Quick
A Belgian-origin hamburger restaurant chain headquartered in France.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Quick is a hamburger-focused quick-service restaurant brand that originated in Belgium and later developed its largest and most important operating base in France. The chain was created in 1971 by Belgian retail entrepreneur Baron François Vaxelaire, then chairman of the GB/GIB group. Its first two restaurants opened in Schoten, near Antwerp, and Waterloo, near Brussels. Quick subsequently expanded into France, where its first restaurant opened in Aix-en-Provence on 19 July 1980. France became the brand’s central market and remains the location of its headquarters in Bobigny, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. The brand operates in the same broad category as McDonald’s and Burger King, offering hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, desserts, and other fast-food menu items through company-operated and franchised restaurants. The chain has historically relied heavily on franchising: by the end of 2010, it operated more than 400 restaurants across Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and several French overseas departments and territories, with approximately 72% of locations run by franchisees. Its territorial footprint has changed over time. Quick previously entered the United Kingdom and the Netherlands during the 1980s and 1990s, but those operations later closed. It also opened restaurants in Morocco, Algeria, and Russia during later expansion efforts; the Russian and Algerian operations described in the reference material are no longer active, while the Moroccan business continued under local franchise ownership and the brand has had outlets in Tunisia. Quick’s corporate ownership has changed several times. In 2007, the chain was acquired by CDC, the French government’s investment holding structure. Burger King purchased Quick in February 2016 as part of a broader effort to expand its restaurant network and consolidate the French quick-service market. In September 2016, QSR Belgium bought back the Belgian and Luxembourg restaurants and transferred them to the Bertrand Group. This transaction separated those operations from the part of the network being integrated into Burger King’s ownership structure. The brand has periodically adapted its menu and operating model to local demand. In France, it introduced halal-only menus in a limited group of franchised restaurants in 2010, expanding the program from eight restaurants in February to 22 by August. The decision generated political controversy and public debate, particularly because the participating restaurants subsequently served only halal meat. Quick has also used limited-time products to distinguish itself from larger global competitors. In 2011, it introduced Le Double Mix, a sandwich combining two different bun treatments and sauces in one product, offered in hamburger and chicken versions for a limited period. Quick has also faced serious reputational and operational challenges. In January 2011, a 14-year-old customer, Benjamin Orset, died after eating at a Quick restaurant in Avignon. The investigation linked the death to food poisoning and found staphylococcal traces in the victim and several employees. Quick characterized the incident as a localized operational failure rather than a systemic problem with its centrally supplied products, took control of the restaurant from its franchisee, and announced stronger hygiene and control measures. The incident remains one of the most significant controversies in the brand’s history. In Morocco, the brand’s development has been led through franchising. Quick opened its first Moroccan restaurant in Casablanca in 2003. The Ténor group became the Moroccan franchise holder in 2016 and subsequently expanded the network in Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, El Jadida, Dar Bouazza, and other locations, including drive-through restaurants and a shopping-mall site. The Moroccan network continued to add and relocate restaurants through 2023. Quick’s history therefore combines Belgian origins, French-centered management, changing international ownership, franchised local development, and a menu strategy designed to compete in the mass-market hamburger sector.
History
Quick was established in Belgium in 1971 by Baron François Vaxelaire, a retail executive associated with the GB/GIB group. The first two restaurants opened in Schoten, outside Antwerp, and Waterloo, south of Brussels. The concept was designed as a hamburger-oriented quick-service restaurant and developed in the same broad category as the rapidly expanding American fast-food chains. Quick entered France in 1980, opening its first French restaurant in Aix-en-Provence on 19 July. France subsequently became the brand’s principal market and the base for its central management. Over the following decades, Quick expanded through a mixture of company-owned and franchised restaurants. By 31 December 2010, the network exceeded 400 restaurants in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and French overseas territories including Réunion, New Caledonia, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Around 72% of the locations were operated by franchisees at that time. The company also pursued international expansion beyond its core French and Belgian markets. Restaurants operated in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands during the 1980s and 1990s, including a London location in Leicester Square and a Rotterdam restaurant, but those businesses later closed. Quick entered Morocco in 2003 with a Casablanca restaurant near the Megarama cinema complex. It also had later operations in Algeria and Russia, including Moscow and Tula, although those activities were subsequently discontinued. The brand maintained a smaller presence in Tunisia and continued to develop in Morocco through a local franchise structure. Ownership changed materially in the late 2000s and mid-2010s. In 2007, Quick was taken over by CDC, the French government’s investment holding company. Burger King acquired the chain in February 2016. Later that year, QSR Belgium repurchased the Belgian and Luxembourg restaurants, which were transferred to the Bertrand Group. This created a more divided ownership and operating structure between the French business and the restaurants returned to the Belgian and Luxembourg market. Quick’s menu and restaurant policy generated attention in France. In February 2010, eight French franchises began offering halal menus to serve Muslim customers. The program reached 22 restaurants by August, and the participating outlets served only halal menus thereafter. The policy provoked criticism from politicians and local officials across the political spectrum, making it one of the best-known public controversies associated with the chain. In 2011, Quick launched Le Double Mix, a limited-time sandwich built around two different bun treatments and separate dressings in the same sandwich. It was available in hamburger and chicken formats through 18 April. The product reflected Quick’s use of novelty and limited-duration menu items to differentiate the chain in a highly competitive category. The most serious crisis in the brand’s history occurred in January 2011, when 14-year-old Benjamin Orset died after eating two hamburgers at the Avignon restaurant. The autopsy and subsequent investigation identified food poisoning and staphylococcal contamination. Traces were found in the victim and in five of eight employees. Quick’s managing director, Jacques-Edouard Charret, did not initially accept corporate responsibility, but the investigation connected the death to the meal consumed at the restaurant. Quick treated the episode as a localized failure, took back control of the restaurant from its franchisee, and promised to reinforce hygiene procedures and monitoring. Morocco became an important example of Quick’s franchised international model. After the initial Casablanca opening, Ténor took responsibility for the local franchise network in 2016. Restaurants opened in Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech, followed by drive-through locations in Targa, El Jadida, and Dar Bouazza. Quick also opened a shopping-mall restaurant in Rabat and later relocated its first Rabat site to the Arribat Shopping Mall food court. A new restaurant opened in Saïdia in 2023. Across its history, Quick has remained a recognizable French- and Belgian-market hamburger brand whose development has been shaped by franchising, ownership changes, local menu adaptation, and competition from larger global chains.
- 2023
New Moroccan restaurant opens in Saïdia
[1]Quick continues its Moroccan franchise expansion with a new restaurant in Saïdia.
- 2016
Burger King acquires Quick
[1]Burger King purchases Quick in February.
- 2016
Belgian and Luxembourg operations are repurchased
[1]QSR Belgium buys back the restaurants in Belgium and Luxembourg and transfers them to the Bertrand Group.
- 2011
Le Double Mix launches
[1]Quick introduces a limited-run hamburger and chicken sandwich featuring two different bun treatments and dressings.
- 2010
Network exceeds 400 restaurants
[1]At the end of 2010, Quick operates more than 400 restaurants across several European, French overseas, and other markets.
- 2007
CDC takes over Quick
[1]Quick is acquired by CDC, the French government’s investment holding company.
- 2003
Quick enters Morocco
[1]The chain opens its first Moroccan restaurant in Casablanca near the Megarama cinema complex.
- 1980
First French restaurant opens
[1]Quick opens its first French restaurant in Aix-en-Provence on 19 July.
- 1971
Quick is founded in Belgium
[1]Baron François Vaxelaire establishes Quick and opens the first restaurants in Schoten and Waterloo.
Products and positioning
A mass-market quick-service restaurant brand focused on hamburgers and chicken products, competing with large international fast-food chains while using local franchising and market-specific menu adaptations.
Hamburger sandwiches · 1971
Quick hamburgers
Quick’s core offering is a range of fast-food hamburger sandwiches served through its restaurants and franchised locations. The products form the central part of the brand’s identity and position it against other large hamburger quick-service chains.
Chicken sandwiches
Chicken sandwiches
Chicken sandwiches are a recurring part of Quick’s menu and have also been used as a platform for limited-time innovations, including the chicken version of Le Double Mix.
Limited-time sandwich · 2011
Le Double Mix
Le Double Mix was a 2011 limited-run sandwich divided into two contrasting halves, with different bun treatments and dressings. It was offered in both hamburger and chicken variants and was scheduled to remain available through 18 April 2011.
Market-specific menu · 2010
Halal menus
Quick introduced halal-only menus in selected French franchised restaurants in 2010. The initiative began with eight locations and expanded to 22 by August, with participating restaurants serving only halal menus.
Controversies
2011
Death of Benjamin Orset after meal at Avignon restaurant
Fourteen-year-old Benjamin Orset died in January 2011 after eating two hamburgers at a Quick restaurant in Avignon. The investigation concluded that food poisoning caused the death and identified staphylococcal traces in the victim and five of eight employees. Quick took control of the restaurant from its franchisee and announced stronger hygiene and inspection measures.
Brand decisions
2016
Sell and reorganize Belgian and Luxembourg operationsM&ABackground
Following Burger King’s acquisition of Quick, the ownership of the Belgian and Luxembourg restaurants was reorganized.
Action taken
QSR Belgium repurchased those restaurants in September and transferred them to the Bertrand Group.
Aftermath
The Belgian and Luxembourg network became associated with the Bertrand Group rather than remaining within the Burger King-controlled structure.
2011
Launch Le Double MixProduct launchBackground
Quick used a novelty sandwich to create differentiation in the competitive hamburger and chicken quick-service market.
Action taken
The company released hamburger and chicken versions of a sandwich combining two different bun styles and dressings, offered for a limited period through 18 April.
Aftermath
The product was a limited-time offering and is no longer part of the active menu described in the reference material.
2011
Strengthen controls after Avignon food-poisoning caseStrategyBackground
An investigation linked the death of a teenage customer to food poisoning after a meal at the Avignon restaurant.
Action taken
Quick took control of the restaurant from its franchisee and pledged to reinforce hygiene controls and food-safety measures.
Aftermath
The company characterized the incident as a local operational failure rather than a problem with centrally supplied products.
2010
Expand halal-only restaurant menusStrategyBackground
Quick sought to serve Muslim customers in France by introducing halal menus at selected franchised restaurants.
Action taken
The program expanded from eight restaurants in February to 22 in August, with participating sites serving only halal menus.
Aftermath
The policy generated controversy involving politicians and local officials from several parties.
Recent events
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