Max Hamburger

What Max Hamburger does

MAX Burgers Aktiebolag, trading as MAX, is Sweden's oldest hamburger chain, founded in 1968 in Gällivare by Curt Bergfors and Britta Fredriksson as X-grillen. The company operates 100+ company-owned and franchise restaurants across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Poland, serving the general consumer market through dine-in, drive-through, takeaway, and home-delivery channels. Its product portfolio centers on beef and chicken burgers but has been progressively re-engineered around a plant-based agenda, including the proprietary Delifresh Plant Beef (pea-protein beef analogue) and Grilloumi (Swedish halloumi-style cheese), a Green/Supreme Green menu line, and a 2025 exclusive European partnership with Impossible Foods. The company also operates seasonal limited-time items, salads, sides, Fairtrade organic coffee, and premium shakes.

MAX runs a direct-to-consumer QSR business model: revenue is generated almost entirely through in-restaurant and delivery sales of food and beverages, with a stated FY2023 revenue record of SEK 5.4 billion. Ordering and consumer engagement are anchored on a proprietary iOS/Android app with the Max Rewards loyalty program, supplemented by a web ordering platform and third-party delivery partnerships with Wolt and Foodora. The company is family-owned under the Bergfors family, with Martin Oppenheimer as Group CEO and Christoffer Bergfors as Vice CEO as of 2025.

MAX has built a distinctive competitive position around sustainability: it was the world's first restaurant chain to climate-compensate its entire menu (2008), runs a proprietary Scope 1–3 emissions analysis third-party verified by EY, compensates 110% of emissions via tree planting and biochar, labels every dish with CO2e impact, and has held Sweden's greenest-brand status in fast food for 10 consecutive years alongside a 2019 UN Global Climate Action Award. With 7,000+ employees, a wholly owned Norwegian subsidiary (MAX Norway AS), and category-leading customer-satisfaction rankings sustained for 19 consecutive years, MAX combines heritage brand equity with a modern plant-based and climate-forward platform — though it discloses no AI/ML capabilities and operates as a private, non-listed company.

Name

Max Hamburger

Legal name

MAX Burgers Aktiebolag

Website

https://maxhamburger.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

MAX is Sweden's oldest burger chain, founded in 1968, operating 100+ restaurants across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. It serves general consumers through company-owned and franchise locations, mobile app, and third-party delivery, with a plant-based menu and climate-compensated operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quick-Service Burger Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Burger QSR (THAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Quick-service burgers
• Plant-based fast food
• Restaurant chain operations
• Climate-conscious dining
• Mobile food ordering

Headquarters

HQ city

Luleå

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food & Beverage Sales: MAX generates revenue primarily through sales of burgers, chicken products, salads, sides, desserts, coffee, and beverages at its owned and franchise restaurant locations across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. The company also earns revenue through its own mobile app ordering and online web ordering platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Max Hamburger operates a Nordic quick-service burger restaurant chain selling burgers, chicken products, salads, sides, coffee, shakes, and desserts at company-owned and franchise locations across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. The company complements its dine-in and drive-through service with a proprietary mobile app, online ordering platform, and home delivery through third-party partners. Its menu centers on a traditional beef and chicken offering alongside a substantial plant-based line (Supreme Green) developed to advance a stated goal of having half of all meals sold be something other than red meat.

Product overview

Max Hamburger is a Nordic burger restaurant chain operating across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on burgers (Supreme Green plant-based line and traditional beef/chicken burgers), chicken products, salads, sides, beverages including premium shakes and coffee, and desserts. Ordering is facilitated through a proprietary mobile app with Max Rewards loyalty program, web-based online ordering, and third-party delivery integration via Wolt and Foodora.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MAX Mobile App

Quantifiable outcome

• 28% reduction in food emissions per 1,000 kcal between 2015 and 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WoltcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWolt is a third-party food delivery platform partner enabling home delivery of MAX menu items in Norway and other markets. Customers can order MAX through the Wolt platform when direct app delivery is not available in their area.
• FoodoracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoodora is a third-party food delivery platform partner enabling home delivery of MAX menu items in Norway. Customers can order MAX through the Foodora platform.
• Impossible FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAX partnered with Impossible Foods to bring the Impossible Burger to its menu, becoming the first in Europe to offer the plant-based Impossible Burger in 2025. This expanded MAX's green menu to 14 plant-based options.
• SamhallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAX extended its 22-year partnership with Samhall for another five years to help more people with disabilities enter the workforce. Samhall provides meaningful employment opportunities for people with functional impairments.
• Kompis SverigeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAX entered a partnership with Kompis Sverige, an organization that creates opportunities for newcomers and long-term residents of Sweden to meet, promoting social inclusion in Sweden.
• Q-MeierieneminorOthersQ-Meieriene supplies dairy products (milk) served at MAX restaurants across Norway. Choosing local milk reduces climate impact from transport and supports local farmers.
• FairtrademinorOthersMAX's coffee is Fairtrade certified, ensuring it is grown sustainably under good working conditions and fair terms.
• Ernst & Young (EY)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEY provides third-party verification of MAX's annual climate analysis covering scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, following Greenhouse Gas Protocol and ISO 14067 methodologies.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Burger King: Global burger QSR chain owned by Restaurant Brands International; competes with MAX across all four Nordic/European markets under a similar limited-service, counter-order model.
• McDonald's: Global QSR leader and direct competitor to MAX in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. Operates at vastly greater scale with broader menus and larger marketing budgets; MAX has explicitly taken over former McDonald's locations (1991, 2022).
• Carl's Jr. / Hardee's: Burger-focused QSR chains under Restaurant Brands International with European footprint; comparable to MAX as a regional burger-led QSR with adjacent menu items.
• Wendy's: Global burger QSR with presence in some European markets; competes in the same burger category with a similar counter-service, value-to-premium menu structure.

Direct peers

• Five Guys: Premium burger chain emphasizing quality ingredients and customization; comparable to MAX in positioning around higher-quality, non-mass-market burgers with a similar dine-in/takeaway delivery format.
• Smashburger: Multi-unit burger chain operating smaller-scale locations with premium positioning; similar to MAX in targeting a differentiated burger experience versus the dominant global QSR brands.
• Johnny Rockets: American-style burger and shake diner chain with franchise model operating in Europe; comparable to MAX as a nostalgia-anchored burger concept competing in the same casual dining-out segment.
• Shake Shack: Premium 'better burger' chain with strong sustainability messaging and digital ordering; highly comparable to MAX in combining quality-focused burgers with plant-based options and ESG positioning.

Regional players

• In-N-Out Burger: Privately held, regionally dominant burger chain on the U.S. West Coast known for quality focus, limited menu, and loyal following — a useful analogue for MAX's regional, family-owned, quality-led positioning, though U.S.-only.

Emerging players

• Honest Burgers: UK-based independent burger chain with a sustainability and provenance focus; comparable to MAX as a smaller, ESG-conscious European burger brand competing in the premium casual segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/maxhamburgernorge
• Instagraminstagram.com/maxhamburgernorge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/max-hamburger

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Max Hamburger