海角大神

Restaurant Brands International (RBI) reported Q2 sales so strong that it invites the question of when its $17 billion Burger King and $6 billion Tim Hortons brands will begin to cannibalize each other.

鈥淪trength鈥� was a word repeatedly used by RBI CEO Daniel Schwartz, and with good reason. Burger King鈥檚 6.7% increase in global same-store sales was its best showing in nearly 10 years. That included a 7.9% rise in the U.S./Canada and a 5.1% jump in Europe/Middle East. RBI did not disclose how much of its same-store-sales growth was from price/check and how much from traffic gains. Schwartz pointed to the success of the A.1. Hearty Mozzarella Bacon Cheeseburger鈥攏oting that the A.1. Sauce was the only new ingredient in that build鈥擡xtra Long Pulled Pork Sandwich and Chicken Fries in explaining the sales gain.

Tim Hortons鈥� quarter was almost as impressive, with a 5.5% systemwide increase in same-store sales. Its U.S. stores performed better (+7%) than its Canadian unit (+5.4%). A new Dark Roast coffee and dessert items such as the Creamy Chocolate Chill were strong performers. But Tim also improved its lunch menu with items such as a beefy Philly Steak Panini.

And that鈥檚 where the potential for sibling conflict arises. The more Tim Horton expands in the U.S., the more it competes with Burger King for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack dollars. RBI can happily concede the Canadian market to Tim Hortons, which has 3,819 stores there while Burger King has less than 300. But in the U.S., there are 892 Tim Hortons and RBI wants more. It recently opened its first store in St. Louis, so it鈥檚 no longer just hugging the U.S./Canadian border. The more it expands, the more customers will be asked to choose between a Whopper and a panini. For now, however, RBI and its shareholders are enjoying having two strong brands.