Burger King Azerbaijan responds to claims of unpaid wages to former staff - PHOTO

Posts circulating on social media in recent days claim that around 50 former Burger King employees in Azerbaijan went unpaid for a long period after the brand left the local market.

The posts link the situation to the closure of Burger King restaurants in Azerbaijan and the brand's later return with a new local partner. They also accuse the brand's current owner of hiring a new team instead of settling matters with former employees.

As the story spread, Burger King Azerbaijan issued a statement explaining how the brand left the Azerbaijani market and why it returned.

“Burger King originally operated in Azerbaijan through a different local partner. That partner later ran into difficulties with developing the brand and running its operations, and decided to shut the business down. All four restaurants then open were closed in 2023, after which the previous franchisee laid off its staff.

The search for a new partner to take over the Burger King franchise rights in Azerbaijan took more than a year. In 2024, the brand returned to the local market with a new partner.

By the time our company signed its agreements with Burger King Global to acquire the business, the restaurants had been closed for more than a year. In practice, we took over four closed sites with no employees.

In an ordinary change of ownership of a running business, the new owner inherits the existing workforce along with the company's obligations to those employees. Our situation was entirely different. We took over restaurants that had been shut for more than a year and had no staff on the payroll.

We have no information whatsoever about the former employees, their roles, experience or positions, or about any financial obligations the previous operator may have had.

We came into a business that had already closed. We built a new team, rebranded, trained our people and started operating and growing from scratch. Former Burger King employees were just as free to apply to us for jobs, since we recruited through publicly available channels.

The claims now circulating concern the employment relationship between those workers and the first partner. Our company was not a party to those arrangements and has nothing to do with obligations the previous local partner incurred in the course of its business. Any claims over unpaid wages from that period therefore do not concern the current operator, Burger King Azerbaijan.”

The company added that Burger King's current business in Azerbaijan operates fully on the books: employees are paid the salaries set out in their contracts, and all staff are formally employed in line with the Labour Code.

The company also invests in its employees' professional growth. A number of staff who joined in entry-level positions have since moved into management roles.

“We will have 10 restaurants by the end of 2026, and we are continuing to develop the brand and grow our team in Azerbaijan. In the near term we plan to increase our headcount substantially as we expand the network to 40 restaurants,” the company said.

In short, Burger King's current partner in Azerbaijan denies any link to whatever financial obligations the original franchisee may have had toward its former employees. The company says that when the brand returned to the market, it took over restaurants that had been closed for more than a year and hired its workforce from scratch.

The social media claims of unpaid wages to former employees relate to the period when the previous partner was running the business.

About Burger King® Azerbaijan

Burger King® is one of the world's largest quick-service restaurant brands, known for its flame-grilled food and the iconic WHOPPER®. The brand operates in more than 110 countries and continues to expand its global restaurant network.

In Azerbaijan, Burger King® restaurants are operated by BK Azerbaijan LLC. The company continues to grow the brand's network, offering guests quality food, modern service and the signature Burger King® experience.