Big Fernand
The Paris chain that calls its burgers “Hamburgés” and fills them with French cheese.
About Big Fernand
Big Fernand was founded in 2011 by Steve Burggraf, Alexandre Auriac and Guillaume Pagliano, and opened its first restaurant in January 2012 at 55 rue du Faubourg-Poissonnière in Paris, serving lunch only at first. Its slogan tells you the idea: “Stop eating burgers, eat Hamburgés!” It was a French answer to the American burger, built from French ingredients and served with a wink.
Everything is named like a person, from the burgers themselves, Bartholomé, Lucien, Philibert, to the sauces, Tata Fernande and Tonton Fernand, and the menu leans on regional produce: beef from French breeds such as Charolais and Limousin, bread from bakers and raw-milk cheeses like raclette and mountain tomme. The chain grew to around fifty restaurants by 2020 and tried Hong Kong and London in 2015. A British investment firm, Blue Gem Capital Partners, took an 80 per cent stake in 2017, and the company went into court-supervised restructuring in 2026.
Restaurants across France, plus Luxembourg, Réunion and New Caledonia.
Burger menu
Signature burgers first. Only burgers and sandwiches, no sides.
If you like Big Fernand
Chains whose signature burgers are built the same way.- Max Burgers (Sweden, since 1968). The Swedish chain from above the Arctic Circle that beat McDonald’s at home. Also built on beef.
- Hans im Glück (Germany, since 2010). The Munich burger grill with birch trunks inside and a fairy-tale name. Also built on beef.
- MEATliquor (United Kingdom, since 2012). A burger van turned into a dark, loud London bar famous for the Dead Hippie. Also built on beef.
- Honest Burgers (United Kingdom, since 2009). The London burger chain that comes with rosemary salted chips. Also built on beef.
Not affiliated with Big Fernand. Trademarks and logos belong to their owners. Descriptions are my own; nutrition figures come from the chain’s published information, checked September 2026.