and hospitality groups operating comparable casual dining and burger concepts. Categorized as adjacent / enabling rather than direct competitors but share dining-out demand in Swiss urban centers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HolyCowGourmetBurgerCompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holy-cow-gourmet-burger-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/holycowgourmetburger
• Xx.com/holycow_ch

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Holy Cow!