Does Burger King hire people with felonies?

What Burger King has said

Restaurant Brands International (RBI), Burger King's parent, says about 95% of Burger King restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent franchisees, so screening for most restaurant jobs is set by the franchisee. RBI's 2025 report says it has also been temporarily holding U.S. Burger King restaurants that came with its purchase of Carrols Restaurant Group while it seeks buyers for them. An older, undated RBI applicant consent statement for its U.S. companies, including Burger King, lists background and reference checks among the ways it uses applicant information. We found no Burger King statement on hiring people with criminal records, and Burger King is not on the Second Chance Business Coalition member list.

We didn't find a public statement from Burger King about hiring people with records: not on its careers site, in its reports, or in its announcements. That doesn't mean it won't hire you. It means there's nothing on the record to point to.

Does Burger King do background checks?

Burger King hasn't said publicly whether it runs background checks. We found no current Burger King or RBI statement on background checks. An older, undated RBI applicant consent statement for applicants to its U.S. subsidiaries (it names Burger King Corporation, Tim Hortons USA and Popeyes, among others) lists background and reference checks among the purposes for using applicant information. It doesn't say which jobs are checked, what a check covers or when it happens, and it doesn't cover franchisees. We found nothing on what franchisees check.¹

• How long a background check takes

Does Burger King drug test?

Burger King hasn't published a drug testing policy. Some job postings say whether a test is required, so check the listing for the role you want.

Rules for specific jobs

• Crew and managers at franchised Burger King restaurants (most restaurants)

  RBI says about 95% of Burger King restaurants, worldwide, are owned and operated by independent franchisees. Their hiring and screening aren't described on any RBI or Burger King page we found. Ask the restaurant's operator about background checks.²

• Restaurants RBI is temporarily holding (from its purchase of Carrols Restaurant Group)

  RBI's 2025 Restaurant Brands for Good report says that in 2024 and 2025 it temporarily held U.S. Burger King restaurants acquired with Carrols Restaurant Group, and that it is seeking buyers for them. The report doesn't say how many there are, and we found nothing on screening for jobs at those restaurants. Ask the restaurant's operator about background checks.³

• Corporate and other jobs with RBI's U.S. companies, including Burger King

  RBI's applicant consent statement covers people applying to its U.S. subsidiaries and lists background and reference checks among the purposes for collecting their information. RBI's careers FAQ doesn't mention screening.¹

Your rights, and how far back a check can go

• Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), an employer must get your written permission before it gets a background report about you from a background screening company.^6,7,8
• Before an employer decides not to hire, keep, or promote you because of something in a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a document called "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act."^6,7
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^6,9
• The FCRA's seven-year limit does not apply to criminal convictions, so under federal law a conviction can show up on a background report no matter how old it is.^10,11
• Under the FCRA, background and credit reports generally cannot include arrest records, civil lawsuits, or civil judgments that are more than seven years old (or older than the statute of limitations, if that is longer).^10,12

Your full background check rights

Before you apply

• You can ask a background screening company for the information it has on you, and the CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, including employment screening companies, with their contact details.^6,9,13
• According to the Clean Slate Initiative, 14 states and Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws that meet its criteria for automatically clearing eligible records: Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, and Missouri, plus D.C.¹⁴
• The Federal Bonding Program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lets states give employers free fidelity bonds that protect them against losses from a newly hired worker's dishonest acts, for job seekers with past justice involvement or in recovery from substance use.^15,16

See whether you can clear your record in your state