Hans im Glück wins gold for partner satisfaction
An independent survey of the German burger chain's franchise network finds partners more satisfied than the sector average, Munich-based Hans im Glück says.
Hans im Glück has won the Igenda Award Gold 2026, after an independent survey found franchise partners at the German gourmet-burger chain more satisfied with the system than the sector average.
The Munich-based chain received the award on 29 October, based on a Partnerzufriedenheitsanalyse run by Igenda Gesellschaft für Unternehmens- und Netzwerkevaluation, a research firm that regularly surveys franchise networks across German-speaking markets.
The survey asked franchise partners three things: whether they would sign the same contract again, whether they would recommend the system to others, and how attached they feel to the brand. Hans im Glück has not published its scores in any of the three categories.
The scores stay private. The one word Hans im Glück gets to keep is: gold.
Stefanie Greineder, director of franchise sales at Hans im Glück Franchise, said the award should motivate further collaboration with partners. She said the company plans to use the feedback to identify strengths and areas that still need work, rather than treat the gold rating as a finished result.
Hans im Glück's survey score
Igenda runs the same methodology for other franchisors. Real estate group Dahler took its own gold award this year for the eighth year running, based on 48 partners and office managers surveyed across Germany, Austria and Spain. Hans im Glück has not said how many of its own partners took part.
Without published figures, the gold rating functions mainly as a marketing credential: a seal the chain can use in franchise-recruitment material, rather than a number partners or investors can actually benchmark against.
From Munich to four countries
Thomas Hirschberger opened the first Hans im Glück burger grill in Munich in 2010, built around sesame buns, open kitchens and a birch-tree dining room. The chain reached its 100th restaurant in April 2026, in Mannheim, and now operates across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Most of that estate runs on franchise partners rather than company-owned sites, which is why a satisfaction score, however short on detail, matters to a chain still recruiting operators for new territory.
The award lands as German hospitality groups report a rough year: Bavaria's restaurant sector has seen insolvencies climb even as some operators revive older formats like the buffet. A franchise chain pointing to partner loyalty is also making its case to prospective operators weighing whether to sign.
Igenda is due to run its next franchise-satisfaction round in 2027. Until then, Hans im Glück's result stays a single word: gold.
