Burger King plans to open 200 new UK restaurants in the next four years, following a sharp rise in profits.
The company has yet to reveal where the new branches will be, but says it knows the areas it wants to expand in.
Burger King's profits increased in 2021 to £33.4 million, bouncing back from £7.5 million losses the previous year amid the Covid pandemic. The addition of 48 new owned restaurants last year is thought to have added to the profits.
Read more: New study uses Greggs sausage rolls to plot UK cost-of-living crisis
Chief executive Alasdair Murdoch said: "Burger King UK delivered a strong performance in 2021, proactively managing Covid-19 headwinds through investment in digital sales, including home delivery, and continued restaurant expansion with a focus on Drive Thru. Both delivery and Drive Thru sales were strong throughout 2021 and will remain key areas of focus as we execute on our growth strategy.
"We have a strong development pipeline to further grow our UK footprint, and we are very well positioned to take advantage of the clear market opportunities ahead of us. I would like to thank all of our employees for their ongoing dedication and hard work, without which our ongoing growth would not be possible."
The burger giant, which has around 530 restaurants in the UK, still has a bit of ground to make up before it catches up with rival McDonald's, which has around 1,350.
The chain was founded in 1953 in Jacksonville, Florida, as Insta-Burger King, after its founders were inspired by the McDonald brothers' original store location in San Bernardino, California.
Burger King's expansion plans come just three months after another USA-based fast food chain, KFC, revealed plans to open new restaurants, or relocate existing branches, across 500 locations in the UK, including Morpeth, Metrocentre and Durham University.
The path from plan to reality isn't always a smooth one for fast food restaurants. Plans for a 24/7 KFC in Asda's Gosforth branch were dropped last month after there were 139 public objections made against the plans, and 200 Sunderland residents are currently objecting to proposals to open a KFC in the Barnes area of the town.
Proposals for a McDonald's in Hexham were given the green light before Christmas, despite objections from people living in the town. Members of the county council committee voted unanimously to approve the scheme, with Cllr Trevor Cessford saying at the time: “A bit like Marmite, there'll be those who love it and those who don't."
