Restaurant Brands International earnings beat as Burger King's U.S. business soars

Restaurant Brands International on Thursday reported quarterly earnings that topped analysts' expectations, fueled by strong growth for the once struggling Burger King, both domestically and abroad.

"Burger King's performance is a great example of what's possible when you invest in the fundamentals and execute well – an approach we're applying across all of our brands," Restaurant Brands CEO Josh Kobza said in a statement.

Here's what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Restaurant Brands reported second-quarter net income attributable to shareholders of $507 million, or $1.45 per share, up from $189 million, or 57 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding transaction costs, advisory fees and other items, the company earned $1.07 per share.

Net revenue rose 4.5% to $2.52 billion.

Burger King's U.S. same-store sales climbed 8.5%. In recent quarters, the burger chain's turnaround has taken hold in its home market. Restaurant renovations, sharper marketing and a focus on core menu items like the Whopper have helped Burger King steal market share.

Rival McDonald's reported U.S. same-store sales growth of just 0.8% in its second quarter, for comparison. Executives said that they were disappointed by the performance, and McDonald's tapped a new U.S. president to help accelerate its sales.

Burger King is also seeing strong results outside of the U.S. Restaurant Brands said international Burger King restaurants saw same-store sales growth of 5.4% during the quarter.

But the rest of Restaurant Brands' did not fare as well.

Tim Hortons' same-store sales in Canada and overall were essentially flat for the quarter, while Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen reported U.S. same-store sales declines of 5.2%. The fried chicken chain has struggled in recent quarters as more chains compete for a smaller pool of diners, who have grown increasingly value conscious.