What Bertrand Franchise does

Bertrand Franchise (legal entity BCF SERVICES), established in 1997 as the franchise arm of Groupe Bertrand and headquartered in Levallois Perret, France, is the leading independent restaurant franchisor in France. The company develops, acquires, and operates a portfolio of 12 restaurant brands spanning fast food, casual dining, and international cuisines. Its flagship asset is the master franchise for Burger King France, with 634 restaurants, complemented by wholly-owned or master-licensed brands including Au Bureau (213 locations, pub-brasserie), Hippopotamus (102 locations, French steakhouse), Léon (70 locations, seafood), Pitaya (95 locations, Thai street food), Volfoni (Italian trattoria), Jōyō (Asian fusion), Le Paradis du Fruit (40 locations, healthy bistrot), Hanoï Cà Phê (Vietnamese fusion), and newly created concepts Chik'Chill and Meatpack Steakhouse. The cumulative network totals more than 1,200 restaurants generating €3 billion in system-wide sales under brand and serving 20+ million customers monthly, with the brand collectively employing 40,000+ people across franchisee-operated establishments.

The business model is asset-light franchise development rather than direct restaurant operation. Bertrand Franchise earns two principal revenue streams: (1) ongoing royalty fees of 5-6% of franchisee turnover (CA HT), with rates differentiated by brand — 2% communication plus 6% brand-rights for Hanoï Cà Phê, 5% for Léon/Au Bureau/Hippopotamus/Volfoni/Pitaya, and 6% for Le Paradis du Fruit; and (2) one-time franchise entry fees of €35,000-€45,000 plus training fees of €15,000. Franchisee investment thresholds range from €150,000-€300,000 in personal capital to €900,000-€1,400,000 total per unit, depending on concept. Customer acquisition relies on a recruitment website, social media, regional meetings, national conventions, training partnerships (France Travail POEI program up to 175 hours of funded training), and a lending partnership with Créditipro for loan application support. The company also operates multi-brand loyalty platforms — principally La Bonne App (500,000+ members in under a year) and Pitaya's Waï (550,000 members in six months) — to cross-pollinate traffic across the brand portfolio.

Recent strategic activity centers on inorganic expansion via the October 2024 acquisition of master franchise rights for Le Paradis du Fruit and Hanoï Cà Phê from DNA Paradis Group, a 2025 minority investment in Crêpe Touch, ongoing Burger King unit growth (18 new openings reported in Q3 2025), launch of the upscale Meatpack Steakhouse and fast-casual Chik'Chill concepts, and geographic expansion into Andorra and Luxembourg via Pitaya. The portfolio is privately held; no external institutional rounds or public listing are referenced, and ownership remains with Groupe Bertrand under founder-president Olivier Bertrand.

Name

Bertrand Franchise

Legal name

BCF SERVICES

Website

https://bertrand-franchise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Franchising

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Concept / Global QSR Chains (Mixed Menus) (THAFAAAO)

Keywords

• Restaurant franchise development
• Multi-brand franchising
• Master franchise operations
• Restaurant brand portfolio
• Franchisee support services

Headquarters

HQ city

France

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Franchise royalties: Bertrand Franchise generates revenue through royalty fees paid by franchisees, calculated as a percentage of their annual turnover (CA HT). Rates vary by brand: 2% for Hanoi Cà Phê, 5% for Léon, Au Bureau, Hippopotamus, Volfoni, Pitaya, and Le Paradis du Fruit, 6% for Hanoi Cà Phê brand rights.
2. Franchise entry fees: One-time franchise entry fees charged to new franchisees upon signing. These vary by brand concept and cover initial training and support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Bertrand Franchise operates as France's leading independent restaurant franchisor, developing and supporting franchise networks for a portfolio of 11+ restaurant brands spanning fast-food, casual dining, and international cuisines. The company recruits independent franchisees, provides site selection, training, marketing, and operational support, and earns revenue through franchise entry fees and ongoing royalties calculated as a percentage of franchisee turnover.

Product overview

Bertrand Franchise operates as France's largest independent restaurant franchisor with a diversified portfolio of 12+ restaurant brands spanning multiple dining concepts. The portfolio includes fast-food brands (Burger King with 634+ locations), casual dining (Au Bureau pubs, Hippopotamus steakhouses), international cuisine (Volfoni Italian, Pitaya Thai, Léon seafood, Jōyō Asian fusion, Hanoï Cà Phê Vietnamese), and emerging concepts (Chik'Chill fried chicken, Meatpack Steakhouse). The group also operates proprietary loyalty platforms (La Bonne App multi-brand program, Waï for Pitaya, Steakhouse Club for Hippopotamus) serving over 1 million combined loyalty members. With 1,200+ restaurants and 3 billion euros in system sales, the company functions as a master franchise developer offering turnkey franchise opportunities across its brand ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Bonne App: Multi-brand loyalty program for Au Bureau, Hippopotamus, Joyo, Léon, Le Paradis du Fruit and Volfoni with 500,000+ members
• Waï
• Steakhouse Club
• Bertrand Franchise Formation

Products and services

• Burger King Franchise

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 billion euros in sales under brand
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and supporting.

• Crêpe TouchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Bertrand Franchise took a minority stake in Crêpe Touch, a new-generation creperie brand, as a strategic partnership to expand into the crepe market segment.
• DNA Paradis GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Bertrand Franchise acquired the master franchise of Le Paradis du Fruit and Hanoi Cà Phê brands from DNA Paradis Group in October 2024, expanding its portfolio with these established concepts.
• France TravailsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPEOI (Préparation Opérationnelle à l'Emploi Individuelle) with France Travail provides up to 175 hours of training for franchisee teams, funded through the employment agency.
• Académie des Métiers et Leader AcadémiesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining partners for POEI (Préparation Opérationnelle à l'Emploi Individuelle) programs to help franchisees train their teams.
• Sport dans la VilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAu Bureau supports Sport dans la Ville, which accompanies approximately 10,000 youth from priority neighborhoods annually through sport toward success.
• Les PapillonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurger King partners with Les Papillons association for the 4th consecutive year on a school bullying awareness campaign.
• JospersupportingTechnology or IntegrationHippopotamus uses Josper braise ovens as part of their signature cooking method, requiring specialized extraction systems.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Buffalo Grill: French steakhouse chain with extensive restaurant network in France. Comparable as a French restaurant chain operator directly competing with Bertrand Franchise's Hippopotamus and Meatpack Steakhouse brands in the steakhouse segment.

Direct peers

• AmRest Holdings: European multi-brand restaurant franchise operator operating KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and Burger King franchises across Central and Eastern Europe. Comparable to Bertrand Franchise as a multi-brand franchise developer with master franchise rights for major global QSR brands in Europe.
• Groupe Le Duff: France-based multi-brand restaurant franchisor operating brands including Brioche Dorée, Del Arte, and Pizza Del Arte across Europe. Directly comparable to Bertrand Franchise as a French multi-brand restaurant franchise developer with similar scale, model, and geographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo: Global food services and facilities management company headquartered in France. Comparable as a major French-headquartered food services company, though focused on contract food services rather than franchise restaurant operations.
• McDonald's Corporation: Global QSR leader with extensive franchise operations in France. Comparable as a QSR competitor that operates its own franchise model in France, directly competing with Burger King and other Bertrand Franchise QSR brands.
• Compass Group: Global contract foodservice and support services company. Comparable as a major food services operator, though focused on contract catering rather than franchise restaurant development.
• Yum! Brands: Global multi-brand QSR franchisor (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Habit Burger). Comparable as a multi-brand franchise system operator, though operates at much larger scale across global markets rather than focusing on multi-concept dining occasions.
• Restaurant Brands International: Owner of Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs globally. Comparable as the parent franchisor of Burger King, the brand constituting Bertrand Franchise's largest network (634 restaurants in France).
• Elior Group: French contract catering and food services company operating across multiple segments. Comparable as a major French food services player, though operates B2B contract catering rather than consumer-facing franchise restaurants.

Emerging players

• Crêpe Touch: New-generation French creperie brand in which Bertrand Franchise holds a minority stake (2025). Comparable as an emerging restaurant concept that Bertrand Franchise is positioning within its franchise portfolio, representing a potential new brand addition to the multi-brand ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUbNJ-OQdATjPbRTYElxUxA
• Facebookfacebook.com/BertrandRecrutement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bertrand-franchise
• Instagraminstagram.com/groupebertrand_recrutement

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries11 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 Bertrand Franchise