Carrols Corporation
Carrols Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International that operates over 1,000 Burger King restaurants across 23 US states, serving individual consumers through dine-in, take-out, and drive-through channels with a staff of more than 26,000 employees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1960
- HeadquartersSyracuse, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Carrols Corporation does
Carrols Corporation is a quick-service restaurant (QSR) franchisee that operates over 1,000 Burger King restaurants across 23 US states, employing more than 26,000 people. Founded in 1960 by Herbert N. Slotnick as Carrols Systems with exclusive license rights for New York state, the company grew to over 150 restaurants in the northeastern United States by the mid-1970s. In 1975, Carrols entered into a franchise agreement with Burger King Corporation and converted its restaurants to the Burger King brand over a five-year period, becoming exclusively a Burger King franchisee. In 2024, Restaurant Brands International (RBI) acquired Carrols as a wholly-owned subsidiary, ending its prior status as a NASDAQ-listed company (TAST).
The company's product offering consists entirely of operating Burger King franchise restaurants serving the standard Burger King menu—including flame-grilled burgers, chicken sandwiches, and related fast-food products—across 1,000+ owned and operated locations. Carrols uses restaurant-operations technology such as state-of-the-art training and communications equipment, online payroll through ADP, employee self-service password reset (Microsoft MFA/SSPR), and a benefits enrollment portal. The company does not develop proprietary restaurant technology or software; menu pricing is set under the Burger King franchise agreement rather than independently by Carrols.
Carrols generates revenue through direct food and beverage sales to individual consumers at its owned restaurant locations, distributed across drive-through, take-out, and dine-in channels. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer, with no B2B or licensing revenue streams. The company emphasizes internal employee development—the Restaurant Employee Advancement Program (REAP) and a stated >50% promotion-from-crew rate for salaried management—reducing external hiring dependency. Customer concentration risk is structurally limited because revenue is spread across millions of individual consumer transactions; however, the single-franchise-brand and single-franchisor relationship (Burger King/RBI) is the dominant strategic dependency.
Carrols Corporation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carrols Corporation
- Legal name
- Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://carrols.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1960
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Carrols Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International that operates over 1,000 Burger King restaurants across 23 US states, serving individual consumers through dine-in, take-out, and drive-through channels with a staff of more than 26,000 employees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Carrols Corporation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Syracuse
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Carrols Corporation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Restaurant franchise operations: Carrols operates Burger King restaurants as a franchisee of Restaurant Brands International. Revenue is generated through food and beverage sales to consumer customers at its over 1,000 restaurant locations across 23 states. The company was acquired by RBI as a subsidiary in 2024.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Carrols Corporation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carrols Corporation operates Burger King quick-service restaurants as a franchisee of Restaurant Brands International (RBI). The company runs more than 1,000 Burger King restaurant locations across 23 U.S. states, generating revenue from food and beverage sales at its owned and operated stores.
Product overview
Carrols Corporation operates as a franchisee of Burger King restaurants under Restaurant Brands International. The company operates a single core business: over 1,000 Burger King restaurant locations across 23 states in the United States. There is no platform-plus-modules architecture or multiple distinct products—Carrols' offering consists entirely of operating these Burger King franchise restaurants.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Burger King Restaurant Operations
Companies that use Carrols Corporation
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Carrols Corporation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Carrols Corporation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Restaurant Brands InternationalcoreRestaurant Brands International (RBI) acquired Carrols as a subsidiary in 2024. Carrols operates as a franchisee of Burger King brand under a franchise agreement with RBI. RBI provides brand support, marketing, and system-wide standards while Carrols manages day-to-day restaurant operations.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Carrols Corporation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Yum! Brands: Corporate parent of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger Grill. Comparable as a major QSR brand owner/franchisor and a direct competitor of Burger King in the U.S. fast-food segment.
- Inspire Brands: Multi-brand QSR parent holding Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Dunkin', and Jimmy John's. Comparable as a large franchise-driven QSR platform operating across multiple brands and thousands of U.S. locations.
- Wendy's Company: Burger King's closest direct competitor in the U.S. QSR burger segment. Comparable as a publicly-traded QSR brand operator with a heavily franchised operating model.
- Restaurant Brands International: Carrols' franchisor and parent company since the 2024 acquisition. RBI is the global multi-brand QSR parent of Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs, providing the brand system Carrols operates within.
- Jack in the Box: West Coast-focused QSR chain operating a predominantly franchised model. Comparable as a publicly-traded QSR brand with a franchise-heavy footprint that competes for similar value-oriented consumers.
Direct peers
- Sun Holdings: Large multi-brand QSR franchisee operating Burger King, Popeyes, McDonald's, Arby's, and Golden Corral locations. Comparable to Carrols in scale and franchise-driven operating model.
- Flynn Restaurant Group: The largest franchise operator in the U.S. and the largest Burger King franchisee globally. Directly comparable to Carrols as a multi-brand, multi-thousand-unit QSR franchise platform.
- GPS Hospitality: Multi-state Burger King and Popeyes franchisee headquartered in the southeastern U.S. Operates hundreds of QSR units under RBI franchise agreements, directly comparable to Carrols' franchisee model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Carrols Corporation social profiles
Digital presenceCarrols Corporation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carrols Corporation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Carrols Corporation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carrols Corporation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carrols Corporation
What does Carrols Corporation do?
Carrols Corporation operates Burger King quick-service restaurants as a franchisee of Restaurant Brands International (RBI). The company runs more than 1,000 Burger King restaurant locations across 23 U.S. states, generating revenue from food and beverage sales at its owned and operated stores.
Is Carrols Corporation a public or private company?
Carrols Corporation is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Carrols Corporation founded?
Carrols Corporation was founded in 1960. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Carrols Corporation based?
Carrols Corporation is headquartered in Syracuse, United States, in the North America region.
How does Carrols Corporation make money?
One revenue line is on record: restaurant franchise operations.
Who are Carrols Corporation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Yum! Brands, Inspire Brands, Wendy's Company, Restaurant Brands International and Jack in the Box. Direct peers are Sun Holdings, Flynn Restaurant Group and GPS Hospitality.
Does Carrols Corporation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carrols Corporation.