King Marcel

What King Marcel does

King Marcel is a French fast-casual burger restaurant chain founded in 2013 and headquartered in Lyon, operating through a franchise model that has expanded to more than 20 restaurants across France. Locations span four regions — Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and Occitanie — including major cities (Lyon with three units, Marseille, Nice, Grenoble, Dijon) and resort or secondary markets (Cap d'Agde, La Clusaz, Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux). The brand sells artisanal-style burgers made with French beef, house-made crispy chicken, and proprietary sauce formulations (e.g., the signature Le Cocotte with fresh goat cheese and pecan mustard sauce), positioning itself as a "fast good" concept that combines quality with speed.

The company generates revenue through three streams: (1) restaurant sales at the network level via dine-in and take-away, (2) recurring franchise fees and royalties paid by 20+ independent franchisees to the franchisor entity KING MARCEL GROUPE, and (3) delivery commissions and online-ordering revenue via its own website and third-party aggregators (Uber Eats, Deliveroo). The legal entity is KING MARCEL GROUPE (RCS Lyon 790 493 266), a privately-held company with no disclosed external investors; Jean-Christophe CONS serves as Director of Publication. The technology stack is non-proprietary, consisting of standard e-commerce tooling (Zelty Order, Dood.com, izipass, Be2Bill payment processing) and off-the-shelf website infrastructure; there is no disclosed AI, mobile application, or in-house platform. Per the franchise disclosure, average mature-unit revenue reaches approximately €800K after two years of activity with a 72% gross margin in 2022, and the network has compounded revenue at +20% annually between 2019 and 2022. Customer satisfaction averages 4.8/5 on Google and Tripadvisor. The company targets individual consumers — general French diners, families, urban workers, and food enthusiasts — with no B2B or enterprise customer base.

Name

King Marcel

Legal name

KING MARCEL GROUPE

Website

https://kingmarcel.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

King Marcel is a French fast-casual burger restaurant chain founded in 2013, operating 20+ franchised locations across four French regions, targeting individual consumers seeking quality burgers with French-inspired recipes and accessible pricing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-casual burger restaurants

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Burger QSR (THAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Burger restaurants
• Fast casual dining
• Franchise restaurants
• Gourmet burgers
• French burger chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant dine-in and take-away sales: King Marcel generates revenue through its network of franchised fast-casual burger restaurants. Customers purchase directly at restaurant locations for dine-in or take-away. Revenue is derived from food and beverage sales at individual franchise locations.
2. Online ordering and delivery commissions: The company facilitates online orders through its website and third-party delivery platforms (Uber Eats, Deliveroo), generating revenue from food sales with delivery fees charged to customers. A minimum order value may apply for delivery.
3. Franchise fees and royalties: King Marcel recruits and onboards franchisees who pay fees to join the network and use the King Marcel brand, concept, and operational support. The franchisor generates recurring revenue from royalty arrangements with franchisees, typically based on a percentage of franchise restaurant revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

King Marcel operates a French franchise network of fast-casual burger restaurants serving freshly prepared burgers with French-inspired ingredients (French beef, house-made crispy chicken, signature sauces). Revenue is earned primarily from food and beverage sales at 20+ franchised locations across France, complemented by franchise fees and royalties from independent franchisees joining the network since 2013.

Product overview

King Marcel is a French burger restaurant chain founded in 2013, operating as a single unified brand offering freshly prepared burgers and sides. The core offering consists of signature burgers (including named items like Le Cocotte) and an online ordering/delivery service integrated with third-party platforms (Uber Eats, Deliveroo) and proprietary systems (Zelty Order). The company also operates a franchise program for restaurant expansion across France, with over 20 locations in cities including Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Grenoble, Dijon, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• King Marcel Burger Restaurant Service Fast-casual burger restaurant operations offered at 20+ franchise locations across France, serving freshly prepared, French-inspired burgers (including French beef, house-made crispy chicken, and signature sauces) for dine-in, take-away, and delivery to general consumers. Locations include Cap d'Agde, Dijon, Grenoble, Lyon (Augagneur, Charité, Chevreul), La Clusaz, Marseille, Nice, and Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux.
• King Marcel Franchise Program Franchise offering marketed to entrepreneurs, providing a proven burger restaurant concept, brand identity, centralized sourcing, communication support, and operational tooling. Reported unit economics include a projected 800K€ average restaurant revenue after two years of activity and a 72% average gross margin in 2022.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% average gross margin per restaurant in 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Uber EatsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUber Eats is a food delivery platform through which King Marcel franchise restaurants offer delivery services to customers. Customers can order King Marcel products via the Uber Eats platform at select locations.
• DeliveroominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDeliveroo is a food delivery platform through which King Marcel franchise restaurants offer delivery services to customers. Deliveroo listings are available for multiple locations including Dijon, Grenoble, Lyon, Marseille, and Nice.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Zebra Square: Zebra Square is a regional burger/brunch chain. Its burger menu and casual-dining format make it a relevant adjacent French peer, although it does not match King Marcel's national reach.

Broad incumbents

• McDonald's France: McDonald's is the dominant French QSR chain. As a broad incumbent in the burger category, it competes for traffic, delivery share, and real estate with King Marcel's franchise network.
• Burger King France: Burger King operates a national French footprint in the burger QSR category. While its positioning is value/utility rather than gourmet, it competes for the same lunch and dinner occasions and real estate.
• Buffalo Grill: Buffalo Grill is a large French casual-dining chain. While historically steakhouse-leaning, it competes with King Marcel for casual family and dine-in occasions across France.
• Memphis Coffee: Memphis Coffee is a French casual-dining franchise offering burgers and American comfort food. It shares King Marcel's casual-premium positioning and franchise-driven expansion model, serving as a French franchisor comparable.
• Five Guys France: Five Guys operates premium-casual burger restaurants in France. It targets the same higher-spend burger consumer as King Marcel and serves as a benchmark for premium-burger unit economics.

Direct peers

• Blend: Blend is a French gourmet burger chain whose positioning around quality ingredients and a casual premium experience directly mirrors King Marcel's culinary identity and target consumer.
• France Burgers: France Burgers is a French burger QSR concept with comparable homemade recipes and a domestic franchise model, making it a relevant direct peer on product, model, and geography.
• Les Burgers de Papa: Les Burgers de Papa is a French fast-casual gourmet burger chain offering a similar 'homemade burger' value proposition. It competes head-to-head with King Marcel on menu, ambiance, and urban locations.
• Big Miam: Big Miam is a French gourmet burger QSR chain with a similar artisanal positioning and dine-in plus delivery model. It is the closest direct competitor to King Marcel in the French premium fast-casual burger segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KingMarcelFR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/king-marcel
• Instagraminstagram.com/kingmarcelfr
• TikToktiktok.com/@kingmarcelfr

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 King Marcel