Big Fernand: History, Key Facts and Reviews

2011-2012: three founders and the “hamburgé”

Big Fernand was founded in Paris in September 2011 by Steve Burggraf, Alexandre Auriac and Guillaume Pagliano (Wikipedia). The first restaurant opened in January 2012 at 55 rue du Faubourg-Poissonnière, in the 9th arrondissement, and served lunch only at first. The idea was a French answer to the American burger, which the founders renamed the “hamburgé”: baker’s bread, beef cooked to order and raw-milk cheese from a cheesemonger (Big Fernand). Each burger carries an old-fashioned French first name, from Le Big Fernand to Le Bartholomé, Le Victor and Le Philibert. The house slogan told Parisians to stop scoffing burgers and eat hamburgés instead.

2013-2017: franchising, a brief spell abroad and a new owner

Big Fernand grew through franchising. The first franchise opened in Lyon in October 2013, followed by Lille in 2014 and a string of French cities. In February 2015 the brand went to Hong Kong, and in March 2015 it opened a company-run restaurant in London. Neither lasted: Wikipedia lists two former restaurants in China and one in the United Kingdom (Wikipedia). In 2017 the British investment fund Bluegem raised money for the company and came out of the deal with 80% of its capital.

2020-2025: overseas France and a change at the top

By 2020 the network had 48 restaurants in mainland France and one each in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion and Luxembourg. Éric de Saint Louvent replaced Maurizio Biondi as chief executive in 2023 (Wikipedia). The official site now also lists a restaurant in Nouméa, New Caledonia, and airport sites at Paris-Orly, Nantes and Marseille Provence (Big Fernand). For a typical city-center restaurant, see our guide to Big Fernand Toulouse.

2026: a safeguard plan and 45 restaurants

Big Fernand went through a court-supervised restructuring in 2026. A safeguard procedure, the French process that lets a company keep trading while it renegotiates its debts, was opened that year, and the court approved the plan on September 22, 2026. Bluegem is putting in €2.4 million, and 85% of €19 million in debt is written off (Paperjam). The network has 45 restaurants, 17 run directly and 28 franchised, and made €52 million in sales in 2025. The holding company, Big Groupe, made €24 million in revenue that year with a net loss of €3.9 million, and employs 289 people directly. The plan is to grow through franchising and run fewer restaurants itself.

Key dates

• 2011: Steve Burggraf, Alexandre Auriac and Guillaume Pagliano found Big Fernand in Paris.
• 2012: the first restaurant opens on rue du Faubourg-Poissonnière in January.
• 2013: first franchise, in Lyon.
• 2015: openings in Hong Kong and London.
• 2017: Bluegem takes 80% of the capital.
• 2023: Éric de Saint Louvent becomes chief executive.
• 2026: the safeguard plan is approved on September 22, with 45 restaurants.