Hungry Jack's
Hungry Jack's is Australia's master franchisee and restaurant brand for Burger King Corporation, operating a nationwide quick-service burger chain under a locally adapted name.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Hungry Jack's is an Australian quick-service restaurant brand operated by Hungry Jack's Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Competitive Foods Australia. It functions as Burger King Corporation's master franchisee in Australia and owns, operates, or sub-licenses the country's Burger King-related restaurants. Because the Burger King name was already registered for restaurant use in Australia when Jack Cowin acquired the local franchise rights, the Australian business adopted the Hungry Jack's name instead of using Burger King directly. Jack Cowin secured the Australian Burger King franchise in 1970, and the first Hungry Jack's restaurant opened in Innaloo, Perth, on 18 April 1971. The name was derived from Hungry Jack, a Pillsbury pancake-mix trademark made available as one of the alternative names that could be used in Australia. During its first decade, the chain expanded to 26 restaurants across three states. It entered New South Wales in 1981 with a Sydney central-business-district location and expanded into Victoria in 1986 through the acquisition and conversion of 11 Wendy's Hamburgers restaurants. The relationship between Hungry Jack's and Burger King later became the subject of a prolonged legal and commercial dispute. Burger King Corporation alleged that Hungry Jack's had failed to meet contractual development requirements and sought to end the Australian franchise relationship. Australian courts ultimately rejected Burger King's position. After Burger King withdrew from direct operations in Australia, its regional assets were transferred to Trans-Pacific Foods in 2002. In 2003, Burger King Corporation and Hungry Jack's reached an arrangement under which Hungry Jack's became the sole master franchisee for the relevant Australian operations and the remaining Burger King restaurants were rebranded as Hungry Jack's. This consolidated the local network under one Australian operator. Hungry Jack's menu is built around flame-grilled beef burgers, chicken burgers, breakfast products, sides, desserts, soft drinks, and coffee. Its best-known offering is the Whopper range. The Australian business has also developed products and menu structures suited to local tastes, including Brekky Wraps, English-muffin breakfast items, toasties, Angus beef products, plant-based burgers, and the Jack's Café coffee concept. In 2019 it introduced the Rebel Whopper using a plant-based patty supplied through a partnership with v2food. The company launched Jack's Café as a pilot in Western Australia in 2022 and subsequently expanded the coffee proposition nationally. The brand has also used product naming and competitive advertising to distinguish itself from McDonald's and other large fast-food chains. Its Big Jack burger, launched in 2020, prompted trademark litigation from McDonald's because of alleged similarities to the Big Mac. The Federal Court of Australia ruled for Hungry Jack's in 2023, finding that Big Jack was not deceptively similar to Big Mac, although it found one promotional claim about relative patty size misleading. Big Jack returned for a limited period in 2024. Hungry Jack's remains an Australia-focused restaurant network with more than 400 locations reported in the available reference material. It has sponsored Australian sporting properties including the West Coast Eagles and Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League and holds naming-rights sponsorship of Australia's National Basketball League. The business is controlled through Competitive Foods Australia rather than a public stock-market listing.
History
Hungry Jack's originated from Jack Cowin's effort to establish the Burger King franchise in Australia. Cowin obtained the Australian franchise rights in 1970, but the Burger King restaurant name was already protected in Australia by Don Dervan, whose South Australian drive-in restaurant business had used the name since 1962. Burger King supplied Cowin with alternative names based on existing Pillsbury and Burger King trademarks. Cowin selected Hungry Jack, the name of a Pillsbury pancake product, and adapted it into the possessive Hungry Jack's. The first Hungry Jack's restaurant opened in Innaloo, Perth, on 18 April 1971. Expansion through the 1970s produced a 26-store network across three states. The company entered New South Wales in 1981 with a Sydney central-business-district restaurant and expanded into Victoria in 1986 by acquiring 11 Wendy's Hamburgers locations and converting them to Hungry Jack's restaurants. This gave the business a broader national footprint while preserving its separate Australian name. The brand's relationship with Burger King Corporation became contentious during the 1990s. Burger King argued that Hungry Jack's had not satisfied contractual obligations concerning restaurant development and attempted to terminate the franchise arrangement. Hungry Jack's contested the action, and the Australian legal proceedings ultimately favored the local franchisee. The dispute affected how Burger King operated in Australia and contributed to the eventual withdrawal of Burger King Corporation's direct Australian activities. In July 2002, Burger King transferred its Australian assets to Trans-Pacific Foods, its New Zealand franchise group. Trans-Pacific Foods operated the remaining Burger King locations for approximately a year. In September 2003, Burger King Corporation and Hungry Jack's reached a new arrangement that made Hungry Jack's the sole master franchisee for the relevant Australian Burger King operations. The remaining Burger King restaurants were transferred to Hungry Jack's control and rebranded, joining the existing Hungry Jack's network. The settlement restored a unified national operating structure while retaining the Hungry Jack's name. Hungry Jack's subsequently developed a menu that combined Burger King-derived products with Australian adaptations. Breakfast was introduced progressively from late 2005, beginning in Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory before extending to other states. The breakfast offer emphasized products such as English muffins, toasties, and breakfast wraps rather than simply reproducing the United States Burger King menu. The company later added premium Angus burgers, chicken products, plant-based offerings, delivery through Menulog, and a coffee business under the Jack's Café name. Plant-based food became a notable area of product development when Hungry Jack's introduced the Rebel Whopper in 2019 in partnership with v2food. The launch was supported by a substantial promotional campaign and reflected the growing Australian market for meat alternatives. In 2022, the company piloted Jack's Café in 65 Western Australian restaurants before expanding the coffee proposition across Australia. Its coffee supplier's blend subsequently received recognition in the 2023 Golden Bean Australasia awards. Hungry Jack's has also used direct comparison and playful branding in competition with McDonald's. The Big Jack burger, introduced in 2020, led McDonald's to sue over alleged trademark infringement and alleged copying of the Big Mac's naming, appearance, and composition. Hungry Jack's defended the product as a distinctive name based on the Hungry Jack's brand and Jack Cowin, while acknowledging its competitive intent. In November 2023, the Federal Court ruled that Big Jack was not deceptively similar to Big Mac and rejected the principal infringement case, although it considered a claim that the Big Jack patty was 25 percent larger to be misleading. Big Jack variants included Mega Jack, Outlaw Big Jack, and Chicken Big Jack. The range was later removed, then returned for a limited period in 2024. The company remains an active Australian quick-service operator and Burger King master franchisee. Reference material reports more than 400 restaurants, with approximately three-quarters company owned as of September 2021. Hungry Jack's also maintains a visible sports-marketing presence through sponsorships of the West Coast Eagles, Adelaide Football Club, and the National Basketball League.
- 2024
Big Jack returns for a limited-time promotion
[1]The Big Jack returned after the conclusion of the litigation.
- 2023
Federal Court rules in the Big Jack case
[1]The court rejected McDonald's principal trademark challenge, while finding a separate comparative patty-size claim misleading.
- 2022
Jack's Café rolls out nationally
[1]Following a Western Australian pilot, Jack's Café was expanded to Hungry Jack's restaurants across Australia.
- 2020
Big Jack launches and litigation begins
[1]The Big Jack burger was introduced, followed by McDonald's Federal Court proceedings over alleged trademark infringement.
- 2019
Rebel Whopper launches
[1]Hungry Jack's introduced a plant-based Whopper variant in partnership with v2food.
- 2018
National home delivery becomes available through Menulog
[1]The full Hungry Jack's menu became available for home delivery through Menulog.
- 2005
Breakfast menu introduced
[1]Hungry Jack's began introducing its Australian breakfast menu, initially in selected states and territories before wider rollout.
- 2003
Hungry Jack's becomes sole Australian master franchisee
[1]An agreement returned the remaining Burger King locations to Hungry Jack's control and led to their rebranding.
- 2002
Burger King transfers Australian assets to Trans-Pacific Foods
[1]Burger King Corporation withdrew from direct Australian operations and transferred its regional assets to Trans-Pacific Foods.
- 1986
Expansion into Victoria
[1]The company entered Victoria through the acquisition and conversion of 11 Wendy's Hamburgers restaurants.
Products and positioning
A mass-market Australian quick-service restaurant chain combining the Burger King flame-grilled burger platform with local branding, locally adapted menu items, value offers, breakfast, delivery, coffee, and competitive Australian advertising.
Beef burger
Whopper
The Whopper is Hungry Jack's core flame-grilled beef burger platform and one of the principal Burger King trademarks used in Australia. The range includes standard and promotional variations and anchors the brand's positioning around flame-grilled burgers.
Premium beef burger
Grill Masters
Grill Masters is a premium burger range centered on Angus beef. It extends Hungry Jack's beyond its standard burger menu with larger or more premium-positioned beef combinations and serves as a higher-tier menu proposition.
Breakfast · 2005
Brekky Wrap
Brekky Wraps are breakfast products developed for the Australian menu. They form part of a breakfast assortment that also includes English muffins, toasties, and other locally adapted morning items.
Plant-based burger · 2019
Rebel Whopper
The Rebel Whopper is a meat-free variation of the Whopper introduced with v2food. Its patty uses protein derived from legumes and was designed to address increasing Australian demand for plant-based alternatives while retaining the brand's burger format.
Beef burger · 2020
Big Jack
Big Jack was a large beef burger launched as a direct competitor to McDonald's Big Mac. It generated trademark litigation because of similarities alleged by McDonald's. The original range was removed from the regular menu in 2021 and returned as a limited-time offering in 2024.
Coffee · 2022
Jack's Café
Jack's Café is Hungry Jack's coffee-shop sub-brand and restaurant coffee program. It began as a 65-restaurant pilot in Western Australia in 2022 before being expanded nationally, giving Hungry Jack's a dedicated response to the coffee proposition associated with competing fast-food chains.
Controversies
2020
Hungry Jack's temporarily closes two Ballarat stores after staff COVID-19 case
Hungry Jack's temporarily closed its Ballarat CBD and Wendouree stores for deep cleaning after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. Employees who had worked shifts with the identified worker at Wendouree were told to self-isolate and get tested.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Big Jack legal-dispute advertising
Australia
Hungry Jack's used advertising that made light of McDonald's lawsuit during the early stages of the Big Jack trial and emphasized the burger's claimed size advantage.
Outcome. The campaign increased attention around the product, but the court found the patty-size comparison misleading.
- 2019Rebel Whopper launch campaign
Australia
Hungry Jack's promoted the Rebel Whopper as a plant-based alternative and partnered with online creator Natalie Tran as part of the launch activity.
Outcome. The product established a plant-based line within the Hungry Jack's menu.
Brand decisions
2022
Build a national coffee propositionStrategyBackground
Hungry Jack's was responding to the established coffee offer associated with competitors such as McDonald's McCafé.
Action taken
The company piloted Jack's Café in 65 Western Australian restaurants and then rolled the concept out nationally.
Aftermath
Coffee became a more visible branded category within the Hungry Jack's restaurant proposition.
2020
Launch the Big Jack burgerProduct launchBackground
Hungry Jack's sought to compete directly with McDonald's Big Mac through a similarly positioned large burger.
Action taken
The company introduced Big Jack and later developed variants including Mega Jack, Outlaw Big Jack, and Chicken Big Jack.
Aftermath
McDonald's filed trademark litigation; the Federal Court ultimately rejected the principal infringement case in 2023.
- McDonald's — McDonald's sued Hungry Jack's, alleging trademark infringement and bad-faith imitation of Big Mac-related branding and presentation.
2019
Enter the plant-based burger segmentProduct launchBackground
Plant-based meat alternatives were becoming more popular among Australian consumers.
Action taken
Hungry Jack's launched the Rebel Whopper in partnership with v2food.
Aftermath
The chain added a dedicated meat-free alternative to its flagship Whopper platform.
2003
Consolidate Burger King operations under Hungry Jack'sStrategyBackground
After Burger King Corporation withdrew from direct Australian operations and Trans-Pacific Foods temporarily managed the remaining Burger King locations, the parties reached a new franchise arrangement.
Action taken
Hungry Jack's became the sole master franchisee for the relevant Australian operations and rebranded the remaining Burger King restaurants.
Aftermath
Australia's Burger King-related network was unified under the Hungry Jack's brand and operating structure.
1971
Adopt the Hungry Jack's name for AustraliaStrategyBackground
The Burger King name was already registered for restaurant use in Australia when Jack Cowin obtained the local franchise rights.
Action taken
Cowin selected the Hungry Jack name from alternatives associated with Pillsbury and converted it into the possessive Hungry Jack's.
Aftermath
The separate Australian identity became the long-term operating brand for Burger King-related restaurants in Australia.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Hungry Jack's temporarily closes two Ballarat stores after staff COVID-19 case[2]
Hungry Jack's temporarily closed its Ballarat CBD and Wendouree stores for deep cleaning after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. Employees who had worked shifts with the identified worker at Wendouree were told to self-isolate and get tested.
Reported
Hungry Jack's launches the Big Jack burger[3]
Hungry Jack's launched the Big Jack burger, which the report described as very similar to McDonald's Big Mac.
Reported
Hungry Jack’s announces planned v2food meatless burger launch[4]
Hungry Jack’s announced that it would launch a meatless burger patty made by v2food at its locations before the end of 2019.
Sources4 sources
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