JB Burger, Bastianich’s smash (and pastrami), is accelerating its expansion plans
The chain, born out of a partnership with the Gioia Group (Cioccolatitaliani and Futura), with six outlets (the latest in central Milan and the next in Cagliari), has doubled its initial plans for 2026, and is planning a further seven to eight openings for 2027. Average turnover per outlet stands at 2 million
Joe Bastianich is bringing the JB Burger flagship to the centre of Milan – the fifth outlet in the chain born out of a collaboration with Bun Burgers, the smash burger brand from the Gioia Group (also known for Cioccolatitaliani and Futura). It is not just a restaurant, but also a dark kitchen dedicated to city-wide delivery.
This has been rapid growth, given that the first shop opened last April at the Fiordaliso shopping centre in Rozzano, followed by the Roma Est branch in July, the Piazza Carlina branch in Turin and the Rescaldina branch, north of Milan, which opened last week.
The economics of growth
Simone Pescatore, general manager of Bun Burgers and JB Burger, explains that ‘the project combines Bastianich’s culinary vision with the Gioia Group’s expertise in replicating outlets – the Gioia Group being a restaurant chain holding company’ which today has almost one hundred outlets worldwide and a turnover of 50 million euros. For JB Burger, the key financial indicator remains the individual outlet, with an average turnover of at least 2 million euros. Fiordaliso has reached this threshold, whilst the forecast for Turin is 3 million. For the Milanese flagship, Pescatore, results are expected to be in line with those in Turin, though higher revenue cannot be ruled out.
“The initial plan,” explains Pescatore, “called for three new openings in 2026. With the sixth outlet, in Cagliari at another shopping centre, that target will be doubled by the end of the year, because the financial results have prompted us to speed things up.” A further eight to nine openings are expected in 2027, comprising both company-owned and franchised outlets, which would bring the network to around fifteen outlets. Novara is already scheduled to be among the first, between January and February. Adding together the outlets that have been operational for a full year and the new openings, according to Pescatore, JB Burger could exceed €20 million in revenue in 2027.
In the coming years, the pace will be five to ten new openings a year, not only in major cities but also in towns with a population of 70,000 or more, with the aim of reaching 100 outlets in Italia. “The smash burger in Italia,” emphasises Pescatore, “is now a crowded and trendy category. The competitive advantage lies in Bastianich’s involvement in decisions regarding product, pricing and marketing, and in the ability to maintain the same standard of quality on a large scale: no one else can do that.”
