Burger Fuel

BurgerFuel is a New Zealand owned automotive themed chain of gourmet burger restaurants with 54 locations around the world (plus 1 mobile location unit) including 35 locations in New Zealand. BurgerFuel sells Spud (Potato) fries, Beer Battered Fries (as a promotion), kumara fries, burgers (beef, wagyū, chicken, gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian), bottled soft drinks, maltshakes and its own branded ice cream (Frostbite).

Menu
BurgerFuel burgers are famous for their special aioli sauce, freshness, taste and for the patented Doofer, a folding cardboard burger-holder. BurgerFuel as a gourmet burger chain focuses on many niche areas: Items such as vegan / vegetarian food, gluten-free as well as some organic food products. BurgerFuel has been careful to try to make their menu healthier than a lot of their competition (by reducing salt, sugar, additives). Burger names have an automotive theme.

History
In 1995 the first Burger Fuel was opened in Auckand. In 2007 Burger Fuel Worldwide publicly floated on the NZX. The company directors were hoping to generate $15 million from the IPO; however, they ultimately raised a little over a third of that.

On 5 May 2008, Burger Fuel Worldwide announced it had agreed to its first Master franchise agreement with Dubai based Al Khayyat Investment Group Investments LLC. They will set up, and operate stores in Dubai, UAE by the end of the year. Dubai is considered to be a high profile city for BurgerFuel. There are two BurgerFuel stores in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

BurgerFuel has won the “Franchise Export” of the Year award at the Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards 2012. The judges praised BurgerFuel for not just selling high quality, gourmet products, but also for developing the company into a specialist exporter which sources raw materials from New Zealand wherever possible. The products that BurgerFuel send overseas are extensive, exporting anything from their 100% pure New Zealand grass-fed beef to a complete store fit out, ensuring that the products and service they provide their customers, remains of a consistently high quality standard, in all export countries.

On 14 Jan 2014, Burger Fuel Worldwide announced a $5.9m injection from new US investor - Milford, Connecticut-based Franchise Brands (backed by Subway founders Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck) to fund global expansion. The purchase is for 10% of the company with the option to raise this to 50% over 8 years. They plan to assist with BurgerFuel expansion particularly into the US market. Burger Fuel Worldwide shares immediately leapt 80% as a result to an all-time high of $2.70 per share.

Locations
Burger Fuel operates in 6 countries:
 * New Zealand 35
 * Australia 1
 * UAE 11
 * Saudi Arabia 7
 * Iraq 1
 * Egypt

It is also looking to expand into Kuwait, Qatar, Libya, Lebanon, and China and include drive thrus. They have also announced they will operate in the South Island of New Zealand for the first time as well as expansion in Australia. With the investment by US based Franchise Brands they are looking to enter into the US market.