Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018	Feb. 11, 2019	Jun. 30, 2018
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	QSR
Entity Registrant Name	Restaurant Brands International Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001618756
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		251,557,945
Entity Public Float			$ 14,582,123,297

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 913	$ 1,097
Accounts and notes receivable, net of allowance of $14 and $16, respectively	452	489
Inventories, net	75	78
Prepaids and other current assets	60	86
Total current assets	1,500	1,750
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $704 and $623, respectively	1,996	2,133
Intangible assets, net	10,463	11,062
Goodwill	5,486	5,782
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	54	71
Other assets, net	642	426
Total assets	20,141	21,224
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	513	496
Other accrued liabilities	637	866
Gift card liability	167	215
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	91	78
Total current liabilities	1,408	1,655
Term debt, net of current portion	11,823	11,801
Capital leases, net of current portion	226	244
Other liabilities, net	1,547	1,455
Deferred income taxes, net	1,519	1,508
Total liabilities	16,523	16,663
Commitments and contingencies
Shareholders’ equity:
Common shares, no par value; unlimited shares authorized at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017; 251,532,493 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018; 243,899,476 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2017	1,737	2,052
Retained earnings	674	651
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(800)	(476)
Total Restaurant Brands International Inc. shareholders’ equity	1,611	2,227
Noncontrolling interests	2,007	2,334
Total shareholders’ equity	3,618	4,561
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$ 20,141	$ 21,224

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Accounts and notes receivable, net of allowance	$ 14	$ 16
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization	$ 704	$ 623
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0	$ 0
Common stock, shares authorized	Unlimited	Unlimited
Common stock, shares issued	251,532,493	243,899,476
Common stock, shares outstanding	251,532,493	243,899,476

Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 5,357	$ 4,576	$ 4,146
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of sales	1,818	1,850	1,727
Franchise and property expenses	422	478	454
Selling, general and administrative expenses	1,214	416	319
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(22)	(12)	(20)
Other operating expenses (income), net	8	109	(1)
Total operating costs and expenses	3,440	2,841	2,479
Income from operations	1,917	1,735	1,667
Interest expense, net	535	512	467
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	0	122	0
Income before income taxes	1,382	1,101	1,200
Income tax (benefit) expense	238	(134)	244
Net income	1,144	1,235	956
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	532	587	340
Preferred shares dividends	0	256	270
Gain on redemption of preferred shares	0	(234)	0
Net income attributable to common shareholders	$ 612	$ 626	$ 346
Earnings per common share:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 2.46	$ 2.64	$ 1.48
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 2.42	$ 2.54	$ 1.45
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic (in shares)	249	237	233
Diluted (in shares)	473	477	470
Sales
Revenues:
Revenues	$ 2,355	$ 2,390	$ 2,205
Franchise and property revenues
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 3,002	$ 2,186	$ 1,941

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 1,144	$ 1,235	$ 956
Foreign currency translation adjustment	(831)	824	223
Net change in fair value of net investment hedges, net of tax of $(101), $13, and $(12)	282	(371)	(99)
Net change in fair value of cash flow hedges, net of tax of $7, $4, and $7	(19)	(11)	(20)
Amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges, net of tax of $(5), $(9), and $(6)	14	25	16
Gain (loss) recognized on defined benefit pension plans, net of tax of $0, $2, and $2	1	4	(8)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(553)	471	112
Comprehensive income (loss)	591	1,706	1,068
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	276	818	398
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to preferred shareholders	0	22	270
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to common shareholders	$ 315	$ 866	$ 400

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Tax effect on change in fair value of investment hedges	$ (101)	$ 13	$ (12)
Tax effect of changes in fair value of cash flow hedges	7	4	7
Tax effect on amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges	(5)	(9)	(6)
Tax effect on gain (loss) on defined benefit pension plans	$ 0	$ 2	$ 2

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity - USD ($) $ in Millions	Total	Issued Common Shares	Retained Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Noncontrolling Interests
Beginning Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2015		225,707,588
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 2,914	$ 1,825	$ 246	$ (733)	$ 1,576
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Stock option exercises, shares		1,554,235
Stock option exercises	14	$ 14
Stock option tax benefits	9	9
Share-based compensation	33	$ 33
Issuance of shares, shares		230,611
Issuance of shares	7	$ 7
Dividends declared on common shares	(145)		(145)
Dividend equivalents declared on restricted stock units	0	$ 1	(1)
Distributions declared by Partnership on partnership exchangeable units	(141)				(141)
Preferred share dividends	$ (270)		(270)
Exchange of Partnership exchangeable units for RBI common shares, shares	6,744,244	6,744,244
Exchange of Partnership exchangeable units for RBI common shares	$ 0	$ 66		(19)	(47)
Net income	956		616		340
Other comprehensive income (loss)	112			54	58
Ending Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2016		234,236,678
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	3,489	$ 1,955	446	(698)	1,786
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Stock option exercises, shares		5,102,046
Stock option exercises	29	$ 29
Share-based compensation	46	$ 46
Issuance of shares, shares		274,272
Issuance of shares	8	$ 8
Dividends declared on common shares	(186)		(186)
Dividend equivalents declared on restricted stock units	0	2	(2)
Distributions declared by Partnership on partnership exchangeable units	(175)				(175)
Preferred share dividends	(256)		(256)
Repurchase of Partnership exchangeable units	$ (330)	$ (272)		(9)	(49)
Exchange of Partnership exchangeable units for RBI common shares, shares	9,286,480	4,286,480
Exchange of Partnership exchangeable units for RBI common shares	$ 0	$ 50		(8)	(42)
Restaurant VIE contributions (distributions)	(4)				(4)
Gain on redemption of preferred shares	234	$ 234
Net income	1,235		649		586
Other comprehensive income (loss)	$ 471			239	232
Ending Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2017	243,899,476	243,899,476
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 4,561	$ 2,052	651	(476)	2,334
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Cumulative effect adjustment \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09	$ (250)		(132)		(118)
Stock option exercises, shares	7,268,000	7,221,947
Stock option exercises	$ 61	$ 61
Share-based compensation	48	$ 48
Issuance of shares, shares		225,737
Issuance of shares	7	$ 7
Dividends declared on common shares	(452)		(452)
Dividend equivalents declared on restricted stock units	0	5	(5)
Distributions declared by Partnership on partnership exchangeable units	(387)				(387)
Repurchase of Partnership exchangeable units	$ (561)	$ (438)		(26)	(97)
Exchange of Partnership exchangeable units for RBI common shares, shares	10,185,333	185,333
Exchange of Partnership exchangeable units for RBI common shares	$ 0	$ 2		(1)	(1)
Net income	1,144		612		532
Other comprehensive income (loss)	$ (553)			(297)	(256)
Ending Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2018	251,532,493	251,532,493.3
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 3,618	$ 1,737	$ 674	$ (800)	$ 2,007

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Dividends per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.80	$ 0.78	$ 0.62
Distributions declared on partnership exchangeable units (in dollars per share)	$ 1.80	$ 0.78	$ 0.62

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$ 1,144	$ 1,235	$ 956
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	180	182	172
Premiums paid and non-cash loss on early extinguishment of debt	0	119	0
Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount	29	33	39
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(22)	(12)	(20)
Loss (gain) on remeasurement of foreign denominated transactions	(33)	77	(20)
Net (gains) losses on derivatives	(40)	31	21
Share-based compensation expense	48	48	35
Deferred income taxes	29	(742)	80
Other	5	18	4
Changes in current assets and liabilities, excluding acquisitions and dispositions:
Accounts and notes receivable	19	(30)	(16)
Inventories and prepaids and other current assets	(7)	19	(10)
Accounts and drafts payable	41	14	16
Other accrued liabilities and gift card liability	(219)	360	(1)
Tenant inducements paid to franchisees	(52)	(20)	(19)
Other long-term assets and liabilities	43	59	13
Net cash provided by operating activities	1,165	1,391	1,250
Cash flows from investing activities:
Payments for property and equipment	(86)	(37)	(34)
Proceeds from disposal of assets, restaurant closures and refranchisings	8	26	30
Net payment for purchase of Popeyes, net of cash acquired	0	(1,636)	0
Return of investment on direct financing leases	16	16	17
Settlement/sale of derivatives, net	17	772	11
Other investing activities, net	1	1	3
Net cash provided by (used for) investing activities	(44)	(858)	27
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	75	5,850	0
Repayments of long-term debt and capital leases	(74)	(2,742)	(70)
Payments in connection with redemption of preferred shares	(60)	(3,006)	0
Payment of financing costs	(3)	(63)	0
Payment of dividends on common and preferred shares and distributions on Partnership exchangeable units	(728)	(664)	(538)
Repurchase of Partnership exchangeable units	(561)	(330)	0
Proceeds from stock option exercises	61	29	14
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation	0	0	8
Other financing activities, net	5	(10)	(5)
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	(1,285)	(936)	(591)
Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents	(20)	24	(2)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(184)	(379)	684
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	1,097	1,476	792
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	913	1,097	1,476
Supplemental cashflow disclosures:
Interest paid	561	447	407
Income taxes paid	$ 433	$ 200	$ 159

Description of Business and Organization	12 Months Ended
Description of Business and Organization	Dec. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business and Organization	Description of Business and Organization Description of Business Restaurant Brands International Inc. (the “Company,” “RBI,” “we,” “us” or “our”) was formed on August 25, 2014 and continued under the laws of Canada. The Company serves as the sole general partner of Restaurant Brands International Limited Partnership (the “Partnership”). We franchise and operate quick service restaurants serving premium coffee and other beverage and food products under the Tim Hortons® brand (“Tim Hortons” or “TH”), fast food hamburgers principally under the Burger King® brand (“Burger King” or “BK”), and chicken under the Popeyes® brand (“Popeyes” or “PLK”). We are one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant, or QSR, companies as measured by total number of restaurants. As of December 31, 2018, we franchised or owned 4,846 Tim Hortons restaurants, 17,796 Burger King restaurants, and 3,102 Popeyes restaurants, for a total of 25,744 restaurants, and operate in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. Approximately 100% of current system-wide restaurants are franchised. All references to “$” or “dollars” are to the currency of the United States unless otherwise indicated. All references to “Canadian dollars” or “C$” are to the currency of Canada unless otherwise indicated.

Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and related rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of entities in which we have a controlling financial interest, the usual condition of which is ownership of a majority voting interest. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Investments in other affiliates that are owned 50% or less where we have significant influence are accounted for by the equity method.

We are the sole general partner of Partnership and, as such we have the exclusive right, power and authority to manage, control, administer and operate the business and affairs and to make decisions regarding the undertaking and business of Partnership, subject to the terms of the partnership agreement of Partnership (“partnership agreement”) and applicable laws. As a result, we consolidate the results of Partnership and record a noncontrolling interest in our consolidated balance sheets and statements of operations with respect to the remaining economic interest in Partnership we do not hold.

We also consider for consolidation entities in which we have certain interests, where the controlling financial interest may be achieved through arrangements that do not involve voting interests. Such an entity, known as a variable interest entity (“VIE”), is required to be consolidated by its primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is the entity that possesses the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance and has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that are significant to it. Our maximum exposure to loss resulting from involvement with VIEs is attributable to accounts and notes receivable balances, outstanding loan guarantees and future lease payments, where applicable.

As our franchise and master franchise arrangements provide the franchise and master franchise entities the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact their economic performance, we do not consider ourselves the primary beneficiary of any such entity that might be a VIE.

Tim Hortons has historically entered into certain arrangements in which an operator acquires the right to operate a restaurant, but Tim Hortons owns the restaurant’s assets. In these arrangements, Tim Hortons has the ability to determine which operators manage the restaurants and for what duration. We perform an analysis to determine if the legal entity in which operations are conducted is a VIE and consolidate a VIE entity if we also determine Tim Hortons is the entity’s primary beneficiary (“Restaurant VIEs”). As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, we determined that we are the primary beneficiary of 17 and 31 Restaurant VIEs, respectively, and accordingly, have consolidated the results of operations, assets and liabilities, and cash flows of these Restaurant VIEs in our consolidated financial statements. Material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Assets and liabilities related to consolidated VIEs are not significant to our total consolidated assets and liabilities. Liabilities recognized as a result of consolidating these VIEs do not necessarily represent additional claims on our general assets; rather, they represent claims against the specific assets of the consolidated VIEs. Conversely, assets recognized as a result of consolidating these VIEs do not represent additional assets that could be used to satisfy claims by our creditors as they are not legally included within our general assets.

Reclassifications

Certain prior year amounts in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes to the consolidated financial statements have been reclassified in order to be comparable with the current year classifications. These consist of the reclassification of $20 million and $19 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, from changes in Other long-term assets and liabilities to Tenant inducements paid to franchisees in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows and the December 31, 2017 reclassification of Advertising fund restricted assets to Cash and cash equivalents, Accounts and notes receivable, net and Prepaids and other current assets and the reclassification of Advertising fund liabilities to Accounts and drafts payable and Other accrued liabilities as detailed below (in millions). These reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net income.



	December 31, 2017					December 31, 2017
	As Reported		Reclassification			As Adjusted
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,073	$	24		$	1,097
Accounts and notes receivable, net	456		33			489
Inventories, net	78		—			78
Advertising fund restricted assets	83		(83		)	—
Prepaids and other current assets	60		26			86
Total current assets	$	1,750	$	—		$	1,750

Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	$	413	$	83		$	496
Other accrued liabilities	838		28			866
Gift card liability	215		—			215
Advertising fund liabilities	111		(111		)	—
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	78		—			78
Total current liabilities	$	1,655	$	—		$	1,655

Foreign Currency Translation and Transaction Gains and Losses

Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar, since our term loan and senior secured notes are denominated in U.S. dollars, and the principal market for our common shares is the U.S. The functional currency of each of our operating subsidiaries is generally the currency of the economic environment in which the subsidiary primarily does business. Our foreign subsidiaries’ financial statements are translated into U.S. dollars using the foreign exchange rates applicable to the dates of the financial statements. Assets and liabilities are translated using the end-of-period spot foreign exchange rates. Income, expenses and cash flows are translated at the average foreign exchange rates for each period. Equity accounts are translated at historical foreign exchange rates. The effects of these translation adjustments are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) in the consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity.

For any transaction that is denominated in a currency different from the entity’s functional currency, we record a gain or loss based on the difference between the foreign exchange rate at the transaction date and the foreign exchange rate at the transaction settlement date (or rate at period end, if unsettled) which is included within other operating expenses (income), net in the consolidated statements of operations.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

All highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less and credit card receivables are considered cash equivalents.

Inventories

Inventories are carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value and consist primarily of raw materials such as green coffee beans and finished goods such as new equipment, parts, paper supplies and restaurant food items. The moving average method is used to determine the cost of raw material and finished goods inventories held for sale to Tim Hortons franchisees.

Property and Equipment, net

We record property and equipment at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization, which is recognized using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives: (i) buildings and improvements – up to 40 years; (ii) restaurant equipment – up to 17 years; (iii) furniture, fixtures and other – up to 10 years; (iv) manufacturing equipment – up to 25 years; and (v) capital leases – up to 40 years or lease term. Leasehold improvements to properties where we are the lessee are amortized over the lesser of the remaining term of the lease or the estimated useful life of the improvement.

We are considered to be the owner of certain restaurants leased from unrelated lessors because Tim Hortons constructed some of the structural elements of those restaurants. Accordingly, lessors’ contributions to the construction costs of these restaurants was recognized as other debt and was $71 million and $83 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Major improvements are capitalized, while maintenance and repairs are expensed when incurred.

Leases

We define lease term as the initial term of a lease plus any renewals covered by bargain renewal options or that are reasonably assured of exercise because non-renewal would create an economic penalty, plus any periods that the lessee has use of the property but is not charged rent by a landlord (rent holiday). We record rental income and rental expense for operating leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term, net of any applicable lease incentive amortization. Contingent rental income is recognized on an accrual basis as earned.

Assets we acquire as lessee under capital leases are stated at the lower of the present value of future minimum lease payments or fair market value at the date of inception of the lease. Capital lease assets are depreciated using the straight-line method over the shorter of the useful life of the asset or the underlying lease term.

We also have net investments in properties leased to franchisees, which meet the criteria of direct financing leases. Investments in direct financing leases are recorded on a net basis, consisting of the gross investment and residual value in the lease, less unearned income. Earned income on direct financing leases is recognized when earned and collectability is reasonably assured. Unearned income is recognized over the lease term yielding a constant periodic rate of return on the net investment in the lease. Direct financing leases are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable based on the payment history under the lease.

We have recorded favorable and unfavorable operating leases in connection with the acquisition method of accounting. We amortize favorable and unfavorable leases on a straight-line basis over the remaining term of the leases, as determined at the acquisition date.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Not Subject to Amortization

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with the acquisition of Popeyes in 2017, the acquisition of Tim Hortons in 2014 and the acquisition of Burger King Holdings, Inc. by 3G Capital Partners Ltd. Our indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of the Tim Hortons brand, the Burger King brand, and the Popeyes brand (each a “Brand” and together, the “Brands”). Goodwill and the Brands are tested for impairment at least annually as of October 1 of each year and more often if an event occurs or circumstances change which indicate impairment might exist. Our annual impairment tests of goodwill and the Brands may be completed through qualitative assessments. We may elect to bypass the qualitative assessment and proceed directly to a quantitative impairment test for any reporting unit or Brand in any period. We can resume the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit or Brand in any subsequent period.

Under a qualitative approach, our impairment review for goodwill consists of an assessment of whether it is more-likely-than-not that a reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying amount. If we elect to bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit, or if a qualitative assessment indicates it is more-likely-than-not that the estimated carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, we perform a two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. The first step requires us to estimate the fair value of the reporting unit. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the estimated fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to all its underlying assets and liabilities, including both recognized and unrecognized tangible and intangible assets, based on their fair value. If necessary, goodwill is then written down to its implied fair value.

Under a qualitative approach, our impairment review for the Brands consists of an assessment of whether it is more-likely-than-not that a Brand’s fair value is less than its carrying amount. If we elect to bypass the qualitative assessment for a Brand, or if a qualitative assessment indicates it is more-likely-than-not that the estimated carrying value of a Brand exceeds its fair value, we estimate the fair value of the Brand and compare it to its carrying amount. If the carrying amount exceeds fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

We completed our impairment tests for goodwill and the Brands as of October 1, 2018, 2017 and 2016 and no impairment resulted.

Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and intangible assets subject to amortization, are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Some of the events or changes in circumstances that would trigger an impairment review include, but are not limited to, bankruptcy proceedings or other significant financial distress of a lessee; significant negative industry or economic trends; knowledge of transactions involving the sale of similar property at amounts below the carrying value; or our expectation to dispose of long-lived assets before the end of their estimated useful lives. The impairment test for long-lived assets requires us to assess the recoverability of long-lived assets by comparing their net carrying value to the sum of undiscounted estimated future cash flows directly associated with and arising from use and eventual disposition of the assets or asset group. Long-lived assets are grouped for recognition and measurement of impairment at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets. If the net carrying value of a group of long-lived assets exceeds the sum of related undiscounted estimated future cash flows, we record an impairment charge equal to the excess, if any, of the net carrying value over fair value.

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Other comprehensive income (loss) (“OCI”) refers to revenues, expenses, gains and losses that are included in comprehensive income (loss), but are excluded from net income (loss) as these amounts are recorded directly as an adjustment to shareholders’ equity, net of tax. Our other comprehensive income (loss) is primarily comprised of unrealized gains and losses on foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains and losses on hedging activity, net of tax.

Derivative Financial Instruments

We recognize and measure all derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets. We may enter into derivatives that are not initially designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes, but which largely offset the economic impact of certain transactions.

Gains or losses resulting from changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognized in earnings or recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) and recognized in the consolidated statements of operations when the hedged item affects earnings, depending on the purpose of the derivatives and whether they qualify for, and we have applied, hedge accounting treatment.

When applying hedge accounting, we designate at a derivative’s inception, the specific assets, liabilities or future commitments being hedged, and assess the hedge’s effectiveness at inception and on an ongoing basis. We discontinue hedge accounting when: (i) we determine that the cash flow derivative is no longer effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows of a hedged item; (ii) the derivative expires or is sold, terminated or exercised; (iii) it is no longer probable that the forecasted transaction will occur; or (iv) management determines that designation of the derivatives as a hedge instrument is no longer appropriate. We do not enter into or hold derivatives for speculative purposes.

Disclosures about Fair Value

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants in the principal market, or if none exists, the most advantageous market, for the specific asset or liability at the measurement date (the exit price). The fair value is based on assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability. The fair values are assigned a level within the fair value hierarchy, depending on the source of the inputs into the calculation, as follows:

Level 1 Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

Level 2 Inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly.

Level 3 Unobservable inputs reflecting management’s own assumptions about the inputs used in pricing the asset or liability.

The carrying amounts for cash and equivalents, accounts and notes receivable and accounts and drafts payable approximate fair value based on the short-term nature of these amounts.

We carry all of our derivatives at fair value and value them using various pricing models or discounted cash flow analysis that incorporate observable market parameters, such as interest rate yield curves and currency rates, which are Level 2 inputs. Derivative valuations incorporate credit risk adjustments that are necessary to reflect the probability of default by the counterparty or us. For disclosures about the fair value measurements of our derivative instruments, see Note 12, Derivative Instruments.

The following table presents the fair value of our variable rate term debt and senior notes, estimated using inputs based on bid and offer prices that are Level 2 inputs, and principal carrying amount (in billions):



	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Fair value of our variable term debt and senior notes	$	11	$	12
Principal carrying amount of our variable term debt and senior notes	12		12

The determinations of fair values of certain tangible and intangible assets for purposes of the application of the acquisition method of accounting to the acquisition of Popeyes were based upon Level 3 inputs. The determination of fair values of our reporting units and the determination of the fair value of the Brands for impairment testing using a quantitative approach during 2018 and 2017 were based upon Level 3 inputs.

Revenue Recognition

We transitioned to FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606, Revenue From Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), from ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition and ASC Subtopic 952-605, Franchisors - Revenue Recognition (together, the “Previous Standards”) on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. Our Financial Statements reflect the application of ASC 606 guidance beginning in 2018, while our consolidated financial statements for prior periods were prepared under the guidance of the Previous Standards. See Note 16, Revenue Recognition, for further information about our transition to this new revenue recognition model using the modified retrospective transition method.

Sales

Sales consist primarily of supply chain sales, which represent sales of products, supplies and restaurant equipment to franchisees, as well as sales to retailers and are presented net of any related sales tax. Orders placed by customers specify the goods to be delivered and transaction prices for supply chain sales. Revenue is recognized upon transfer of control over ordered items, generally upon delivery to the customer, which is when the customer obtains physical possession of the goods, legal title is transferred, the customer has all risks and rewards of ownership and an obligation to pay for the goods is created. Shipping and handling costs associated with outbound freight for supply chain sales are accounted for as fulfillment costs and classified as cost of sales.

Commencing on January 1, 2018, we classify all sales of restaurant equipment to franchisees as Sales and related cost of equipment sold as Cost of sales. In periods prior to January 1, 2018, we classified sales of restaurant equipment at establishment of a restaurant and in connection with renewal or renovation as Franchise and property revenues and related costs as Franchise and property expense.

To a much lesser extent, sales also include Company restaurant sales (including Restaurant VIEs), which consist of sales to restaurant guests. Revenue from Company restaurant sales is recognized at the point of sale. Taxes assessed by a governmental authority that we collect are excluded from revenue.

Franchise revenues

Franchise revenues consist primarily of royalties, advertising fund contributions, initial and renewal franchise fees and upfront fees from development agreements and master franchise and development agreements (“MFDAs”). Under franchise agreements, we provide franchisees with (i) a franchise license, which includes a license to use our intellectual property and, in those markets where our subsidiaries manage an advertising fund, advertising and promotion management, (ii) pre-opening services, such as training and inspections, and (iii) ongoing services, such as development of training materials and menu items and restaurant monitoring and inspections. The services we provide under franchise agreements are highly interrelated and dependent upon the franchise license and we concluded the services do not represent individually distinct performance obligations. Consequently, we bundle the franchise license performance obligation and promises to provide services into a single performance obligation under ASC 606, which we satisfy by providing a right to use our intellectual property over the term of each franchise agreement.

Royalties, including franchisee contributions to advertising funds managed by our subsidiaries, are calculated as a percentage of franchise restaurant sales over the term of the franchise agreement. Under our franchise agreements, advertising contributions paid by franchisees must be spent on advertising, product development, marketing and related activities. Initial and renewal franchise fees are payable by the franchisee upon a new restaurant opening or renewal of an existing franchise agreement. Our franchise agreement royalties, inclusive of advertising fund contributions, represent sales-based royalties that are related entirely to our performance obligation under the franchise agreement and are recognized as franchise sales occur. Additionally, under ASC 606, initial and renewal franchise fees are recognized as revenue on a straight-line basis over the term of the respective agreement. Under the Previous Standards, initial franchise fees were recognized as revenue when the related restaurant commenced operations and our completion of all material services and conditions. Renewal franchise fees were recognized as revenue upon execution of a new franchise agreement. Our performance obligation under development agreements other than MFDAs generally consists of an obligation to grant exclusive development rights over a stated term. These development rights are not distinct from franchise agreements, so upfront fees paid by franchisees for exclusive development rights are deferred and apportioned to each franchise restaurant opened by the franchisee. The pro rata amount apportioned to each restaurant is accounted for as an initial franchise fee.

We have a distinct performance obligation under our MFDAs to grant subfranchising rights over a stated term. Under the terms of MFDAs, we typically either receive an upfront fee paid in cash and/or receive noncash consideration in the form of an equity interest in the master franchisee or an affiliate of the master franchisee. Under the Previous Standards, we accounted for noncash consideration as a nonmonetary exchange and did not record revenue or a basis in the equity interest received in arrangements where we received noncash consideration. These transactions now fall within the scope of ASC 606, which requires us to record investments in the applicable equity method investee and recognize revenue in an amount equal to the fair value of the equity interest received. In accordance with ASC 606, upfront fees from master franchisees, including the fair value of noncash consideration, are deferred and amortized over the MFDA term on a straight-line basis. We may recognize unamortized upfront fees when a contract with a franchisee or master franchisee is modified and is accounted for as a termination of the existing contract.

The portion of gift cards sold to customers which are never redeemed is commonly referred to as gift card breakage. Under ASC 606, we recognize gift card breakage income proportionately as each gift card is redeemed using an estimated breakage rate based on our historical experience. Under the Previous Standards, we recognized gift card breakage income for each gift card's remaining balance when redemption of that balance was deemed remote.

Property revenues

Property revenues consists of rental income from properties we lease or sublease to franchisees. Property revenues are accounted for in accordance with applicable accounting guidance for leases and are excluded from the scope of ASC 606.

Advertising and Promotional Costs

Company restaurants and franchise restaurants contribute to advertising funds that our subsidiaries manage in the United States and Canada and certain other international markets. The advertising funds expense the production costs of advertising when the advertisements are first aired or displayed. All other advertising and promotional costs are expensed in the period incurred. Under our franchise agreements, advertising contributions received from franchisees must be spent on advertising, product development, marketing and related activities. As a result of our transition to ASC 606, advertising contributions received from franchisees are included in franchise and property revenues and advertising expenses are included as selling, general and administrative expenses commencing on January 1, 2018. Advertising expenses included in selling, general and administrative expenses totaled $793 million for 2018. Prior to January 1, 2018, since we were deemed to be acting as an agent for these specifically designated contributions in accordance with the Previous Standards, the revenues and expenses of the advertising funds were generally netted in our consolidated statements of operations.

Prior to our transition to ASC 606, advertising expenses, which primarily consisted of advertising contributions by Company restaurants (including Restaurant VIEs) based on a percentage of gross sales, totaled $7 million for 2017 and $6 million for 2016 and were included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. As a result of our transition to ASC 606, the advertising contributions by Company restaurants (including Restaurant VIEs) are eliminated in consolidation in 2018.

Deferred Financing Costs

Deferred financing costs are amortized over the term of the related debt agreement into interest expense using the effective interest method.

Income Taxes

Amounts in the financial statements related to income taxes are calculated using the principles of ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes. Under these principles, deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the impact of temporary differences between the amounts of assets and liabilities recognized for financial reporting purposes and the amounts recognized for tax purposes, as well as tax credit carry-forwards and loss carry-forwards. These deferred taxes are measured by applying currently enacted tax rates. A deferred tax asset is recognized when it is considered more-likely-than-not to be realized. The effects of changes in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized in income in the year in which the law is enacted. A valuation allowance reduces deferred tax assets when it is more-likely-than-not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

We recognize positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return in the financial statements when it is more-likely-than-not (i.e., a likelihood of more than 50%) that the position would be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. A recognized tax position is then measured at the largest amount of benefit with greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement.

Translation gains and losses resulting from the remeasurement of foreign deferred tax assets or liabilities denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are classified as other operating expenses (income), net in the consolidated statements of operations.

Share-based Compensation

Compensation expense related to the issuance of share-based awards to our employees is measured at fair value on the grant date. We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value stock options. The compensation expense for awards that vest over a future service period is recognized over the requisite service period on a straight-line basis, adjusted for estimated forfeitures of awards that are not expected to vest. The compensation expense for awards that do not require future service is recognized immediately. Upon the end of the service period, compensation expense is adjusted to account for the actual forfeiture rate. Cash settled share-based awards are classified as liabilities and are re-measured at the end of each reporting period. The compensation expense for awards that contain performance conditions is recognized when it is probable that the performance conditions will be achieved.

Restructuring

The determination of when we accrue for employee involuntary termination benefits depends on whether the termination benefits are provided under an on-going benefit arrangement or under a one-time benefit arrangement. We record charges for ongoing benefit arrangements in accordance with ASC Topic 712, Nonretirement Postemployment Benefits. We record charges for one-time benefit arrangements in accordance with ASC Topic 420, Exit or Disposal Cost Obligations.

New Accounting Pronouncements

Revenue Recognition – In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued a new single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. We adopted this new guidance on January 1, 2018. See Note 16, Revenue Recognition, for further information about our transition to this new revenue recognition model using the modified retrospective transition method.

Lease Accounting – In February 2016, the FASB issued new guidance on leases. The new guidance requires lessees to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by finance and operating leases with lease terms of more than 12 months, amends various other aspects of accounting for leases by lessees and lessors, and requires enhanced disclosures. The new guidance is effective commencing in 2019 and requires a modified retrospective transition approach with application in all comparative periods presented (the “comparative method”), or alternatively, as of the effective date as the date of initial application without restating comparative period financial statements (the “effective date method”). The new guidance also provides several practical expedients and policies that companies may elect under either transition method. We have elected to apply the effective date method and the package of practical expedients under which we will not reassess the classification of our existing leases, reevaluate whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases or reassess initial direct costs under the new guidance. Additionally, we have elected lessee and lessor practical expedients to not separate non-lease components from lease components. We did not elect the practical expedient that permits a reassessment of lease terms for existing leases.

We performed an analysis of the impact of the new lease guidance and are in the process of completing the final phase of a comprehensive plan for our implementation of the new guidance, including implementation of a new lease accounting system. The project plan includes analyzing the impact of the new guidance on our current lease contracts, reviewing the completeness of our existing lease portfolio, comparing our accounting policies under current accounting guidance to the new accounting guidance and identifying potential differences from applying the requirements of the new guidance to our lease contracts. Upon our transition to the new guidance, we currently expect to recognize approximately $1.1 billion of operating lease liabilities. Additionally, we expect to record right-of-use assets in a corresponding amount, net of amounts reclassified from other assets and liabilities, as specified by the new lease guidance.

We also expect this guidance will result in the gross presentation of property tax and maintenance expenses and related lessee reimbursements as franchise and property expenses and franchise and property revenues, respectively. These expenses and reimbursements are presented on a net basis under current accounting guidance. Otherwise, we do not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated statements of operations. We do not expect an impact to the amount or timing of our cash flows or liquidity.

Goodwill Impairment – In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance to simplify how an entity measures goodwill impairment by removing the second step of the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. An entity will no longer be required to perform a hypothetical purchase price allocation to measure goodwill impairment. Instead, impairment will be measured at the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of a reporting unit; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The amendment requires prospective adoption and is effective commencing in 2020 with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this new guidance will not have a material impact on our Financial Statements.

Hedge Accounting – In August 2017, the FASB issued guidance to improve the transparency and understandability of information conveyed to financial statement users about an entity's risk management activities and to simplify the application of hedge accounting by preparers. We adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018 (the “Adoption Date”).

The new guidance eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness for cash flow and net investment hedges that are deemed effective. Most notably, for our cross-currency swaps designated as net investment hedges, the new guidance permits the exclusion of the interest component (the “Excluded Component”) from the accounting hedge without affecting net investment hedge designation. The initial value of the Excluded Component may be recognized in earnings on a systematic and rational basis over the life of the derivative instrument.

Subsequent to the Adoption Date, we changed the method of assessing effectiveness for net investment hedges using derivatives from the forward method to the spot method. We de-designated the cross-currency swaps and re-designated them as of March 15, 2018 (the “Re-designation Date”). As a result of adopting the new guidance and the re-designation of our cross-currency swaps, we will recognize a benefit from the amortization of the initial value of the Excluded Component as a component of Interest expense, net in our consolidated statements of operations rather than as a component of other comprehensive income. All changes in fair value of the instruments related to currency fluctuations will continue to be recognized within other comprehensive income.

The impact of adoption did not have a material effect on our Financial Statements as of the Adoption Date. We recorded a $60 million net benefit to Interest expense, net from the Re-designation Date through December 31, 2018 in our consolidated statements of operations for the amortization of the initial value of the Excluded Component, as described above. We believe the new guidance better portrays the economic results of our risk management activities and net investment hedges in our Financial Statements.

Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects – In February 2018, the FASB issued guidance which allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for the tax effects of certain items within accumulated other comprehensive income. The amendment is effective commencing in 2019 with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this new guidance will not have a material impact on our Financial Statements.

Share-based payment arrangements with nonemployees – In June 2018, the FASB issued guidance which simplifies the accounting for share-based payments granted to nonemployees for goods and services. Most of the guidance on such payments to nonemployees would be aligned with the requirements for share-based payments granted to employees. The amendment is effective commencing in 2019 with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this new guidance will not have a material impact on our Financial Statements.

Popeyes Acquisition

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Popeyes Acquisition

On March 27, 2017, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. (the “Popeyes Acquisition”). Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. is one of the world’s largest chicken quick service restaurant companies and its global footprint complements RBI’s existing portfolio. Like our other brands, the Popeyes brand is managed independently, while benefiting from our global scale and resources. The Popeyes Acquisition was accounted for as a business combination using the acquisition method of accounting.

Total consideration in connection with the Popeyes Acquisition was $1,655 million, which includes $33 million for the settlement of equity awards. The consideration was funded through (1) cash on hand of approximately $355 million, and (2) $1,300 million from incremental borrowings under our Term Loan Facility – see Note 9, Long-Term Debt.

Fees and expenses related to the Popeyes Acquisition and related financings totaled $34 million consisting primarily of professional fees and compensation related expenses, all of which are classified as selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. These fees and expenses were funded through cash on hand.

The final allocation of consideration to the net tangible and intangible assets acquired is presented in the table below (in millions):



	March 27, 2017
Total current assets	$	64
Property and equipment	114
Intangible assets	1,405
Other assets	1
Total current liabilities	(73		)
Total debt and capital lease obligations	(159		)
Deferred income taxes	(523		)
Other liabilities	(20		)
Total identifiable net assets	809
Goodwill	846
Total consideration	$	1,655

Intangible assets include $1,355 million related to the Popeyes brand, $41 million related to franchise agreements and $9 million related to favorable leases. The Popeyes brand has been assigned an indefinite life and, therefore, will not be amortized, but rather tested annually for impairment. Franchise agreements have a weighted average amortization period of 17 years. Favorable leases have a weighted average amortization period of 14 years.

Goodwill attributable to the Popeyes Acquisition will not be amortizable or deductible for tax purposes. Goodwill is considered to represent the value associated with the workforce and synergies anticipated to be realized as a combined company.

The Popeyes Acquisition is not material to our consolidated financial statements, and therefore, supplemental pro forma financial information related to the acquisition is not included herein.

Earnings per Share

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings per Share

An economic interest in Partnership common equity is held by the holders of Class B exchangeable limited partnership units (the “Partnership exchangeable units”), which is reflected as a noncontrolling interest in our equity. See Note 14, Shareholders’ Equity.

Basic and diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of shares outstanding for the period. We apply the treasury stock method to determine the dilutive weighted average common shares represented by Partnership exchangeable units and outstanding stock options, unless the effect of their inclusion is anti-dilutive. The diluted earnings per share calculation assumes conversion of 100% of the Partnership exchangeable units under the “if converted” method. Accordingly, the numerator is also adjusted to include the earnings allocated to the holders of noncontrolling interests.

The following table summarizes the basic and diluted earnings per share calculations (in millions, except per share amounts):



	2018		2017		2016
Numerator:
Net income attributable to common shareholders - basic	$	612	$	626	$	346
Add: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	531		585		337
Net income available to common shareholders and noncontrolling interests - diluted	$	1,143	$	1,211	$	683

Denominator:
Weighted average common shares - basic	249		237		233
Exchange of noncontrolling interests for common shares (Note 14)	216		226		228
Effect of other dilutive securities	8		14		9
Weighted average common shares - diluted	473		477		470

Basic earnings per share (a)	$	2.46	$	2.64	$	1.48
Diluted earnings per share (a)	$	2.42	$	2.54	$	1.45
Anti-dilutive securities outstanding	3		4		6


(a)	Earnings per share may not recalculate exactly as it is calculated based on unrounded numbers.

Property and Equipment, net

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property and Equipment, net

Property and equipment, net, consist of the following (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Land	$	998		$	1,020
Buildings and improvements	1,145			1,172
Restaurant equipment	99			122
Furniture, fixtures, and other	182			171
Capital leases	257			256
Construction in progress	19			15
	2,700			2,756
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(704		)	(623		)
Property and equipment, net	$	1,996		$	2,133

Depreciation and amortization expense on property and equipment totaled $148 million for 2018, $150 million for 2017 and $144 million for 2016.

Included in our property and equipment, net at December 31, 2018 and 2017 are $180 million and $193 million, respectively, of assets leased under capital leases (mostly buildings and improvements), net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $77 million and $63 million, respectively.

Intangible Assets, net and Goodwill

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Intangible Assets, net and Goodwill

Intangible assets, net and goodwill consist of the following (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018							2017
	Gross		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Gross		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Identifiable assets subject to amortization:
Franchise agreements	$	705	$	(194	)	$	511	$	725	$	(168	)	$	557
Favorable leases	407		(200		)	207		456		(194		)	262
Subtotal	1,112		(394		)	718		1,181		(362		)	819
Indefinite lived intangible assets:
Tim Hortons brand	$	6,259	$	—		$	6,259	$	6,727	$	—		$	6,727
Burger King brand	2,131		—			2,131		2,161		—			2,161
Popeyes brand	1,355		—			1,355		1,355		—			1,355
Subtotal	9,745		—			9,745		10,243		—			10,243
Intangible assets, net						$	10,463						$	11,062

Goodwill
Tim Hortons segment	$	4,038						$	4,326
Burger King segment	602							610
Popeyes segment	846							846
Total	$	5,486						$	5,782

Amortization expense on intangible assets totaled $70 million for 2018, $72 million for 2017, and $72 million for 2016. The change in the brands and goodwill balances during 2018 was due principally to the impact of foreign currency translation.

As of December 31, 2018, the estimated future amortization expense on identifiable assets subject to amortization is as follows (in millions):



Twelve-months ended December 31,	Amount
2019	$	64
2020	59
2021	55
2022	51
2023	48
Thereafter	441
Total	$	718

Equity Method Investments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]

Equity Method Investments

The aggregate carrying amount of our equity method investments was $259 million and $155 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and is included as a component of Other assets, net in our consolidated balance sheets. The increase in the carrying amount of our equity method investments as of December 31, 2018 compared to December 31, 2017 is primarily attributable to the recognition of investments received in connection with master franchise and development arrangements as a result of our transition to ASC 606. See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies. TH and BK both have equity method investments. PLK does not have any equity method investments.

With respect to our TH business, the most significant equity method investment is our 50.0% joint venture interest with The Wendy’s Company (the “TIMWEN Partnership”), which jointly holds real estate underlying Canadian combination restaurants. Distributions received from this joint venture were $13 million, $12 million and $11 million during 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

The aggregate market value of our 20.5% equity interest in Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (“Carrols”) based on the quoted market price on December 31, 2018 is approximately $93 million. The aggregate market value of our 10.1% equity interest in BK Brasil Operação e Assessoria a Restaurantes S.A. based on the quoted market price on December 31, 2018 is approximately $120 million. No quoted market prices are available for our other equity method investments.

We have equity interests in entities that own or franchise Tim Hortons or Burger King restaurants. Franchise and property revenue recognized from franchisees that are owned or franchised by entities in which we have an equity interest consist of the following (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Revenues from affiliates:
Royalties	$	310	$	175	$	132
Property revenues	36		27		28
Franchise fees and other revenue	11		26		19
Total	$	357	$	228	$	179

We recognized $20 million of rent expense associated with the TIMWEN Partnership during each of 2018, 2017 and 2016.

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, we had $41 million and $32 million, respectively, of accounts receivable from our equity method investments which were recorded in accounts and notes receivable, net in our consolidated balance sheets.

(Income) loss from equity method investments reflects our share of investee net income or loss, non-cash dilution gains or losses from changes in our ownership interests in equity method investees and basis difference amortization. We recorded increases to the carrying value of our equity method investment balances and non-cash dilution gains in the amounts of $20 million and $12 million during 2018 and 2016, respectively. No non-cash dilution gains were recorded during 2017. The dilution gains resulted from the issuance of capital stock by our equity method investees, which reduced our ownership interests in these equity method investments. The dilution gains we recorded in connection with the issuance of capital stock reflect adjustments to the differences between the amount of underlying equity in the net assets of equity method investees before and after their issuance of capital stock.

Other Accrued Liabilities and Other Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]

Other Accrued Liabilities and Other Liabilities

Other accrued liabilities (current) and other liabilities, net (non-current) consist of the following (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Current:
Dividend payable	$	207	$	97
Interest payable	87		89
Accrued compensation and benefits	69		67
Taxes payable	113		401
Deferred income	27		43
Accrued advertising expenses	30		27
Closed property reserve	9		11
Restructuring and other provisions	11		12
Other	84		119
Other accrued liabilities	$	637	$	866
Non-current:
Derivatives liabilities	$	179	$	499
Taxes payable	493		496
Contract liabilities, net	486		10
Unfavorable leases	192		252
Accrued pension	64		72
Accrued lease straight-lining liability	69		46
Deferred income	22		27
Other	42		53
Other liabilities, net	$	1,547	$	1,455

Long-Term Debt

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt consist of the following (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Term Loan Facility (due February 17, 2024)	$	6,338		$	6,389
2017 4.25% Senior Notes (due May 15, 2024)	1,500			1,500
2015 4.625% Senior Notes (due January 15, 2022)	1,250			1,250
2017 5.00% Senior Notes (due October 15, 2025)	2,800			2,800
Other	150			89
Less: unamortized deferred financing costs and deferred issuance discount	(145		)	(170		)
Total debt, net	11,893			11,858
Less: current maturities of debt	(70		)	(57		)
Total long-term debt	$	11,823		$	11,801

Credit Facilities

On February 17, 2017, two of our subsidiaries (the “Borrowers”) entered into a second amendment (the “Second Amendment”) to the credit agreement governing our senior secured term loan facility (the “Term Loan Facility”) and our senior secured revolving credit facility of up to $500 million of revolving extensions of credit outstanding at any time (including revolving loans, swingline loans and letters of credit) (the “Revolving Credit Facility” and together with the Term Loan Facility, the “Credit Facilities”). Under the Second Amendment, (i) the outstanding aggregate principal amount under our Term Loan Facility was decreased to $4,900 million as a result of a repayment of $146 million from cash on hand, (ii) the interest rate applicable to our Term Loan Facility was reduced to, at our option, either (a) a base rate plus an applicable margin equal to 1.25%, or (b) a Eurocurrency rate plus an applicable margin equal to 2.25%, (iii) the maturity of our Term Loan Facility was extended from December 12, 2021 to February 17, 2024, and (iv) the Borrowers and their subsidiaries were provided with additional flexibility under certain negative covenants, including incurrence of indebtedness, making of investments, dispositions and restricted payments, and prepayment of subordinated indebtedness. Except as described herein, the Second Amendment did not materially change the terms of the Credit Facilities.

In connection with the Second Amendment, we capitalized approximately $11 million in debt issuance costs and recorded a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $20 million during 2017. The loss on early extinguishment of debt primarily reflects the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs and discounts.

Incremental Term Loans

In connection with the Popeyes Acquisition, we obtained an incremental term loan in the aggregate principal amount of $1,300 million (the “Incremental Term Loan No. 1”) under our Term Loan Facility. Also, simultaneously and in connection with the issuance of the 2017 4.25% Senior Notes (described below), we obtained an additional incremental term loan in the aggregate principal amount of $250 million (the “Incremental Term Loan No. 2” and together with the Incremental Term Loan No. 1, the “Incremental Term Loans”) under our Term Loan Facility. The Incremental Term Loans bear interest at the same rate as the Term Loan Facility and also mature on February 17, 2024. In connection with the Incremental Term Loan No. 1, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. was included as loan guarantor and its assets as collateral under the Credit Facilities. Except as described herein, there were no other material changes to the terms of the Credit Facilities. Debt issuance costs capitalized in connection with the Incremental Term Loans were approximately $23 million.

Revolving Credit Facility

As of December 31, 2018, we had no amounts outstanding under our Revolving Credit Facility. Funds available under the Revolving Credit Facility may be used to repay other debt, finance debt or share repurchases, to fund acquisitions or capital expenditures and for other general corporate purposes. We have a $125 million letter of credit sublimit as part of the Revolving Credit Facility, which reduces our borrowing availability thereunder by the cumulative amount of outstanding letters of credit. As of December 31, 2018, we had $20 million of letters of credit issued against the Revolving Credit Facility, and our borrowing availability was $480 million.

During 2017, the Borrowers extended the maturity date of the Revolving Credit Facility from December 12, 2019 to October 13, 2022. The extension was effected through the termination of the existing revolving credit commitments and the entry into Incremental Facility Amendment No. 3 (the “Third Amendment”) to the credit agreement. The Third Amendment maintained the same $500 million in aggregate principal amount of the commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility but reduced interest rates and commitment fees. As amended, the Revolving Credit Facility matures on October 13, 2022, provided that if, on October 15, 2021, more than an aggregate of $150 million of the 2015 4.625% Senior Notes (as defined below) are outstanding, then the maturity date of the Revolving Credit Facility shall be October 15, 2021. Except as described herein, there were no other material changes to the Revolving Credit Facility. In connection with the Third Amendment we capitalized approximately $1 million in debt issuance costs.

Interest Rate Applicable to the Credit Facilities

The interest rate applicable to the Credit Facilities is, at our option, either (i) a base rate plus an applicable margin equal to 1.25% in respect of the Term Loan Facility and ranging from 0.25% to 1.00%, depending on our leverage ratio, in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility, or (ii) a Eurocurrency rate plus an applicable margin equal to 2.25% in respect of the Term Loan Facility and ranging from 1.25% to 2.00%, depending on our leverage ratio, in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility. Borrowings are subject to a floor of 2.00% in the case of the base rate and a floor of 1.00% in the case of Eurocurrency rate. Amounts drawn under each letter of credit that is issued and outstanding under this facility bear interest ranging from 1.25% to 2.00%, depending on our leverage ratio. The unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility is subject to a commitment fee of 0.25%. We are also required to pay (i) letters of credit fees on the aggregate face amounts of outstanding letters of credit plus a fronting fee to the issuing bank and (ii) administration fees. As of December 31, 2018, the weighted average interest rate on our Term Loan Facility was 4.77%. The principal amount of the Term Loan Facility amortizes in quarterly installments equal to $16 million, with the balance payable at maturity.

Obligations under the Credit Facilities are guaranteed on a senior secured basis, jointly and severally, by the direct parent company of one of the Borrowers and substantially all of its Canadian and U.S. subsidiaries, including The TDL Group Corp., Burger King Worldwide, Inc., Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. and substantially all of their respective Canadian and U.S. subsidiaries (the “Credit Guarantors”). Amounts borrowed under the Credit Facilities are secured on a first priority basis by a perfected security interest in substantially all of the present and future property (subject to certain exceptions) of each Borrower and Credit Guarantor.

2017 4.25% Senior Notes

During 2017, the Borrowers entered into an indenture (the “2017 4.25% Senior Notes Indenture”) in connection with the issuance of $1,500 million of 4.25% first lien senior notes due May 15, 2024 (the “2017 4.25% Senior Notes”). No principal payments are due until maturity and interest is paid semi-annually. The net proceeds from the offering of the 2017 4.25% Senior Notes, together with other sources of liquidity, were used to redeem all of the outstanding Class A 9.0% cumulative compounding perpetual voting preferred shares (see Note 13, Redeemable Preferred Shares) and for other general corporate purposes. In connection with the issuance of the 2017 4.25% Senior Notes, we capitalized approximately $13 million in debt issuance costs.

Obligations under the 2017 4.25% Senior Notes are guaranteed on a senior secured basis, jointly and severally, by the Borrowers and substantially all of the Borrowers' Canadian and U.S. subsidiaries, including The TDL Group Corp., Burger King Worldwide, Inc., Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. and substantially all of their respective Canadian and U.S. subsidiaries (the “Note Guarantors”). The 2017 4.25% Senior Notes are first lien senior secured obligations and rank equal in right of payment with all of the existing and future senior debt of the Borrowers and Note Guarantors, including borrowings and guarantees of the Credit Facilities.

Our 2017 4.25% Senior Notes may be redeemed in whole or in part, on or after May 15, 2020 at the redemption prices set forth in the 2017 4.25% Senior Notes Indenture, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, at the date of redemption. The 2017 4.25% Senior Notes Indenture also contains optional redemption provisions related to tender offers, change of control and equity offerings, among others.

2017 5.00% Senior Notes

During 2017, the Borrowers entered into an indenture (the “2017 5.00% Senior Notes Indenture”) in connection with the issuance of $2,800 million of 5.00% second lien senior notes due October 15, 2025 (the “2017 5.00% Senior Notes”). No principal payments are due until maturity and interest is paid semi-annually. The net proceeds from the offering of the 2017 5.00% Senior Notes were used to redeem the entire outstanding principal balance of $2,250 million of 6.00% second lien secured notes due April 1, 2022 (the “2014 6.00% Senior Notes”), pay related redemption premiums, fees and expenses, and for general corporate purposes. In connection with the issuance of the 2017 5.00% Senior Notes, we capitalized approximately $15 million in debt issuance costs. In connection with the full redemption of the 2014 6.00% Senior Notes, we recorded a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $102 million that primarily reflects the payment of premiums to redeem the notes and the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs.

Obligations under the 2017 5.00% Senior Notes are guaranteed on a second priority senior secured basis, jointly and severally, by the Note Guarantors. The 2017 5.00% Senior Notes are second lien senior secured obligations and rank equal in right of payment with all of the existing and future senior debt of the Borrowers and Note Guarantors, including borrowings and guarantees of the Credit Facilities.

Our 2017 5.00% Senior Notes may be redeemed in whole or in part, on or after October 15, 2020 at the redemption prices set forth in the 2017 5.00% Senior Notes Indenture, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, at the date of redemption. The 2017 5.00% Senior Notes Indenture also contains optional redemption provisions related to tender offers, change of control and equity offerings, among others.

2015 4.625% Senior Notes

The Borrowers are also party to an indenture (the “2015 4.625% Senior Notes Indenture”) in connection with the issuance of $1,250 million of 4.625% first lien senior notes due January 15, 2022 (the “2015 4.625% Senior Notes”). No principal payments are due until maturity and interest is paid semi-annually.

Obligations under the 2015 4.625% Senior Notes are guaranteed on a senior secured basis, jointly and severally, by the Note Guarantors. The 2015 4.625% Senior Notes are first lien senior secured obligations and rank equal in right of payment with all of the existing and future senior debt of the Borrowers and Note Guarantors, including borrowings and guarantees of the Credit Facilities.

Our 2015 4.625% Senior Notes may be redeemed in whole or in part, on or after October 1, 2017, at the redemption prices set forth in the corresponding indenture, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, at the date of redemption. The 2015 4.625% Senior Notes Indenture also contains optional redemption provisions related to tender offers, change of control and equity offerings, among others.

Restrictions and Covenants

Our Credit Facilities, 2017 4.25% Senior Notes Indenture, 2017 5.00% Senior Notes Indenture and 2015 4.625% Senior Notes Indenture contain a number of customary affirmative and negative covenants that, among other things, limit or restrict our ability and the ability of certain of our subsidiaries to: incur additional indebtedness; incur liens; engage in mergers, consolidations, liquidations and dissolutions; sell assets; pay dividends and make other payments in respect of capital stock; make investments, loans and advances; pay or modify the terms of certain indebtedness; engage in certain transactions with affiliates. In addition, the Borrowers are not permitted to exceed a first lien senior secured leverage ratio of 6.50 to 1.00 when, as of the end of any fiscal quarter, the sum of (i) the amount of letters of credit outstanding exceeding $50 million (other than those that are cash collateralized); (ii) outstanding amounts under the Revolving Credit Facility and (iii) outstanding amounts of swing line loans, exceeds 30.0% of the commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility.

The restrictions under the Credit Facilities, the 2017 4.25% Senior Notes Indenture, the 2017 5.00% Senior Notes Indenture, the 2015 4.625% Senior Notes Indenture have resulted in substantially all of our consolidated assets being restricted.

As of December 31, 2018, we were in compliance with all debt covenants under the Credit Facilities, 2017 4.25% Senior Notes Indenture, 2017 5.00% Senior Notes Indenture and 2015 4.625% Senior Notes Indenture and there were no limitations on our ability to draw on the remaining availability under our Revolving Credit Facility.

Other

On October 11, 2018, one of our subsidiaries entered into a non-revolving delayed drawdown term credit facility in a total aggregate principal amount of C$100 million with a maturity date of October 4, 2025 (the “TH Facility”). The interest rate applicable to the TH Facility is the Canadian Bankers’ Acceptance rate plus an applicable margin equal to 1.40% or the Prime Rate plus an applicable margin equal to 0.40%, at our option. Obligations under the TH Facility are guaranteed by three of our subsidiaries, and amounts borrowed under the TH Facility are and will be secured by certain parcels of real estate. As of December 31, 2018, we had drawn down the entire C$100 million available under the TH Facility with a weighted average interest rate of 3.64%.

On March 27, 2017, we repaid $156 million of debt assumed in connection with the Popeyes Acquisition. Additionally, $36 million of Tim Hortons Series 1 notes were repaid on June 1, 2017, the original maturity date.

Debt Issuance Costs

During 2017, we incurred aggregate deferred financing costs of $63 million. No significant deferred financing costs were incurred in 2018 and 2016.

Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt

During 2017, we recorded a $122 million loss on early extinguishment of debt, which primarily reflects the payment of premiums to redeem our 2014 6.00% Senior Notes and the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs and discounts in connection with the refinancing of our Term Loan Facility and the redemption of our 2014 6.00% Senior Notes.

Maturities

The aggregate maturities of our long-term debt as of December 31, 2018 are as follows (in millions):



Year Ended December 31,	Principal Amount
2019	$	70
2020	74
2021	72
2022	1,324
2023	78
Thereafter	10,420
Total	$	12,038

Interest Expense, net

Interest expense, net consists of the following (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Debt (a)	$	498		$	484		$	412
Capital lease obligations	23			21			20
Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount	29			33			39
Interest income	(15		)	(26		)	(4		)
Interest expense, net	$	535		$	512		$	467


(a)	Amount includes $60 million benefit during 2018 from our adoption of a new hedge accounting standard. See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies – New Accounting Pronouncements, for further details of the effects of this change in accounting principle on Interest expense, net.

Leases

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Leases [Abstract]

Leases

Company as Lessor

As of December 31, 2018, we leased or subleased 5,284 restaurant properties to franchisees and 129 non-restaurant properties to third parties under operating leases and direct financing leases where we are the lessor. Initial lease terms generally range from 10 to 20 years. Most leases to franchisees provide for fixed monthly payments and many provide for future rent escalations and renewal options. Certain leases also include provisions for contingent rent, determined as a percentage of sales, generally when annual sales exceed specific levels. Lessees typically bear the cost of maintenance, insurance and property taxes.

Assets leased to franchisees and others under operating leases where we are the lessor and which are included within our property and equipment, net are as follows (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Land	$	906		$	931
Buildings and improvements	1,175			1,215
Restaurant equipment	17			17
	2,098			2,163
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(475		)	(407		)
Property and equipment leased, net	$	1,623		$	1,756

Our net investment in direct financing leases is as follows (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Future rents to be received:
Future minimum lease receipts	$	60		$	77
Contingent rents (a)	29			39
Estimated unguaranteed residual value	16			17
Unearned income	(35		)	(45		)
	70			88
Current portion included within accounts receivables	(16		)	(17		)
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	$	54		$	71


(a)	Amounts represent estimated contingent rents recorded in connection with the acquisition method of accounting.

Property revenues are comprised primarily of rental income from operating leases and earned income on direct financing leases with franchisees as follows (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Rental income:
Minimum	$	454	$	464	$	451
Contingent	273		284		282
Amortization of favorable and unfavorable income lease contracts, net	8		8		9
Total rental income	735		756		742
Earned income on direct financing leases	9		9		11
Total property revenues	$	744	$	765	$	753

Company as Lessee

In addition, we lease land, building, equipment, office space and warehouse space, including 675 restaurant buildings under capital leases where we are the lessee. Land and building leases generally have an initial term of 10 to 30 years, while land-only lease terms can extend longer, and most leases provide for fixed monthly payments. Many of these leases provide for future rent escalations and renewal options. Certain leases also include provisions for contingent rent, determined as a percentage of sales, generally when annual sales exceed specific levels. Most leases also obligate us to pay the cost of maintenance, insurance and property taxes.

Rent expense associated with these lease commitments is as follows (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Rental expense:
Minimum	$	201	$	198	$	193
Contingent	71		71		71
Amortization of favorable and unfavorable payable lease contracts, net	9		10		9
Total rental expense (a)	$	281	$	279	$	273


(a)	Amounts include rental expense related to properties subleased to franchisees of $263 million for 2018, $263 million for 2017, and $254 million for 2016.

As of December 31, 2018, future minimum lease receipts and commitments are as follows (in millions):



	Lease Receipts				Lease Commitments (a)
	Direct Financing Leases		Operating Leases		Capital Leases			Operating Leases
2019	$	14	$	416	$	38		$	183
2020	10		388		36			172
2021	7		360		34			158
2022	5		331		33			145
2023	5		306		30			130
Thereafter	19		1,704		201			831
Total minimum receipts / payments	$	60	$	3,505	372			$	1,619
Less amount representing interest					(125		)
Present value of minimum capital lease payments					247
Current portion of capital lease obligation					(21		)
Long-term portion of capital lease obligation					$	226


(a)	Minimum lease payments have not been reduced by minimum sublease rentals of $2,290 million due in the future under non-cancelable subleases.

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Tax Act

In December 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) that significantly revises the U.S. tax code generally effective January 1, 2018 by, among other changes, lowering the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, limiting deductibility of interest expense and performance based incentive compensation and implementing a modified territorial tax system. As a Canadian entity, we generally would be classified as a foreign entity (and, therefore, a non-U.S. tax resident) under general rules of U.S. federal income taxation. However, we have subsidiaries subject to U.S. federal income taxation and therefore the Tax Act impacted our consolidated results of operations during 2017 and 2018, and is expected to continue to impact our consolidated results of operations in future periods.

The impacts to our consolidated statement of operations consist of the following (the “Tax Act Impact”):


•	A provisional benefit of $420 million recorded in our provision from income taxes for 2017 and a favorable adjustment of $9 million recorded for 2018, as a result of the remeasurement of net deferred tax liabilities.


•	Provisional charges of $103 million recorded in 2017 and a favorable adjustment of $3 million recorded in 2018, related to certain deductions allowed to be carried forward before the Tax Act, which potentially may not be carried forward and deductible under the Tax Act.


•	A provisional estimate for a one-time transitional repatriation tax on unremitted foreign earnings (the “Transition Tax”) of $119 million recorded in 2017, most of which had been previously accrued with respect to certain undistributed foreign earnings, and a favorable adjustment of $15 million (primarily related to utilization of foreign tax credits) recorded in 2018.

In accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 issued by the staff of the SEC, adjustments to provisional amounts were recorded as discrete items in the provision for income taxes in 2018, the period in which those adjustments became reasonably estimable, as described above.

The ultimate impact of the Tax Act on our effective tax rate in future periods will depend on interpretations and regulatory changes from the Internal Revenue Service, the SEC, the FASB and various tax jurisdictions, or actions we may take.

Income (loss) before income taxes, classified by source of income (loss), is as follows (in millions):



	2018		2017			2016
Canadian	$	1,111	$	1,223		$	1,050
Foreign	271		(122		)	150
Income before income taxes	$	1,382	$	1,101		$	1,200

Income tax (benefit) expense attributable to income from continuing operations consists of the following (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Current:
Canadian	$	25		$	438		$	79
U.S. Federal	95			113			45
U.S. state, net of federal income tax benefit	17			3			2
Other Foreign	72			54			38
	$	209		$	608		$	164
Deferred:
Canadian	$	78		$	(302	)	$	49
U.S. Federal	(65		)	(473		)	37
U.S. state, net of federal income tax benefit	13			34			(7		)
Other Foreign	3			(1		)	1
	$	29		$	(742	)	$	80
Income tax (benefit) expense	$	238		$	(134	)	$	244

The statutory rate reconciles to the effective income tax rate as follows:



	2018		2017		2016
Statutory rate	26.5	%	26.5	%	26.5	%
Costs and taxes related to foreign operations	4.2		8.9		9.6
Foreign exchange gain (loss)	(0.1	)	(7.7	)	0.1
Foreign tax rate differential	(6.1	)	(1.9	)	(1.0	)
Change in valuation allowance	3.2		12.0		0.2
Change in accrual for tax uncertainties	0.1		(0.4	)	1.0
Intercompany financing	(4.4	)	(19.5	)	(16.0	)
Impact of Tax Act	(1.9	)	(27.4	)	—
Benefit from stock option exercises	(5.0	)	(4.9	)	—
Other	0.7		2.3		(0.1	)
Effective income tax rate	17.2	%	(12.1	)%	20.3	%

Income tax (benefit) expense allocated to continuing operations and amounts separately allocated to other items was (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Income tax (benefit) expense from continuing operations	$	238		$	(134	)	$	244
Cash flow hedge in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(2		)	5			(2		)
Net investment hedge in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	101			(13		)	12
Pension liability in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	—			(2		)	(2		)
Stock option tax benefit in common shares	—			—			(9		)
Total	$	337		$	(144	)	$	243

The significant components of deferred income tax (benefit) expense attributable to income from continuing operations are as follows (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Deferred income tax (benefit) expense	$	(14	)	$	(449	)	$	78
Change in valuation allowance	43			133			2
Change in effective Canadian income tax rate	(3		)	—			—
Change in effective U.S. federal income tax rate	(8		)	(433		)	—
Change in effective U.S. state income tax rate	15			4			(3		)
Change in effective foreign income tax rate	(4		)	3			3
Total	$	29		$	(742	)	$	80

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are presented below (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Deferred tax assets:
Accounts and notes receivable	$	5		$	5
Accrued employee benefits	49			49
Unfavorable leases	123			146
Liabilities not currently deductible for tax	176			74
Tax loss and credit carryforwards	509			550
Derivatives	25			136
Other	8			—
Total gross deferred tax assets	895			960
Valuation allowance	(325		)	(282		)
Net deferred tax assets	570			678
Less deferred tax liabilities:
Property and equipment, principally due to differences in depreciation	43			33
Intangible assets	1,734			1,791
Leases	105			129
Statutory impairment	31			26
Outside basis difference	35			68
Total gross deferred tax liabilities	1,948			2,047
Net deferred tax liability	$	1,378		$	1,369

The valuation allowance had a net increase of $43 million during 2018 primarily due to the change in provisional estimates related to the utilization of foreign tax credits. This increase was partially offset by a release due to the utilization of capital losses that had been previously valued.

Changes in the valuation allowance are as follows (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Beginning balance	$	282	$	133	$	125
Additions due to acquisition	—		9		—
Change in estimates recorded to deferred income tax expense	43		133		2
Changes from foreign currency exchange rates	—		6		(1		)
True-ups from changes in losses and credits	—		1		7
Ending balance	$	325	$	282	$	133

The gross amount and expiration dates of operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards as of December 31, 2018 are as follows (in millions):



	Amount		Expiration Date
Canadian net operating loss carryforwards	$	735	2036-2038
Canadian capital loss carryforwards	1,139		Indefinite
U.S. state net operating loss carryforwards	595		2019-2038
U.S. foreign tax credits	81		2019-2028
Other foreign net operating loss carryforwards	192		Indefinite
Other foreign net operating loss carryforwards	57		2020-2037
Other foreign capital loss carryforward	30		Indefinite
Foreign credits	2		2019-2036
Total	$	2,831

In prior periods, we provided deferred taxes on certain undistributed foreign earnings. Under our transition to a modified territorial tax system whereby all previously untaxed undistributed foreign earnings are subject to a transition tax charge at reduced rates and future repatriations of foreign earnings will generally be exempt from U.S. tax, we wrote off the existing deferred tax liability on undistributed foreign earnings and recorded the impact of the new transition tax charge on foreign earnings. We will continue to monitor available evidence and our plans for foreign earnings and expect to continue to provide any applicable deferred taxes based on the tax liability or withholding taxes that would be due upon repatriation of amounts not considered permanently reinvested.

We had $441 million of unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2018, which if recognized, would favorably affect the effective income tax rate. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Beginning balance	$	461		$	241		$	239
Additions on tax position related to the current year	1			186			2
Additions for tax positions of prior years	18			41			6
Additions for tax positions taken in conjunction with acquisition of Tim Hortons	—			2			—
Reductions for tax positions of prior year	(18		)	—			(1		)
Reductions for settlement	(18		)	(2		)	(5		)
Reductions due to statute expiration	(3		)	(7		)	—
Ending balance	$	441		$	461		$	241

During the twelve months beginning January 1, 2019, it is reasonably possible we will reduce unrecognized tax benefits by approximately $6 million, primarily as a result of the expiration of certain statutes of limitations and the resolution of audits.

We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. The total amount of accrued interest and penalties was $51 million and $37 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Potential interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions recognized was $14 million during 2018, $10 million during 2017 and $11 million during 2016. To the extent interest and penalties are not assessed with respect to uncertain tax positions, amounts accrued will be reduced and reflected as a reduction of the overall income tax provision.

We file income tax returns with Canada and its provinces and territories. Generally we are subject to routine examinations by the Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”). The CRA is conducting examinations of the 2013 through 2015 taxation years. Additionally, income tax returns filed with various provincial jurisdictions are generally open to examination for periods of three to five years subsequent to the filing of the respective return.

We also file income tax returns, including returns for our subsidiaries, with U.S. federal, U.S. state, and foreign jurisdictions. Generally we are subject to routine examination by taxing authorities in the U.S. jurisdictions, as well as foreign tax jurisdictions. None of the foreign jurisdictions should be individually material. The examination of our U.S. federal income tax returns for fiscal 2009, 2010, the period July 1, 2010 through October 18, 2010 and the period October 19, 2010 through December 31, 2010 was closed during the first half of 2018. The U.S. federal income tax returns for our U.S. companies for fiscal years 2014, 2015 and 2016 are currently under audit by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. We have various U.S. state and foreign income tax returns in the process of examination. From time to time, these audits result in proposed assessments where the ultimate resolution may result in owing additional taxes. We believe that our tax positions comply with applicable tax law and that we have adequately provided for these matters.

Derivative Instruments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments

Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

We enter into derivative instruments for risk management purposes, including derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, derivatives designated as net investment hedges and those utilized as economic hedges. We use derivatives to manage our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates and currency exchange rates.

Interest Rate Swaps

During 2018, we entered into a series of receive-variable, pay-fixed interest rate swaps with a notional value of $3,500 million to hedge the variability in the interest payments on a portion of our senior secured term loan facility (the “Term Loan Facility”) beginning March 29, 2018 through the expiration of the final swap on February 17, 2024, resetting each March. At inception, these interest rate swaps were designated as cash flow hedges for hedge accounting. The unrealized changes in market value are recorded in AOCI and reclassified into earnings during the period in which the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings.

During 2015, we entered into a series of receive-variable, pay-fixed interest rate swaps with a notional value of $2,500 million to hedge the variability in the interest payments on a portion of our Term Loan Facility beginning May 28, 2015. All of these interest rate swaps were settled on April 26, 2018 for an insignificant cash receipt. At inception, these interest rate swaps were designated as cash flow hedges for hedge accounting. The unrealized changes in market value were recorded in AOCI and reclassified into earnings during the period in which the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings.

During 2015, we settled certain interest rate swaps and recognized a net unrealized loss of $85 million in AOCI at the date of settlement. This amount gets reclassified into Interest expense, net as the original hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. The amount of pre-tax losses in AOCI as of December 31, 2018 that we expect to be reclassified into interest expense within the next 12 months is $12 million.

Cross-Currency Rate Swaps

To protect the value of our investments in our foreign operations against adverse changes in foreign currency exchange rates, we hedge a portion of our net investment in one or more of our foreign subsidiaries by using cross-currency rate swaps. At December 31, 2018, we had outstanding cross-currency rate swap contracts between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar and the Euro and U.S. dollar that have been designated as net investment hedges of a portion of our equity in foreign operations in those currencies. The component of the gains and losses on our net investment in these designated foreign operations driven by changes in foreign exchange rates are economically offset by movements in the fair value of our cross currency swap contracts. The fair value of the swaps is calculated each period with changes in fair value reported in AOCI, net of tax. Such amounts will remain in AOCI until the complete or substantially complete liquidation of our investment in the underlying foreign operations.

During 2017, we terminated and settled our previous cross-currency rate swaps with an aggregate notional value of $5,000 million, between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar. In connection with this termination, we received $764 million which is reflected as a source of cash provided by investing activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows. The unrealized gains totaled $533 million, net of tax, as of the termination date and will remain in AOCI until the complete or substantially complete liquidation of our investment in the underlying foreign operations. Additionally during 2017, we entered into new fixed-to-fixed cross-currency rate swaps to partially hedge the net investment in our Canadian subsidiaries. At inception, these cross-currency rate swaps were designated as a hedge and are accounted for as net investment hedges. These swaps are contracts to exchange quarterly fixed-rate interest payments we make on the Canadian dollar notional amount of C$6,754 million for quarterly fixed-rate interest payments we receive on the U.S. dollar notional amount of $5,000 million through the maturity date of June 30, 2023. In making such changes, we effectively realigned our Canadian dollar hedges to reflect our current cash flow mix and capital structure maturity profile.

At December 31, 2018, we also had outstanding cross-currency rate swaps in which we pay quarterly fixed-rate interest payments on the Euro notional amount of €1,108 million and receive quarterly fixed-rate interest payments on the U.S. dollar notional amount of $1,200 million. At inception, these cross-currency rate swaps were designated as a hedge and are accounted for as a net investment hedge. During 2018, we extended the term of the swaps from March 31, 2021 to the maturity date of February 17, 2024. The extension of the term resulted in a re-designation of the hedge and the swaps continue to be accounted for as a net investment hedge. Additionally, during 2018, we entered into cross-currency rate swaps in which we receive quarterly fixed-rate interest payments on the U.S. dollar notional value of $400 million through the maturity date of February 17, 2024. At inception, these cross-currency rate swaps were designated as a hedge are accounted for as a net investment hedge.

The fixed to fixed cross-currency rate swaps hedging Canadian dollar and Euro net investments utilized the forward method of effectiveness assessment prior to March 15, 2018. On March 15, 2018, we dedesignated and subsequently redesignated the outstanding fixed to fixed cross-currency rate swaps to prospectively use the spot method of hedge effectiveness assessment. We also elected to amortize the Excluded Component over the life of the derivative instrument. The amortization of the Excluded Component is recognized in Interest expense, net in the consolidated statement of operations. The change in fair value that is not related to the Excluded Component is recorded in AOCI and will be reclassified to earnings when the foreign subsidiaries are sold or substantially liquidated. See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies - New Accounting Pronouncements, for further information on the adoption of this new guidance.

Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts

We use foreign exchange derivative instruments to manage the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations on U.S. dollar purchases and payments, such as coffee purchases made by our Canadian Tim Hortons operations. At December 31, 2018, we had outstanding forward currency contracts to manage this risk in which we sell Canadian dollars and buy U.S. dollars with a notional value of $124 million with maturities to January 2020. We have designated these instruments as cash flow hedges, and as such, the unrealized changes in market value of effective hedges are recorded in AOCI and are reclassified into earnings during the period in which the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings.

Credit Risk

By entering into derivative contracts, we are exposed to counterparty credit risk. Counterparty credit risk is the failure of the counterparty to perform under the terms of the derivative contract. When the fair value of a derivative contract is in an asset position, the counterparty has a liability to us, which creates credit risk for us. We attempt to minimize this risk by selecting counterparties with investment grade credit ratings and regularly monitoring our market position with each counterparty.

Credit-Risk Related Contingent Features

Our derivative instruments do not contain any credit-risk related contingent features.

Quantitative Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Fair Value Measurements

The following tables present the required quantitative disclosures for our derivative instruments, including their estimated fair values (all estimated using Level 2 inputs) and their location on our consolidated balance sheets (in millions):



	Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
	2018			2017			2016
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges⁽¹⁾
Interest rate swaps	$	(37	)	$	(6	)	$	(23	)
Forward-currency contracts	$	11		$	(9	)	$	(5	)
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges
Cross-currency rate swaps	$	383		$	(384	)	$	(87	)


(1)	We did not exclude any components from the cash flow hedge relationships presented in this table.



	Location of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Earnings	Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Earnings
		2018			2017			2016
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges
Interest rate swaps	Interest expense, net	$	(19	)	$	(31	)	$	(21	)
Forward-currency contracts	Cost of sales	$	(1	)	$	(3	)	$	—

	Location of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings	Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings (Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing)
		2018			2017			2016
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges
Cross-currency rate swaps	Interest expense, net	$	60		$	—		$	—



	Fair Value as of December 31,
	2018		2017		Balance Sheet Location
Assets:
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges
Foreign currency	$	7	$	1	Prepaids and other current assets
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges
Foreign currency	58		—		Other assets, net
Total assets at fair value	$	65	$	1
Liabilities:
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges
Interest rate	$	72	$	42	Other liabilities, net
Foreign currency	—		5		Other accrued liabilities
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges
Foreign currency	107		456		Other liabilities, net
Total liabilities at fair value	$	179	$	503

Redeemable Preferred Shares	12 Months Ended
Redeemable Preferred Shares	Dec. 31, 2018
Equity [Abstract]
Redeemable Preferred Shares	Redeemable Preferred Shares On December 12, 2014 we issued 68,530,939 Class A 9.0% cumulative compounding perpetual voting preferred shares (the “Preferred Shares”) to a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, which were outstanding until the Redemption Date (as defined below). A 9.0% annual dividend accrued on the purchase price of $43.775848 per Preferred Share, and was payable quarterly in arrears, when declared and approved by our board of directors. The Preferred Shares were redeemable at our option on and after December 12, 2017. During 2014, we adjusted the carrying value of the Preferred Shares to their redemption price of $48.109657 per Preferred Share (the “redemption price”). The Preferred Shares were classified as temporary equity while outstanding because redemption was not solely within our control, as the Preferred Shares also contained provisions that allowed the holder to redeem the Preferred Shares for cash beginning in December 2024 or upon a change in control. On December 12, 2017 (the “Redemption Date”), we redeemed all of the issued and outstanding Preferred Shares for aggregate consideration of $3,116 million (the “Redemption Consideration”), consisting of (i) $3,297 million, which is the redemption price of $48.109657 per Preferred Share multiplied by the number of Preferred Shares outstanding, plus (ii) $54 million of accrued and unpaid preferred dividends up to the Redemption Date, minus (iii) an adjustment of $235 million, so that the after-tax internal rate of return of the holder of the Preferred Shares from the original issue date through the Redemption Date is equal to the after-tax internal rate of return that the holder of the Preferred Shares would have received if we were a U.S. corporation. The $235 million adjustment, net of $1 million of related transaction costs, is reflected as a $234 million increase to net income attributable to common shareholders and common shareholders' equity. The Redemption Consideration was funded by proceeds from (i) the incremental Term Loan No. 2 and the issuance of the 2017 4.25% Senior Notes - see Note 9, Long-Term Debt, (ii) proceeds from the termination and settlement of our previous cross-currency rate swaps with an aggregate notional value of $5,000 million between the Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar - see Note 12, Derivative Instruments, and (iii) cash generated in the normal course of our business. Upon redemption, the Preferred Shares were deemed canceled, dividends ceased to accrue and all rights of the holder terminated. During 2018, we made a payment in connection with the settlement of certain provisions associated with the 2017 redemption of our Preferred Shares as a result of recently proposed Treasury regulations included within Other operating expense (income), net in our consolidated statements of operations.

Shareholders' Equity

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Equity [Abstract]

Shareholders' Equity

Shareholders’ Equity

Noncontrolling Interests

We reflect a noncontrolling interest which represents the interests of the holders of Partnership exchangeable units in Partnership that are not held by RBI. The holders of Partnership exchangeable units held an economic interest of approximately 45.2% and 47.2% in Partnership common equity through the ownership of 207,523,591 and 217,708,924 Partnership exchangeable units as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Pursuant to the terms of the partnership agreement, each holder of a Partnership exchangeable unit is entitled to distributions from Partnership in an amount equal to any dividends or distributions that we declare and pay with respect to our common shares. Additionally, each holder of a Partnership exchangeable unit is entitled to vote in respect of matters on which holders of RBI common shares are entitled to vote through our special voting share. Since December 12, 2015, a holder of a Partnership exchangeable unit may require Partnership to exchange all or any portion of such holder’s Partnership exchangeable units for our common shares at a ratio of one common share for each Partnership exchangeable unit, subject to our right as the general partner of Partnership, in our sole discretion, to deliver a cash payment in lieu of our common shares. If we elect to make a cash payment in lieu of issuing common shares, the amount of the payment will be the weighted average trading price of the common shares on the New York Stock Exchange for the 20 consecutive trading days ending on the last business day prior to the exchange date.

During 2018, Partnership exchanged 10,185,333 Partnership exchangeable units, pursuant to exchange notices received. In accordance with the terms of the partnership agreement, Partnership satisfied the exchange notices by repurchasing 10,000,000 Partnership exchangeable units for approximately $561 million in cash and exchanging 185,333 Partnership exchangeable units for the same number of newly issued RBI common shares. During 2017, Partnership exchanged 9,286,480 Partnership exchangeable units, pursuant to exchange notices received. In accordance with the terms of the partnership agreement, Partnership satisfied the exchange notices by repurchasing 5,000,000 Partnership exchangeable units for approximately $330 million in cash and exchanging 4,286,480 Partnership exchangeable units for the same number of newly issued RBI common shares. During 2016, Partnership exchanged 6,744,244 Partnership exchangeable units, pursuant to exchange notices received. In accordance with the terms of the partnership agreement, Partnership satisfied the exchange notices by exchanging these Partnership exchangeable units for the same number of newly issued RBI common shares. The exchanges represented increases in our ownership interest in Partnership and were accounted for as equity transactions, with no gain or loss recorded in the consolidated statements of operations. Pursuant to the terms of the partnership agreement, upon the exchange of Partnership exchangeable units, each such Partnership exchangeable unit was cancelled concurrently with the exchange.

Prior to and in connection with the redemption of the Preferred Shares, under the terms of the partnership agreement, Partnership made preferred unit distributions to RBI in amounts equal to (i) dividends RBI paid on the Preferred Shares and (ii) the Redemption Consideration of the Preferred Shares. Although the Partnership preferred units and related distributions eliminate in consolidation, they affect the amount of net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests that we report. Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests represents the noncontrolling interests’ portion of (i) Partnership net income (loss) for the corresponding period less (ii) preferred unit dividends accrued by Partnership.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The following table displays the change in the components of AOCI (in millions):



	Derivatives			Pensions			Foreign Currency Translation			Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Balances at December 31, 2015	$	318		$	(12	)	$	(1,039	)	$	(733	)
Foreign currency translation adjustment	—			—			223			223
Net change in fair value of derivatives, net of tax	(119		)	—			—			(119		)
Amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges, net of tax	16			—			—			16
Pension and post-retirement benefit plans, net of tax	—			(8		)	—			(8		)
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	61			4			(142		)	(77		)
Balances at December 31, 2016	276			(16		)	(958		)	(698		)
Foreign currency translation adjustment	—			—			824			824
Net change in fair value of derivatives, net of tax	(382		)	—			—			(382		)
Amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges, net of tax	25			—			—			25
Pension and post-retirement benefit plans, net of tax	—			4			—			4
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	178			(3		)	(424		)	(249		)
Balances at December 31, 2017	97			(15		)	(558		)	(476		)
Foreign currency translation adjustment	—			—			(831		)	(831		)
Net change in fair value of derivatives, net of tax	263			—			—			263
Amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges, net of tax	14			—			—			14
Pension and post-retirement benefit plans, net of tax	—			1			—			1
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	(121		)	(1		)	351			229
Balances at December 31, 2018	$	253		$	(15	)	$	(1,038	)	$	(800	)

Share-based Compensation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Share-based Compensation

On January 30, 2015, our board of directors approved: (i) adoption of the Restaurant Brands International Inc. 2014 Omnibus Incentive Plan, currently the Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Incentive Plan, (the “Omnibus Plan”), to provide for the grant of awards to employees, directors, consultants and other persons who provide services to us and our subsidiaries; (ii) assumption and amendment of various legacy plans of BK, and assumption of the obligation for all BK stock options and restricted stock units (“RSUs”) outstanding; and (iii) assumption and amendment of various legacy plans of TH, and assumption of the obligation for each vested and unvested TH stock option issued with tandem stock appreciation rights (“SARs”) that was not surrendered in connection with the Tim Hortons transaction on the same terms and conditions of the original awards, as adjusted. No new awards may be granted under these legacy BK plans or legacy TH plans.

We are currently issuing awards under the Omnibus Plan and the number of shares available for issuance under such plan as of December 31, 2018 was 16,945,969. The Omnibus Plan permits the grant of several types of awards with respect to our common shares, including stock options, time-vested RSUs, and performance-based RSUs, which may include Company and/or individual performance based-vesting conditions. Under the terms of the Omnibus Plan, RSUs are entitled to dividend equivalents, unless otherwise noted. Dividends are not distributed unless the awards vest. Upon vesting, the amount of the dividend, which is distributed in additional RSUs, except in the case of RSUs awarded to non-management members of our board of directors, is equal to the equivalent of the aggregate dividends declared on common shares during the period from the date of grant of the award compounded until the date the shares underlying the award are delivered.

Stock option awards are granted with an exercise price or market value equal to the closing price of our common shares on the trading day preceding the date of grant. We satisfy stock option exercises through the issuance of authorized but previously unissued common shares. New stock option grants generally cliff vest 5 years from the original grant date, provided the employee is continuously employed by us or one of our subsidiaries, and the stock options expire 10 years following the grant date. Additionally, if we terminate the employment of a stock option holder without cause prior to the vesting date, or if the employee retires or becomes disabled, the employee will become vested in the number of stock options as if the stock options vested 20% on each anniversary of the grant date. If the employee dies, the employee will become vested in the number of stock options as if the stock options vested 20% on the first anniversary of the grant date, 40% on the second anniversary of the grant date and 100% on the third anniversary of the grant date. If an employee is terminated with cause or resigns before vesting, all stock options are forfeited. If there is an event such as a return of capital or dividend that is determined to be dilutive, the exercise price of the awards will be adjusted accordingly.

Share-based compensation expense consists of the following for the periods presented (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Stock options, stock options with tandem SARs and RSUs (a)	$	48	$	48	$	35
Accelerated vesting of Popeyes stock options (b)	—		12		—
Total share-based compensation expense (c)	$	48	$	60	$	35


(a)	Includes $2 million, $5 million, and $1 million due to modification of awards in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.


(b)	Represents expense attributed to the post-combination service associated with the accelerated vesting of stock options in connection with the Popeyes Acquisition.


(c)	Generally classified as selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

As of December 31, 2018, total unrecognized compensation cost related to share-based compensation arrangements was $126 million and is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 3.3 years.

The following assumptions were used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value of stock option awards at the grant date:



	2018	2017	2016
Risk-free interest rate	2.13%	1.23% - 1.25%	0.85%
Expected term (in years)	6.39	6.74	6.74
Expected volatility	25.2%	24.5%	26.6%
Expected dividend yield	3.08%	1.37%	1.81%

The risk-free interest rate was based on the U.S. Treasury or Canadian Sovereign bond yield with a remaining term equal to the expected option life assumed at the date of grant. The expected term was calculated based on the analysis of a three to five-year vesting period coupled with our expectations of exercise activity. Expected volatility was based on the historical equity volatility of the Company and a review of the equity volatilities of publicly-traded guideline companies. The expected dividend yield is based on the annual dividend yield at the time of grant.

The following is a summary of stock option activity under our plans for the year ended December 31, 2018:



	Total Number of Options (in 000’s)		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (a) (in 000’s)		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years)
Outstanding at January 1, 2018	20,071		$	25.15
Granted	1,548		$	58.19
Exercised	(7,268	)	$	8.37
Forfeited	(748	)	$	48.26
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	13,603		$	36.41	$	231,988	6.2
Exercisable at December 31, 2018	3,118		$	16.32	$	112,215	3.8
Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2018	12,479		$	35.75	$	220,320	6.1


(a)	The intrinsic value represents the amount by which the fair value of our stock exceeds the option exercise price at December 31, 2018.

The weighted-average grant date fair value per stock option granted was $10.82, $12.57, and $7.53 during 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised was $371 million during 2018, $288 million during 2017, and $47 million during 2016.

The fair value of the time-vested RSUs and performance-based RSUs is based on the closing price of the Company’s common shares on the trading day preceding the date of grant. New grants generally cliff vest five years from the original grant date. The Company has awarded a limited number of performance-based RSUs that proportionally vest over a four year period. Time-vested RSUs and performance-based RSUs are expensed over the vesting period, based upon the probability that the performance target will be met. We grant fully vested RSUs, with dividend equivalent rights that accrue in cash, to non-employee members of our board of directors in lieu of a cash retainer and committee fees. All such RSUs will settle and common shares of the Company will be issued upon termination of service by the board member.

The time-vested RSUs generally cliff vest five years from December 31^st of the year preceding the grant date and performance-based RSUs generally cliff vest five years from the grant date (in each case, the “Anniversary Date”). If the employee is terminated for any reason within the first two years of the Anniversary Date, 100% of the time-vested RSUs granted will be forfeited. If we terminate the employment of a time-vested RSU holder without cause two years after the Anniversary Date, or if the employee retires, the employee will become vested in the number of time-vested RSUs as if the time-vested RSUs vested 20% for each year after the Anniversary Date. If the employee is terminated for any reason within the first three years of the Anniversary Date, 100% of the performance-based RSUs granted will be forfeited. If we terminate the employment of a performance-based RSU holder without cause between three and five years after the Anniversary Date, or if the employee retires, the employee will become vested in 50% of the performance-based RSUs on the fourth anniversary date. An alternate ratable vesting schedule applies to the extent the participant ends employment by reason of death or disability.

The following is a summary of time-vested RSUs and performance-based RSUs activity for the year ended December 31, 2018:



	Time-vested RSUs				Performance-based RSUs
	Total Number of Shares (in 000’s)		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value		Total Number of Shares (in 000’s)		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at January 1, 2018	1,293		$	38.64	1,590		$	36.31
Granted	329		$	57.68	920		$	58.49
Vested and settled	(43	)	$	41.62	(81	)	$	34.68
Dividend equivalents granted	31		$	—	58		$	—
Forfeited	(110	)	$	51.05	(80	)	$	34.65
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	1,500		$	41.88	2,407		$	45.25

The total intrinsic value, determined as of the date of vesting, of RSUs vested and converted to common shares of the Company during 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $7 million, $6 million and $3 million, respectively.

Revenue Recognition

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

We transitioned to ASC 606 from the Previous Standards on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. Our Financial Statements reflect the application of ASC 606 guidance beginning in 2018, while our consolidated financial statements for prior periods were prepared under the guidance of the Previous Standards. The $250 million cumulative effect of our transition to ASC 606 is reflected as an adjustment to January 1, 2018 Shareholders' equity.

Our transition to ASC 606 represents a change in accounting principle. ASC 606 eliminates industry-specific guidance and provides a single revenue recognition model for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers. The core principle of ASC 606 is that a reporting entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the reporting entity expects to be entitled for the exchange of those goods or services.

Contract Liabilities

Contract liabilities consist of deferred revenue resulting from initial and renewal franchise fees paid by franchisees, as well as upfront fees paid by master franchisees, which are generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying agreement. We classify these contract liabilities as Other liabilities, net in our consolidated balance sheets. The following table reflects the change in contract liabilities by segment and on a consolidated basis between the date of adoption (January 1, 2018) and December 31, 2018 (in millions):



Contract Liabilities	TH			BK			PLK		Consolidated
Balance at January 1, 2018	$	47		$	402		$	6	$	455
Revenue recognized that was included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the year	(6		)	(43		)	—		(49		)
Increase, excluding amounts recognized as revenue during the period	24			58			13		95
Impact of foreign currency translation	(3		)	(12		)	—		(15		)
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	62		$	405		$	19	$	486

The following table illustrates estimated revenues expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) by segment and on a consolidated basis as of December 31, 2018 (in millions):



Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	TH		BK		PLK		Consolidated
2019	$	7	$	30	$	1	$	38
2020	7		29		1		37
2021	7		28		1		36
2022	6		28		1		35
2023	6		27		1		34
Thereafter	29		263		14		306
Total	$	62	$	405	$	19	$	486

Disaggregation of Total Revenues

Total revenues consist of the following (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Sales	$	2,355	$	2,390	$	2,205
Royalties	2,165		1,215		993
Property revenues	744		765		753
Franchise fees and other revenue	93		206		195
Total revenues	$	5,357	$	4,576	$	4,146

Financial Statement Impact of Transition to ASC 606

As noted above, we transitioned to ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method on January 1, 2018. The cumulative effect of this transition to applicable contracts with customers that were not completed as of January 1, 2018 was recorded as an adjustment to Shareholders' equity as of this date. As a result of applying the modified retrospective method to transition to ASC 606, the following adjustments were made to the consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2018 (in millions):



	As Reported			Total			Adjusted
	December 31, 2017			Adjustments			January 1, 2018
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,097		$	—		$	1,097
Accounts and notes receivable, net	489			—			489
Inventories, net	78			—			78
Prepaids and other current assets	86			(23		)	63
Total current assets	1,750			(23		)	1,727
Property and equipment, net	2,133			—			2,133
Intangible assets, net	11,062			—			11,062
Goodwill	5,782			—			5,782
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	71			—			71
Other assets, net	426			107			533
Total assets	$	21,224		$	84		$	21,308
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	$	496		$	—		$	496
Other accrued liabilities	866			9			875
Gift card liability	215			(43		)	172
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	78			—			78
Total current liabilities	1,655			(34		)	1,621
Term debt, net of current portion	11,801			—			11,801
Capital leases, net of current portion	244			—			244
Other liabilities, net	1,455			426			1,881
Deferred income taxes, net	1,508			(58		)	1,450
Total liabilities	16,663			334			16,997
Shareholders’ equity:
Common shares	2,052			—			2,052
Retained earnings	651			(132		)	519
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(476		)	—			(476		)
Total RBI shareholders’ equity	2,227			(132		)	2,095
Noncontrolling interests	2,334			(118		)	2,216
Total shareholders’ equity	4,561			(250		)	4,311
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	21,224		$	84		$	21,308

Franchise Fees

The cumulative adjustment for franchise fees consists of the following:

•

A $321 million increase in Other liabilities, net for the cumulative reversal and deferral of previously recognized franchise fees related to franchise agreements in effect at January 1, 2018 that were entered into subsequent to the acquisitions of BK in 2010, TH in 2014 and PLK in 2017 (net of the cumulative revenue attributable for the period through January 1, 2018), with a corresponding decrease to Shareholders’ equity.

•

A $107 million increase in Other assets, net for the previously unrecognized value of equity interests received in connection with MFDA arrangements. This increase resulted in a corresponding increase in Other liabilities, net of $105 million and an increase to Shareholders' equity of $2 million for the cumulative effect of revenue attributable for the period between the inception of each such arrangement and January 1, 2018.


•	A $67 million decrease to Deferred income taxes, net for the tax effects of the two adjustments noted above, with a corresponding increase to Shareholders' equity.

Advertising Funds

The cumulative adjustment for advertising funds reflects the recognition of cumulative advertising expenditures temporarily in excess of cumulative advertising fund contributions as of January 1, 2018, which is reflected as a $23 million decrease in Prepaids and other current assets and a $23 million decrease to Shareholders’ equity.

Gift Card Breakage

The adjustment for gift card breakage reflects the impact of the change to recognize gift card breakage proportionately as gift card balances are used rather than when it is deemed remote that the unused gift card balance would be redeemed, as done under the Previous Standards. The cumulative effect of applying ASC 606 accounting to gift card balances outstanding at January 1, 2018 is reflected as a $43 million decrease in Gift card liability, a $9 million increase in Other accrued liabilities, a $9 million increase in Deferred income taxes, net and a $25 million increase in January 1, 2018 Shareholders' equity.

Comparison to Amounts if Previous Standards Had Been in Effect

The following tables reflect the impact of adoption of ASC 606 on our consolidated statements of operations for 2018 and cash flows from operating activities for 2018 and our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 and the amounts as if the Previous Standards were in effect (“Amounts Under Previous Standards”) (in millions):

Consolidated Statement of Operations for 2018



	As Reported			Total Adjustments			Amounts Under Previous Standards
Revenues:
Sales	$	2,355		$	—		$	2,355
Franchise and property revenues	3,002			(750		)	2,252
Total revenues	5,357			(750		)	4,607
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of sales	1,818			—			1,818
Franchise and property expenses	422			—			422
Selling, general and administrative expenses	1,214			(785		)	429
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(22		)	(6		)	(28		)
Other operating expenses (income), net	8			(1		)	7
Total operating costs and expenses	3,440			(792		)	2,648
Income from operations	1,917			42			1,959
Interest expense, net	535			1			536
Income before income taxes	1,382			41			1,423
Income tax expense	238			9			247
Net income	1,144			32			1,176
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	532			15			547
Net income attributable to common shareholders	$	612		$	17		$	629

Earnings per common share:
Basic	$	2.46					$	2.53
Diluted	$	2.42					$	2.49

The following summarizes the adjustments to our condensed consolidated statement of operations for 2018 to reflect our consolidated statement of operations as if we had continued to recognize revenue under the Previous Standards:

•

As described above, our transition to ASC 606 resulted in the deferral of franchise fees, recognition of franchise fees in connection with MFDAs where we received an equity interest in the equity method investee, and a change in the timing of recognizing gift card breakage income. The adjustments for 2018 to reflect the recognition of this revenue as if the Previous Standards were in effect consists of a $43 million increase in Franchise and property revenue and a $11 million increase in Income tax expense.


•	The adjustments to (income) loss from equity method investments for 2018 reflect the amount of losses from equity method investments we would not have recognized if the Previous Standards were in effect. There is no tax impact related to these adjustments.

•

As described above, under the Previous Standards our statement of operations did not reflect gross presentations of advertising fund contributions and expenses. Our transition to ASC 606 requires the presentation of advertising fund contributions and advertising fund expenses on a gross basis. The adjustments for 2018 reflect advertising fund contributions and expenses as if the Previous Standards were in effect consist of a $793 million decrease in Franchise and property revenues, a $785 million decrease in Selling, general and administrative expenses, a $1 million decrease in Other operating expenses (income), net, a $1 million increase in Interest expense, net, and a $2 million decrease in Income tax expense.

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for 2018

The transition to ASC 606 had no net impact on our cash provided by operating activities and no impact on our cash used for investing activities or cash used for financing activities during 2018.



				Total			Amounts Under
	As Reported			Adjustments			Previous Standards
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$	1,144		$	32		$	1,176
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	180			—			180
Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount	29			—			29
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(22		)	(6		)	(28		)
Loss (gain) on remeasurement of foreign denominated transactions	(33		)	—			(33		)
Net (gains) losses on derivatives	(40		)	—			(40		)
Share-based compensation expense	48			—			48
Deferred income taxes	29			9			38
Other	5			—			5
Changes in current assets and liabilities, excluding acquisitions and dispositions:
Accounts and notes receivable	19			—			19
Inventories and prepaids and other current assets	(7		)	6			(1		)
Accounts and drafts payable	41			7			48
Other accrued liabilities and gift card liability	(219		)	(6		)	(225		)
Tenant inducements paid to franchisees	(52		)	—			(52		)
Other long-term assets and liabilities	43			(42		)	1
Net cash provided by operating activities	$	1,165		$	—		$	1,165

Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018



	As Reported			Total			Amounts Under
	December 31, 2018			Adjustments			Previous Standards
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	913		$	—		$	913
Accounts and notes receivable, net	452			—			452
Inventories, net	75			—			75
Prepaids and other current assets	60			17			77
Total current assets	1,500			17			1,517
Property and equipment, net	1,996			—			1,996
Intangible assets, net	10,463			—			10,463
Goodwill	5,486			—			5,486
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	54			—			54
Other assets, net	642			(101		)	541
Total assets	$	20,141		$	(84	)	$	20,057
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	$	513		$	7		$	520
Other accrued liabilities	637			(15		)	622
Gift card liability	167			42			209
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	91			—			91
Total current liabilities	1,408			34			1,442
Term debt, net of current portion	11,823			—			11,823
Capital leases, net of current portion	226			—			226
Other liabilities, net	1,547			(468		)	1,079
Deferred income taxes, net	1,519			67			1,586
Total liabilities	16,523			(367		)	16,156
Shareholders’ equity:
Common shares	1,737			—			1,737
Retained earnings	674			155			829
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(800		)	—			(800		)
Total RBI shareholders’ equity	1,611			155			1,766
Noncontrolling interests	2,007			128			2,135
Total shareholders’ equity	3,618			283			3,901
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	20,141		$	(84	)	$	20,057

Other Operating Expenses (Income), net

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]

Other Operating Expenses (Income), net

Other operating expenses (income), net, consist of the following (in millions):



	2018			2017		2016
Net losses on disposal of assets, restaurant closures and refranchisings	$	19		$	29	$	18
Litigation settlements and reserves, net	11			2		1
Net losses (gains) on foreign exchange	(33		)	77		(20		)
Other, net	11			1		—
Other operating expenses (income), net	$	8		$	109	$	(1	)

Net losses (gains) on disposal of assets, restaurant closures, and refranchisings represent sales of properties and other costs related to restaurant closures and refranchisings. Gains and losses recognized in the current period may reflect certain costs related to closures and refranchisings that occurred in previous periods.

Litigation settlements and reserves, net primarily reflects accruals and payments made and proceeds received in connection with litigation matters.

Net losses (gains) on foreign exchange is primarily related to revaluation of foreign denominated assets and liabilities.

Other, net during 2018 is comprised primarily of a payment in connection with the settlement of certain provisions associated with the 2017 redemption of our preferred shares as a result of recently proposed Treasury regulations.

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies Letters of Credit As of December 31, 2018, we had $20 million in irrevocable standby letters of credit outstanding, which were issued primarily to certain insurance carriers to guarantee payments of deductibles for various insurance programs, such as health and commercial liability insurance. These letters of credit outstanding are secured by the collateral under our Revolving Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2018, no amounts had been drawn on any of these irrevocable standby letters of credit. Purchase Commitments We have arrangements for information technology and telecommunication services with an aggregate contractual obligation of $41 million over the next three years, some of which have early termination fees. We also enter into commitments to purchase advertising. As of December 31, 2018, these commitments totaled $380 million and run through 2024. Litigation From time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business relating to matters including, but not limited to, disputes with franchisees, suppliers, employees and customers, as well as disputes over our intellectual property. On June 19, 2017, a claim was filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against The TDL Group Corp, a subsidiary of the Company, the Company, the Tim Hortons Ad Fund and certain individual defendants. The plaintiff, a franchisee of two Tim Hortons restaurants, seeks to certify a class of all persons who have carried on business as a Tim Hortons franchisee in Canada at any time after December 15, 2014. The claim alleges various causes of action against the defendants in relation to the purported misuse of amounts paid by members of the proposed class to the Tim Hortons Canada advertising fund (the “Ad Fund”). The plaintiff seeks to have the Ad Fund franchisee contributions held in trust for the benefit of members of the proposed class, an accounting of the Ad Fund, as well as damages for breach of contract, breach of trust, breach of the statutory duty of fair dealing, and breach of fiduciary duties. On October 6, 2017, a claim was filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against the same defendants as named above. The plaintiffs, two franchisees of Tim Hortons restaurants, seek to certify a class of all persons who have carried on business as a Tim Hortons franchisee at any time after March 8, 2017. The claim alleges various causes of action against the defendants in relation to the purported adverse treatment of member and potential member franchisees of the Great White North Franchisee Association. The plaintiffs seek damages for, among other things, breach of contract, breach of the statutory duty of fair dealing, and breach of the franchisees’ statutory right of association. In connection with these two lawsuits, the court granted our motion to strike the individuals named in the lawsuits, the Company and the Tim Hortons Ad Fund on October 22, 2018. The only defendant that remains in the lawsuits is The TDL Group Corp. On July 24, 2018, a complaint for declaratory relief was filed against Tim Hortons USA, Inc. (“THUSA”) and Restaurant Brands International Limited Partnership in the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida by Great White North Franchisee Association - USA, Inc., on behalf of its members. The complaint alleges certain breaches of the franchise agreements between THUSA and its franchisees and the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, as well as violations of the U.S. franchise rules and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. On October 5, 2018, a class action complaint was filed against Burger King Worldwide, Inc. (“BKW”) and Burger King Corporation (“BKC”) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Jarvis Arrington, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated. On October 18, 2018, a second class action complaint was filed against the Company, BKW and BKC in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Monique Michel, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated. On October 31, 2018, a third class action complaint was filed against BKC and BKW in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Geneva Blanchard and Tiffany Miller, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated. On November 2, 2018, a fourth class action complaint was filed against the Company, BKW and BKC in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by Sandra Muster, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated. These complaints allege that the defendants violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act by incorporating an employee no-solicitation and no-hiring clause in the standard form franchise agreement all Burger King franchisees are required to sign. Each plaintiff seeks injunctive relief and damages for himself or herself and other members of the class. While we believe the claims are without merit, we are unable to predict the ultimate outcome of these cases or estimate the range of possible loss, if any.

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information

As stated in Note 1, Description of Business and Organization, we manage three brands. Under the Tim Hortons brand, we operate in the donut/coffee/tea category of the quick service segment of the restaurant industry. Under the Burger King brand, we operate in the fast food hamburger restaurant category of the quick service segment of the restaurant industry. Under the Popeyes brand, we operate in the chicken category of the quick service segment of the restaurant industry. Our business generates revenue from the following sources: (i) franchise revenues, consisting primarily of royalties based on a percentage of sales reported by franchise restaurants and franchise fees paid by franchisees; (ii) property revenues from properties we lease or sublease to franchisees; and (iii) sales at restaurants owned by us (“Company restaurants”). In addition, our TH business generates revenue from sales to franchisees related to our supply chain operations, including manufacturing, procurement, warehousing and distribution, as well as sales to retailers.

Each brand is managed by a brand president that reports directly to our Chief Executive Officer, who is our Chief Operating Decision Maker. Therefore, we have three operating segments: (1) TH, which includes all operations of our Tim Hortons brand, (2) BK, which includes all operations of our Burger King brand, and (3) PLK, which includes all operations of our Popeyes brand. Our three operating segments represent our reportable segments.

As stated in Note 16, Revenue Recognition, we transitioned to ASC 606 on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. Our Financial Statements reflect the application of ASC 606 guidance beginning in 2018, while our Financial Statements for prior periods were prepared under the guidance of the Previous Standards. For comparability purposes, we have disclosed 2018 total revenues by operating segment under the Previous Standards as well as segment income with a reconciliation to net income under the Previous Standards. See Note 16, Revenue Recognition, for further details of the effects of this change in accounting principle on total revenues and net income.

PLK revenues and segment income from the acquisition date of March 27, 2017 through December 31, 2017 are included in our consolidated statement of operations for 2017. The following tables present revenues, by segment and by country, depreciation and amortization, (income) loss from equity method investments, and capital expenditures by segment (in millions):



	2018 As Reported		2018 Amounts Under Previous Standards		2017		2016
Revenues by operating segment:
TH	$	3,292	$	3,077	$	3,155	$	3,001
BK	1,651		1,251		1,219		1,145
PLK	414		279		202		—
Total	$	5,357	$	4,607	$	4,576	$	4,146

Revenues by country (a):
Canada	$	2,984			$	2,832	$	2,672
United States	1,785				1,190		1,004
Other	588				554		470
Total	$	5,357			$	4,576	$	4,146



Depreciation and amortization:
TH	$	108	$	110	$	108
BK	61		62		64
PLK	11		10		—
Total	$	180	$	182	$	172



(Income) loss from equity method investments:
TH	$	(6	)	$	(8	)	$	(8	)
BK	(16		)	(4		)	(12		)
Total	$	(22	)	$	(12	)	$	(20	)



Capital expenditures:
TH	$	59	$	13	$	12
BK	25		23		22
PLK	2		1		—
Total	$	86	$	37	$	34

(a)Only Canada and the United States represented 10% or more of our total revenues in each period presented.

Total assets by segment, and long-lived assets by segment and country are as follows (in millions):



	Assets				Long-Lived Assets
	As of December 31,				As of December 31,
	2018		2017		2018		2017
By operating segment:
TH	$	12,666	$	13,733	$	1,226	$	1,351
BK	4,514		4,633		729		751
PLK	2,420		2,440		95		102
Unallocated	541		418		—		—
Total	$	20,141	$	21,224	$	2,050	$	2,204
By country:
Canada					$	945	$	1,059
United States					1,098		1,138
Other					7		7
Total					$	2,050	$	2,204

Long-lived assets include property and equipment, net, and net investment in property leased to franchisees. Only Canada and the United States represented 10% or more of our total long-lived assets as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

Our measure of segment income is Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings (net income or loss) before interest expense, net, loss on early extinguishment of debt, income tax expense (benefit), and depreciation and amortization, adjusted to exclude the non-cash impact of share-based compensation and non-cash incentive compensation expense and (income) loss from equity method investments, net of cash distributions received from equity method investments, as well as other operating expenses (income), net. Other specifically identified costs associated with non-recurring projects are also excluded from Adjusted EBITDA, including fees and expenses associated with the Popeyes Acquisition (“PLK Transaction costs”), Corporate restructuring and tax advisory fees related to the interpretation and implementation of the Tax Act, including Treasury regulations proposed in late 2018, non-operational Office centralization and relocation costs in connection with the centralization and relocation of our Canadian and U.S. restaurant support centers to new offices in Toronto, Ontario, and Miami, Florida, respectively, and integration costs associated with the acquisition of Tim Hortons. Adjusted EBITDA is used by management to measure operating performance of the business, excluding these non-cash and other specifically identified items that management believes are not relevant to management’s assessment of operating performance or the performance of an acquired business. A reconciliation of segment income to net income (loss) consists of the following (in millions):



	2018 As Reported			2018 Amounts Under Previous Standards			2017			2016
Segment income:
TH	$	1,127		$	1,128		$	1,136		$	1,072
BK	928			950			903			816
PLK	157			169			107			—
Adjusted EBITDA	2,212			2,247			2,146			1,888
Share-based compensation and non-cash incentive compensation expense	55			55			55			42
PLK Transaction costs	10			10			62			—
Corporate restructuring and tax advisory fees	25			25			2			—
Office centralization and relocation costs	20			20			—			—
Integration costs	—			—			—			16
Impact of equity method investments (a)	(3		)	(9		)	1			(8		)
Other operating expenses (income), net	8			7			109			(1		)
EBITDA	2,097			2,139			1,917			1,839
Depreciation and amortization	180			180			182			172
Income from operations	1,917			1,959			1,735			1,667
Interest expense, net	535			536			512			467
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	—			—			122			—
Income tax expense (benefit)	238			247			(134		)	244
Net income (loss)	$	1,144		$	1,176		$	1,235		$	956


(a)	Represents (i) (income) loss from equity method investments and (ii) cash distributions received from our equity method investments. Cash distributions received from our equity method investments are included in segment income.

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

Our Financial Statements reflect the application of ASC 606 guidance beginning in 2018, while our consolidated financial statements for prior periods were prepared under the guidance of the Previous Standards. As such, 2018 results are not comparable to 2017 results.

Summarized unaudited quarterly financial data (in millions, except per share data) was as follows:



	Quarters Ended
	March 31,				June 30,				September 30,				December 31,
	2018		2017		2018		2017		2018		2017		2018		2017
Total revenues	$	1,254	$	1,001	$	1,343	$	1,132	$	1,375	$	1,209	$	1,385	$	1,234
Income from operations	$	421	$	336	$	503	$	415	$	477	$	479	$	516	$	505
Net income	$	279	$	167	$	314	$	243	$	250	$	247	$	301	$	578
Basic earnings per share	$	0.60	$	0.21	$	0.67	$	0.38	$	0.53	$	0.39	$	0.65	$	1.64
Diluted earnings per share	$	0.59	$	0.21	$	0.66	$	0.37	$	0.53	$	0.37	$	0.64	$	1.59

Subsequent Events	12 Months Ended
Subsequent Events	Dec. 31, 2018
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Subsequent Events Dividends On January 4, 2019, we paid a cash dividend of $0.45 per common share to common shareholders of record on December 15, 2018. On such date, Partnership also made a distribution in respect of each Partnership exchangeable unit in the amount of $0.45 per exchangeable unit to holders of record on December 15, 2018. On January 22, 2019, our board of directors declared a cash dividend of $0.50 per common share for the first quarter of 2019. The dividend will be paid on April 3, 2019 to common shareholders of record on March 15, 2019. Partnership will also make a distribution in respect of each Partnership exchangeable unit in the amount of $0.50 per Partnership exchangeable unit, and the record date and payment date for distributions on Partnership exchangeable units are the same as the record date and payment date set forth above.

Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Dec. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and related rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of entities in which we have a controlling financial interest, the usual condition of which is ownership of a majority voting interest. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Investments in other affiliates that are owned 50% or less where we have significant influence are accounted for by the equity method. We are the sole general partner of Partnership and, as such we have the exclusive right, power and authority to manage, control, administer and operate the business and affairs and to make decisions regarding the undertaking and business of Partnership, subject to the terms of the partnership agreement of Partnership (“partnership agreement”) and applicable laws. As a result, we consolidate the results of Partnership and record a noncontrolling interest in our consolidated balance sheets and statements of operations with respect to the remaining economic interest in Partnership we do not hold. We also consider for consolidation entities in which we have certain interests, where the controlling financial interest may be achieved through arrangements that do not involve voting interests. Such an entity, known as a variable interest entity (“VIE”), is required to be consolidated by its primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is the entity that possesses the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance and has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that are significant to it. Our maximum exposure to loss resulting from involvement with VIEs is attributable to accounts and notes receivable balances, outstanding loan guarantees and future lease payments, where applicable. As our franchise and master franchise arrangements provide the franchise and master franchise entities the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact their economic performance, we do not consider ourselves the primary beneficiary of any such entity that might be a VIE. Tim Hortons has historically entered into certain arrangements in which an operator acquires the right to operate a restaurant, but Tim Hortons owns the restaurant’s assets. In these arrangements, Tim Hortons has the ability to determine which operators manage the restaurants and for what duration. We perform an analysis to determine if the legal entity in which operations are conducted is a VIE and consolidate a VIE entity if we also determine Tim Hortons is the entity’s primary beneficiary (“Restaurant VIEs”). As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, we determined that we are the primary beneficiary of 17 and 31 Restaurant VIEs, respectively, and accordingly, have consolidated the results of operations, assets and liabilities, and cash flows of these Restaurant VIEs in our consolidated financial statements. Material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Assets and liabilities related to consolidated VIEs are not significant to our total consolidated assets and liabilities. Liabilities recognized as a result of consolidating these VIEs do not necessarily represent additional claims on our general assets; rather, they represent claims against the specific assets of the consolidated VIEs. Conversely, assets recognized as a result of consolidating these VIEs do not represent additional assets that could be used to satisfy claims by our creditors as they are not legally included within our general assets.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain prior year amounts in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes to the consolidated financial statements have been reclassified in order to be comparable with the current year classifications.
Foreign Currency Translation and Transaction Gains and Losses	Foreign Currency Translation and Transaction Gains and Losses Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar, since our term loan and senior secured notes are denominated in U.S. dollars, and the principal market for our common shares is the U.S. The functional currency of each of our operating subsidiaries is generally the currency of the economic environment in which the subsidiary primarily does business. Our foreign subsidiaries’ financial statements are translated into U.S. dollars using the foreign exchange rates applicable to the dates of the financial statements. Assets and liabilities are translated using the end-of-period spot foreign exchange rates. Income, expenses and cash flows are translated at the average foreign exchange rates for each period. Equity accounts are translated at historical foreign exchange rates. The effects of these translation adjustments are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) in the consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity. For any transaction that is denominated in a currency different from the entity’s functional currency, we record a gain or loss based on the difference between the foreign exchange rate at the transaction date and the foreign exchange rate at the transaction settlement date (or rate at period end, if unsettled) which is included within other operating expenses (income), net in the consolidated statements of operations.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents All highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less and credit card receivables are considered cash equivalents.
Inventories	Inventories Inventories are carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value and consist primarily of raw materials such as green coffee beans and finished goods such as new equipment, parts, paper supplies and restaurant food items. The moving average method is used to determine the cost of raw material and finished goods inventories held for sale to Tim Hortons franchisees.
Property and Equipment, net	Property and Equipment, net We record property and equipment at historical cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization, which is recognized using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives: (i) buildings and improvements – up to 40 years; (ii) restaurant equipment – up to 17 years; (iii) furniture, fixtures and other – up to 10 years; (iv) manufacturing equipment – up to 25 years; and (v) capital leases – up to 40 years or lease term. Leasehold improvements to properties where we are the lessee are amortized over the lesser of the remaining term of the lease or the estimated useful life of the improvement. We are considered to be the owner of certain restaurants leased from unrelated lessors because Tim Hortons constructed some of the structural elements of those restaurants. Accordingly, lessors’ contributions to the construction costs of these restaurants was recognized as other debt and was $71 million and $83 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Major improvements are capitalized, while maintenance and repairs are expensed when incurred.
Leases	Leases We define lease term as the initial term of a lease plus any renewals covered by bargain renewal options or that are reasonably assured of exercise because non-renewal would create an economic penalty, plus any periods that the lessee has use of the property but is not charged rent by a landlord (rent holiday). We record rental income and rental expense for operating leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term, net of any applicable lease incentive amortization. Contingent rental income is recognized on an accrual basis as earned. Assets we acquire as lessee under capital leases are stated at the lower of the present value of future minimum lease payments or fair market value at the date of inception of the lease. Capital lease assets are depreciated using the straight-line method over the shorter of the useful life of the asset or the underlying lease term. We also have net investments in properties leased to franchisees, which meet the criteria of direct financing leases. Investments in direct financing leases are recorded on a net basis, consisting of the gross investment and residual value in the lease, less unearned income. Earned income on direct financing leases is recognized when earned and collectability is reasonably assured. Unearned income is recognized over the lease term yielding a constant periodic rate of return on the net investment in the lease. Direct financing leases are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable based on the payment history under the lease. We have recorded favorable and unfavorable operating leases in connection with the acquisition method of accounting. We amortize favorable and unfavorable leases on a straight-line basis over the remaining term of the leases, as determined at the acquisition date.
Leases	Leases We define lease term as the initial term of a lease plus any renewals covered by bargain renewal options or that are reasonably assured of exercise because non-renewal would create an economic penalty, plus any periods that the lessee has use of the property but is not charged rent by a landlord (rent holiday). We record rental income and rental expense for operating leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term, net of any applicable lease incentive amortization. Contingent rental income is recognized on an accrual basis as earned. Assets we acquire as lessee under capital leases are stated at the lower of the present value of future minimum lease payments or fair market value at the date of inception of the lease. Capital lease assets are depreciated using the straight-line method over the shorter of the useful life of the asset or the underlying lease term. We also have net investments in properties leased to franchisees, which meet the criteria of direct financing leases. Investments in direct financing leases are recorded on a net basis, consisting of the gross investment and residual value in the lease, less unearned income. Earned income on direct financing leases is recognized when earned and collectability is reasonably assured. Unearned income is recognized over the lease term yielding a constant periodic rate of return on the net investment in the lease. Direct financing leases are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable based on the payment history under the lease. We have recorded favorable and unfavorable operating leases in connection with the acquisition method of accounting. We amortize favorable and unfavorable leases on a straight-line basis over the remaining term of the leases, as determined at the acquisition date.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Not Subject to Amortization	Goodwill and Intangible Assets Not Subject to Amortization Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with the acquisition of Popeyes in 2017, the acquisition of Tim Hortons in 2014 and the acquisition of Burger King Holdings, Inc. by 3G Capital Partners Ltd. Our indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of the Tim Hortons brand, the Burger King brand, and the Popeyes brand (each a “Brand” and together, the “Brands”). Goodwill and the Brands are tested for impairment at least annually as of October 1 of each year and more often if an event occurs or circumstances change which indicate impairment might exist. Our annual impairment tests of goodwill and the Brands may be completed through qualitative assessments. We may elect to bypass the qualitative assessment and proceed directly to a quantitative impairment test for any reporting unit or Brand in any period. We can resume the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit or Brand in any subsequent period. Under a qualitative approach, our impairment review for goodwill consists of an assessment of whether it is more-likely-than-not that a reporting unit’s fair value is less than its carrying amount. If we elect to bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit, or if a qualitative assessment indicates it is more-likely-than-not that the estimated carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, we perform a two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. The first step requires us to estimate the fair value of the reporting unit. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the estimated fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to all its underlying assets and liabilities, including both recognized and unrecognized tangible and intangible assets, based on their fair value. If necessary, goodwill is then written down to its implied fair value. Under a qualitative approach, our impairment review for the Brands consists of an assessment of whether it is more-likely-than-not that a Brand’s fair value is less than its carrying amount. If we elect to bypass the qualitative assessment for a Brand, or if a qualitative assessment indicates it is more-likely-than-not that the estimated carrying value of a Brand exceeds its fair value, we estimate the fair value of the Brand and compare it to its carrying amount. If the carrying amount exceeds fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.
Long-Lived Assets	Long-Lived Assets Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and intangible assets subject to amortization, are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Some of the events or changes in circumstances that would trigger an impairment review include, but are not limited to, bankruptcy proceedings or other significant financial distress of a lessee; significant negative industry or economic trends; knowledge of transactions involving the sale of similar property at amounts below the carrying value; or our expectation to dispose of long-lived assets before the end of their estimated useful lives. The impairment test for long-lived assets requires us to assess the recoverability of long-lived assets by comparing their net carrying value to the sum of undiscounted estimated future cash flows directly associated with and arising from use and eventual disposition of the assets or asset group. Long-lived assets are grouped for recognition and measurement of impairment at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets. If the net carrying value of a group of long-lived assets exceeds the sum of related undiscounted estimated future cash flows, we record an impairment charge equal to the excess, if any, of the net carrying value over fair value.
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Other comprehensive income (loss) (“OCI”) refers to revenues, expenses, gains and losses that are included in comprehensive income (loss), but are excluded from net income (loss) as these amounts are recorded directly as an adjustment to shareholders’ equity, net of tax. Our other comprehensive income (loss) is primarily comprised of unrealized gains and losses on foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains and losses on hedging activity, net of tax.
Derivative Financial Instruments	Derivative Financial Instruments We recognize and measure all derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets. We may enter into derivatives that are not initially designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes, but which largely offset the economic impact of certain transactions. Gains or losses resulting from changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognized in earnings or recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) and recognized in the consolidated statements of operations when the hedged item affects earnings, depending on the purpose of the derivatives and whether they qualify for, and we have applied, hedge accounting treatment. When applying hedge accounting, we designate at a derivative’s inception, the specific assets, liabilities or future commitments being hedged, and assess the hedge’s effectiveness at inception and on an ongoing basis. We discontinue hedge accounting when: (i) we determine that the cash flow derivative is no longer effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows of a hedged item; (ii) the derivative expires or is sold, terminated or exercised; (iii) it is no longer probable that the forecasted transaction will occur; or (iv) management determines that designation of the derivatives as a hedge instrument is no longer appropriate. We do not enter into or hold derivatives for speculative purposes.
Disclosures about Fair Value	Disclosures about Fair Value Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants in the principal market, or if none exists, the most advantageous market, for the specific asset or liability at the measurement date (the exit price). The fair value is based on assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability. The fair values are assigned a level within the fair value hierarchy, depending on the source of the inputs into the calculation, as follows: Level 1 Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. Level 2 Inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly. Level 3 Unobservable inputs reflecting management’s own assumptions about the inputs used in pricing the asset or liability. The carrying amounts for cash and equivalents, accounts and notes receivable and accounts and drafts payable approximate fair value based on the short-term nature of these amounts. We carry all of our derivatives at fair value and value them using various pricing models or discounted cash flow analysis that incorporate observable market parameters, such as interest rate yield curves and currency rates, which are Level 2 inputs. Derivative valuations incorporate credit risk adjustments that are necessary to reflect the probability of default by the counterparty or us.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition We transitioned to FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606, Revenue From Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), from ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition and ASC Subtopic 952-605, Franchisors - Revenue Recognition (together, the “Previous Standards”) on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. Our Financial Statements reflect the application of ASC 606 guidance beginning in 2018, while our consolidated financial statements for prior periods were prepared under the guidance of the Previous Standards. See Note 16, Revenue Recognition, for further information about our transition to this new revenue recognition model using the modified retrospective transition method. Sales Sales consist primarily of supply chain sales, which represent sales of products, supplies and restaurant equipment to franchisees, as well as sales to retailers and are presented net of any related sales tax. Orders placed by customers specify the goods to be delivered and transaction prices for supply chain sales. Revenue is recognized upon transfer of control over ordered items, generally upon delivery to the customer, which is when the customer obtains physical possession of the goods, legal title is transferred, the customer has all risks and rewards of ownership and an obligation to pay for the goods is created. Shipping and handling costs associated with outbound freight for supply chain sales are accounted for as fulfillment costs and classified as cost of sales. Commencing on January 1, 2018, we classify all sales of restaurant equipment to franchisees as Sales and related cost of equipment sold as Cost of sales. In periods prior to January 1, 2018, we classified sales of restaurant equipment at establishment of a restaurant and in connection with renewal or renovation as Franchise and property revenues and related costs as Franchise and property expense. To a much lesser extent, sales also include Company restaurant sales (including Restaurant VIEs), which consist of sales to restaurant guests. Revenue from Company restaurant sales is recognized at the point of sale. Taxes assessed by a governmental authority that we collect are excluded from revenue. Franchise revenues Franchise revenues consist primarily of royalties, advertising fund contributions, initial and renewal franchise fees and upfront fees from development agreements and master franchise and development agreements (“MFDAs”). Under franchise agreements, we provide franchisees with (i) a franchise license, which includes a license to use our intellectual property and, in those markets where our subsidiaries manage an advertising fund, advertising and promotion management, (ii) pre-opening services, such as training and inspections, and (iii) ongoing services, such as development of training materials and menu items and restaurant monitoring and inspections. The services we provide under franchise agreements are highly interrelated and dependent upon the franchise license and we concluded the services do not represent individually distinct performance obligations. Consequently, we bundle the franchise license performance obligation and promises to provide services into a single performance obligation under ASC 606, which we satisfy by providing a right to use our intellectual property over the term of each franchise agreement. Royalties, including franchisee contributions to advertising funds managed by our subsidiaries, are calculated as a percentage of franchise restaurant sales over the term of the franchise agreement. Under our franchise agreements, advertising contributions paid by franchisees must be spent on advertising, product development, marketing and related activities. Initial and renewal franchise fees are payable by the franchisee upon a new restaurant opening or renewal of an existing franchise agreement. Our franchise agreement royalties, inclusive of advertising fund contributions, represent sales-based royalties that are related entirely to our performance obligation under the franchise agreement and are recognized as franchise sales occur. Additionally, under ASC 606, initial and renewal franchise fees are recognized as revenue on a straight-line basis over the term of the respective agreement. Under the Previous Standards, initial franchise fees were recognized as revenue when the related restaurant commenced operations and our completion of all material services and conditions. Renewal franchise fees were recognized as revenue upon execution of a new franchise agreement. Our performance obligation under development agreements other than MFDAs generally consists of an obligation to grant exclusive development rights over a stated term. These development rights are not distinct from franchise agreements, so upfront fees paid by franchisees for exclusive development rights are deferred and apportioned to each franchise restaurant opened by the franchisee. The pro rata amount apportioned to each restaurant is accounted for as an initial franchise fee. We have a distinct performance obligation under our MFDAs to grant subfranchising rights over a stated term. Under the terms of MFDAs, we typically either receive an upfront fee paid in cash and/or receive noncash consideration in the form of an equity interest in the master franchisee or an affiliate of the master franchisee. Under the Previous Standards, we accounted for noncash consideration as a nonmonetary exchange and did not record revenue or a basis in the equity interest received in arrangements where we received noncash consideration. These transactions now fall within the scope of ASC 606, which requires us to record investments in the applicable equity method investee and recognize revenue in an amount equal to the fair value of the equity interest received. In accordance with ASC 606, upfront fees from master franchisees, including the fair value of noncash consideration, are deferred and amortized over the MFDA term on a straight-line basis. We may recognize unamortized upfront fees when a contract with a franchisee or master franchisee is modified and is accounted for as a termination of the existing contract. The portion of gift cards sold to customers which are never redeemed is commonly referred to as gift card breakage. Under ASC 606, we recognize gift card breakage income proportionately as each gift card is redeemed using an estimated breakage rate based on our historical experience. Under the Previous Standards, we recognized gift card breakage income for each gift card's remaining balance when redemption of that balance was deemed remote.
Revenue Recognition- Property Revenues	Property revenues Property revenues consists of rental income from properties we lease or sublease to franchisees. Property revenues are accounted for in accordance with applicable accounting guidance for leases and are excluded from the scope of ASC 606.
Advertising and Promotional Costs	Advertising and Promotional Costs Company restaurants and franchise restaurants contribute to advertising funds that our subsidiaries manage in the United States and Canada and certain other international markets. The advertising funds expense the production costs of advertising when the advertisements are first aired or displayed. All other advertising and promotional costs are expensed in the period incurred. Under our franchise agreements, advertising contributions received from franchisees must be spent on advertising, product development, marketing and related activities. As a result of our transition to ASC 606, advertising contributions received from franchisees are included in franchise and property revenues and advertising expenses are included as selling, general and administrative expenses commencing on January 1, 2018. Advertising expenses included in selling, general and administrative expenses totaled $793 million for 2018. Prior to January 1, 2018, since we were deemed to be acting as an agent for these specifically designated contributions in accordance with the Previous Standards, the revenues and expenses of the advertising funds were generally netted in our consolidated statements of operations. Prior to our transition to ASC 606, advertising expenses, which primarily consisted of advertising contributions by Company restaurants (including Restaurant VIEs) based on a percentage of gross sales, totaled $7 million for 2017 and $6 million for 2016 and were included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. As a result of our transition to ASC 606, the advertising contributions by Company restaurants (including Restaurant VIEs) are eliminated in consolidation in 2018.
Deferred Financing Costs	Deferred Financing Costs Deferred financing costs are amortized over the term of the related debt agreement into interest expense using the effective interest method.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Amounts in the financial statements related to income taxes are calculated using the principles of ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes. Under these principles, deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the impact of temporary differences between the amounts of assets and liabilities recognized for financial reporting purposes and the amounts recognized for tax purposes, as well as tax credit carry-forwards and loss carry-forwards. These deferred taxes are measured by applying currently enacted tax rates. A deferred tax asset is recognized when it is considered more-likely-than-not to be realized. The effects of changes in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized in income in the year in which the law is enacted. A valuation allowance reduces deferred tax assets when it is more-likely-than-not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We recognize positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return in the financial statements when it is more-likely-than-not (i.e., a likelihood of more than 50%) that the position would be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. A recognized tax position is then measured at the largest amount of benefit with greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Translation gains and losses resulting from the remeasurement of foreign deferred tax assets or liabilities denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are classified as other operating expenses (income), net in the consolidated statements of operations.
Share-based Compensation	Share-based Compensation Compensation expense related to the issuance of share-based awards to our employees is measured at fair value on the grant date. We use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value stock options. The compensation expense for awards that vest over a future service period is recognized over the requisite service period on a straight-line basis, adjusted for estimated forfeitures of awards that are not expected to vest. The compensation expense for awards that do not require future service is recognized immediately. Upon the end of the service period, compensation expense is adjusted to account for the actual forfeiture rate. Cash settled share-based awards are classified as liabilities and are re-measured at the end of each reporting period. The compensation expense for awards that contain performance conditions is recognized when it is probable that the performance conditions will be achieved.
Restructuring	Restructuring The determination of when we accrue for employee involuntary termination benefits depends on whether the termination benefits are provided under an on-going benefit arrangement or under a one-time benefit arrangement. We record charges for ongoing benefit arrangements in accordance with ASC Topic 712, Nonretirement Postemployment Benefits. We record charges for one-time benefit arrangements in accordance with ASC Topic 420, Exit or Disposal Cost Obligations.
New Accounting Pronouncements	New Accounting Pronouncements Revenue Recognition – In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued a new single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. We adopted this new guidance on January 1, 2018. See Note 16, Revenue Recognition, for further information about our transition to this new revenue recognition model using the modified retrospective transition method. Lease Accounting – In February 2016, the FASB issued new guidance on leases. The new guidance requires lessees to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by finance and operating leases with lease terms of more than 12 months, amends various other aspects of accounting for leases by lessees and lessors, and requires enhanced disclosures. The new guidance is effective commencing in 2019 and requires a modified retrospective transition approach with application in all comparative periods presented (the “comparative method”), or alternatively, as of the effective date as the date of initial application without restating comparative period financial statements (the “effective date method”). The new guidance also provides several practical expedients and policies that companies may elect under either transition method. We have elected to apply the effective date method and the package of practical expedients under which we will not reassess the classification of our existing leases, reevaluate whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases or reassess initial direct costs under the new guidance. Additionally, we have elected lessee and lessor practical expedients to not separate non-lease components from lease components. We did not elect the practical expedient that permits a reassessment of lease terms for existing leases. We performed an analysis of the impact of the new lease guidance and are in the process of completing the final phase of a comprehensive plan for our implementation of the new guidance, including implementation of a new lease accounting system. The project plan includes analyzing the impact of the new guidance on our current lease contracts, reviewing the completeness of our existing lease portfolio, comparing our accounting policies under current accounting guidance to the new accounting guidance and identifying potential differences from applying the requirements of the new guidance to our lease contracts. Upon our transition to the new guidance, we currently expect to recognize approximately $1.1 billion of operating lease liabilities. Additionally, we expect to record right-of-use assets in a corresponding amount, net of amounts reclassified from other assets and liabilities, as specified by the new lease guidance. We also expect this guidance will result in the gross presentation of property tax and maintenance expenses and related lessee reimbursements as franchise and property expenses and franchise and property revenues, respectively. These expenses and reimbursements are presented on a net basis under current accounting guidance. Otherwise, we do not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated statements of operations. We do not expect an impact to the amount or timing of our cash flows or liquidity. Goodwill Impairment – In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance to simplify how an entity measures goodwill impairment by removing the second step of the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. An entity will no longer be required to perform a hypothetical purchase price allocation to measure goodwill impairment. Instead, impairment will be measured at the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of a reporting unit; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The amendment requires prospective adoption and is effective commencing in 2020 with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this new guidance will not have a material impact on our Financial Statements. Hedge Accounting – In August 2017, the FASB issued guidance to improve the transparency and understandability of information conveyed to financial statement users about an entity's risk management activities and to simplify the application of hedge accounting by preparers. We adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018 (the “Adoption Date”). The new guidance eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness for cash flow and net investment hedges that are deemed effective. Most notably, for our cross-currency swaps designated as net investment hedges, the new guidance permits the exclusion of the interest component (the “Excluded Component”) from the accounting hedge without affecting net investment hedge designation. The initial value of the Excluded Component may be recognized in earnings on a systematic and rational basis over the life of the derivative instrument. Subsequent to the Adoption Date, we changed the method of assessing effectiveness for net investment hedges using derivatives from the forward method to the spot method. We de-designated the cross-currency swaps and re-designated them as of March 15, 2018 (the “Re-designation Date”). As a result of adopting the new guidance and the re-designation of our cross-currency swaps, we will recognize a benefit from the amortization of the initial value of the Excluded Component as a component of Interest expense, net in our consolidated statements of operations rather than as a component of other comprehensive income. All changes in fair value of the instruments related to currency fluctuations will continue to be recognized within other comprehensive income. The impact of adoption did not have a material effect on our Financial Statements as of the Adoption Date. We recorded a $60 million net benefit to Interest expense, net from the Re-designation Date through December 31, 2018 in our consolidated statements of operations for the amortization of the initial value of the Excluded Component, as described above. We believe the new guidance better portrays the economic results of our risk management activities and net investment hedges in our Financial Statements. Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects – In February 2018, the FASB issued guidance which allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for the tax effects of certain items within accumulated other comprehensive income. The amendment is effective commencing in 2019 with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this new guidance will not have a material impact on our Financial Statements. Share-based payment arrangements with nonemployees – In June 2018, the FASB issued guidance which simplifies the accounting for share-based payments granted to nonemployees for goods and services. Most of the guidance on such payments to nonemployees would be aligned with the requirements for share-based payments granted to employees. The amendment is effective commencing in 2019 with early adoption permitted. The adoption of this new guidance will not have a material impact on our Financial Statements.

Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Reclassification of assets

These consist of the reclassification of $20 million and $19 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, from changes in Other long-term assets and liabilities to Tenant inducements paid to franchisees in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows and the December 31, 2017 reclassification of Advertising fund restricted assets to Cash and cash equivalents, Accounts and notes receivable, net and Prepaids and other current assets and the reclassification of Advertising fund liabilities to Accounts and drafts payable and Other accrued liabilities as detailed below (in millions). These reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net income.



	December 31, 2017					December 31, 2017
	As Reported		Reclassification			As Adjusted
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,073	$	24		$	1,097
Accounts and notes receivable, net	456		33			489
Inventories, net	78		—			78
Advertising fund restricted assets	83		(83		)	—
Prepaids and other current assets	60		26			86
Total current assets	$	1,750	$	—		$	1,750

Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	$	413	$	83		$	496
Other accrued liabilities	838		28			866
Gift card liability	215		—			215
Advertising fund liabilities	111		(111		)	—
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	78		—			78
Total current liabilities	$	1,655	$	—		$	1,655

Schedule of fair value measurements

The following table presents the fair value of our variable rate term debt and senior notes, estimated using inputs based on bid and offer prices that are Level 2 inputs, and principal carrying amount (in billions):



	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Fair value of our variable term debt and senior notes	$	11	$	12
Principal carrying amount of our variable term debt and senior notes	12		12

Popeyes Acquisition (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Schedule of Preliminary Allocation of Consideration to Net Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired

The final allocation of consideration to the net tangible and intangible assets acquired is presented in the table below (in millions):



	March 27, 2017
Total current assets	$	64
Property and equipment	114
Intangible assets	1,405
Other assets	1
Total current liabilities	(73		)
Total debt and capital lease obligations	(159		)
Deferred income taxes	(523		)
Other liabilities	(20		)
Total identifiable net assets	809
Goodwill	846
Total consideration	$	1,655

Earnings per Share (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share

The following table summarizes the basic and diluted earnings per share calculations (in millions, except per share amounts):



	2018		2017		2016
Numerator:
Net income attributable to common shareholders - basic	$	612	$	626	$	346
Add: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	531		585		337
Net income available to common shareholders and noncontrolling interests - diluted	$	1,143	$	1,211	$	683

Denominator:
Weighted average common shares - basic	249		237		233
Exchange of noncontrolling interests for common shares (Note 14)	216		226		228
Effect of other dilutive securities	8		14		9
Weighted average common shares - diluted	473		477		470

Basic earnings per share (a)	$	2.46	$	2.64	$	1.48
Diluted earnings per share (a)	$	2.42	$	2.54	$	1.45
Anti-dilutive securities outstanding	3		4		6


(a)	Earnings per share may not recalculate exactly as it is calculated based on unrounded numbers.

Property and Equipment, net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Summary of Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment, net, consist of the following (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Land	$	998		$	1,020
Buildings and improvements	1,145			1,172
Restaurant equipment	99			122
Furniture, fixtures, and other	182			171
Capital leases	257			256
Construction in progress	19			15
	2,700			2,756
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(704		)	(623		)
Property and equipment, net	$	1,996		$	2,133

Intangible Assets, net and Goodwill (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Intangible Assets, Net and Goodwill

Intangible assets, net and goodwill consist of the following (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018							2017
	Gross		Accumulated Amortization			Net		Gross		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Identifiable assets subject to amortization:
Franchise agreements	$	705	$	(194	)	$	511	$	725	$	(168	)	$	557
Favorable leases	407		(200		)	207		456		(194		)	262
Subtotal	1,112		(394		)	718		1,181		(362		)	819
Indefinite lived intangible assets:
Tim Hortons brand	$	6,259	$	—		$	6,259	$	6,727	$	—		$	6,727
Burger King brand	2,131		—			2,131		2,161		—			2,161
Popeyes brand	1,355		—			1,355		1,355		—			1,355
Subtotal	9,745		—			9,745		10,243		—			10,243
Intangible assets, net						$	10,463						$	11,062

Goodwill
Tim Hortons segment	$	4,038						$	4,326
Burger King segment	602							610
Popeyes segment	846							846
Total	$	5,486						$	5,782

Schedule of Estimated Future Amortization Expenses on Intangible Assets

As of December 31, 2018, the estimated future amortization expense on identifiable assets subject to amortization is as follows (in millions):



Twelve-months ended December 31,	Amount
2019	$	64
2020	59
2021	55
2022	51
2023	48
Thereafter	441
Total	$	718

Equity Method Investments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]

Summary of Franchise and Property Revenue

Franchise and property revenue recognized from franchisees that are owned or franchised by entities in which we have an equity interest consist of the following (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Revenues from affiliates:
Royalties	$	310	$	175	$	132
Property revenues	36		27		28
Franchise fees and other revenue	11		26		19
Total	$	357	$	228	$	179

Other Accrued Liabilities and Other Liabilities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Other Accrued Liabilities (Current) and Other Liabilities (Non-Current), Net

Other accrued liabilities (current) and other liabilities, net (non-current) consist of the following (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018		2017
Current:
Dividend payable	$	207	$	97
Interest payable	87		89
Accrued compensation and benefits	69		67
Taxes payable	113		401
Deferred income	27		43
Accrued advertising expenses	30		27
Closed property reserve	9		11
Restructuring and other provisions	11		12
Other	84		119
Other accrued liabilities	$	637	$	866
Non-current:
Derivatives liabilities	$	179	$	499
Taxes payable	493		496
Contract liabilities, net	486		10
Unfavorable leases	192		252
Accrued pension	64		72
Accrued lease straight-lining liability	69		46
Deferred income	22		27
Other	42		53
Other liabilities, net	$	1,547	$	1,455

Long-Term Debt (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Summary of Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt consist of the following (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Term Loan Facility (due February 17, 2024)	$	6,338		$	6,389
2017 4.25% Senior Notes (due May 15, 2024)	1,500			1,500
2015 4.625% Senior Notes (due January 15, 2022)	1,250			1,250
2017 5.00% Senior Notes (due October 15, 2025)	2,800			2,800
Other	150			89
Less: unamortized deferred financing costs and deferred issuance discount	(145		)	(170		)
Total debt, net	11,893			11,858
Less: current maturities of debt	(70		)	(57		)
Total long-term debt	$	11,823		$	11,801

Summary of Aggregate Maturities of Long-Term Debt

The aggregate maturities of our long-term debt as of December 31, 2018 are as follows (in millions):



Year Ended December 31,	Principal Amount
2019	$	70
2020	74
2021	72
2022	1,324
2023	78
Thereafter	10,420
Total	$	12,038

Schedule of Interest Expense, Net

Interest expense, net consists of the following (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Debt (a)	$	498		$	484		$	412
Capital lease obligations	23			21			20
Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount	29			33			39
Interest income	(15		)	(26		)	(4		)
Interest expense, net	$	535		$	512		$	467


(a)	Amount includes $60 million benefit during 2018 from our adoption of a new hedge accounting standard. See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies – New Accounting Pronouncements, for further details of the effects of this change in accounting principle on Interest expense, net.

Leases (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Leases [Abstract]

Summary of Assets Lease, Property and Equipment, Net

Assets leased to franchisees and others under operating leases where we are the lessor and which are included within our property and equipment, net are as follows (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Land	$	906		$	931
Buildings and improvements	1,175			1,215
Restaurant equipment	17			17
	2,098			2,163
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(475		)	(407		)
Property and equipment leased, net	$	1,623		$	1,756

Summary of Net Investment, Direct Financing Leases

Our net investment in direct financing leases is as follows (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Future rents to be received:
Future minimum lease receipts	$	60		$	77
Contingent rents (a)	29			39
Estimated unguaranteed residual value	16			17
Unearned income	(35		)	(45		)
	70			88
Current portion included within accounts receivables	(16		)	(17		)
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	$	54		$	71


(a)	Amounts represent estimated contingent rents recorded in connection with the acquisition method of accounting.

Summary of Property Revenue

Property revenues are comprised primarily of rental income from operating leases and earned income on direct financing leases with franchisees as follows (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Rental income:
Minimum	$	454	$	464	$	451
Contingent	273		284		282
Amortization of favorable and unfavorable income lease contracts, net	8		8		9
Total rental income	735		756		742
Earned income on direct financing leases	9		9		11
Total property revenues	$	744	$	765	$	753

Summary of Rent Expense Associated with Lease Commitments

Rent expense associated with these lease commitments is as follows (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Rental expense:
Minimum	$	201	$	198	$	193
Contingent	71		71		71
Amortization of favorable and unfavorable payable lease contracts, net	9		10		9
Total rental expense (a)	$	281	$	279	$	273


(a)	Amounts include rental expense related to properties subleased to franchisees of $263 million for 2018, $263 million for 2017, and $254 million for 2016.

Summary of Future Minimum Lease Receipts and Commitments

As of December 31, 2018, future minimum lease receipts and commitments are as follows (in millions):



	Lease Receipts				Lease Commitments (a)
	Direct Financing Leases		Operating Leases		Capital Leases			Operating Leases
2019	$	14	$	416	$	38		$	183
2020	10		388		36			172
2021	7		360		34			158
2022	5		331		33			145
2023	5		306		30			130
Thereafter	19		1,704		201			831
Total minimum receipts / payments	$	60	$	3,505	372			$	1,619
Less amount representing interest					(125		)
Present value of minimum capital lease payments					247
Current portion of capital lease obligation					(21		)
Long-term portion of capital lease obligation					$	226


(a)	Minimum lease payments have not been reduced by minimum sublease rentals of $2,290 million due in the future under non-cancelable subleases.

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes

Income (loss) before income taxes, classified by source of income (loss), is as follows (in millions):



	2018		2017			2016
Canadian	$	1,111	$	1,223		$	1,050
Foreign	271		(122		)	150
Income before income taxes	$	1,382	$	1,101		$	1,200

Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Attributable to Income from Continuing Operations

Income tax (benefit) expense attributable to income from continuing operations consists of the following (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Current:
Canadian	$	25		$	438		$	79
U.S. Federal	95			113			45
U.S. state, net of federal income tax benefit	17			3			2
Other Foreign	72			54			38
	$	209		$	608		$	164
Deferred:
Canadian	$	78		$	(302	)	$	49
U.S. Federal	(65		)	(473		)	37
U.S. state, net of federal income tax benefit	13			34			(7		)
Other Foreign	3			(1		)	1
	$	29		$	(742	)	$	80
Income tax (benefit) expense	$	238		$	(134	)	$	244

Schedule of Statutory Rate Reconciles to Effective Income Tax Rate

The statutory rate reconciles to the effective income tax rate as follows:



	2018		2017		2016
Statutory rate	26.5	%	26.5	%	26.5	%
Costs and taxes related to foreign operations	4.2		8.9		9.6
Foreign exchange gain (loss)	(0.1	)	(7.7	)	0.1
Foreign tax rate differential	(6.1	)	(1.9	)	(1.0	)
Change in valuation allowance	3.2		12.0		0.2
Change in accrual for tax uncertainties	0.1		(0.4	)	1.0
Intercompany financing	(4.4	)	(19.5	)	(16.0	)
Impact of Tax Act	(1.9	)	(27.4	)	—
Benefit from stock option exercises	(5.0	)	(4.9	)	—
Other	0.7		2.3		(0.1	)
Effective income tax rate	17.2	%	(12.1	)%	20.3	%

Schedule of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Allocated to Continuing Operations and Amounts Separately Allocated to Other Items

Income tax (benefit) expense allocated to continuing operations and amounts separately allocated to other items was (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Income tax (benefit) expense from continuing operations	$	238		$	(134	)	$	244
Cash flow hedge in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(2		)	5			(2		)
Net investment hedge in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	101			(13		)	12
Pension liability in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	—			(2		)	(2		)
Stock option tax benefit in common shares	—			—			(9		)
Total	$	337		$	(144	)	$	243

Schedule of Deferred Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Attributable to Income from Continuing Operations

The significant components of deferred income tax (benefit) expense attributable to income from continuing operations are as follows (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Deferred income tax (benefit) expense	$	(14	)	$	(449	)	$	78
Change in valuation allowance	43			133			2
Change in effective Canadian income tax rate	(3		)	—			—
Change in effective U.S. federal income tax rate	(8		)	(433		)	—
Change in effective U.S. state income tax rate	15			4			(3		)
Change in effective foreign income tax rate	(4		)	3			3
Total	$	29		$	(742	)	$	80

Schedule of the Deferred Tax Assets and Deferred Tax Liabilities

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are presented below (in millions):



	As of December 31,
	2018			2017
Deferred tax assets:
Accounts and notes receivable	$	5		$	5
Accrued employee benefits	49			49
Unfavorable leases	123			146
Liabilities not currently deductible for tax	176			74
Tax loss and credit carryforwards	509			550
Derivatives	25			136
Other	8			—
Total gross deferred tax assets	895			960
Valuation allowance	(325		)	(282		)
Net deferred tax assets	570			678
Less deferred tax liabilities:
Property and equipment, principally due to differences in depreciation	43			33
Intangible assets	1,734			1,791
Leases	105			129
Statutory impairment	31			26
Outside basis difference	35			68
Total gross deferred tax liabilities	1,948			2,047
Net deferred tax liability	$	1,378		$	1,369

Summary of Changes in Valuation Allowance

Changes in the valuation allowance are as follows (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Beginning balance	$	282	$	133	$	125
Additions due to acquisition	—		9		—
Change in estimates recorded to deferred income tax expense	43		133		2
Changes from foreign currency exchange rates	—		6		(1		)
True-ups from changes in losses and credits	—		1		7
Ending balance	$	325	$	282	$	133

Summary of Amount and Expiration Dates of Operating Loss and Tax Credit Carry-forwards

The gross amount and expiration dates of operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards as of December 31, 2018 are as follows (in millions):



	Amount		Expiration Date
Canadian net operating loss carryforwards	$	735	2036-2038
Canadian capital loss carryforwards	1,139		Indefinite
U.S. state net operating loss carryforwards	595		2019-2038
U.S. foreign tax credits	81		2019-2028
Other foreign net operating loss carryforwards	192		Indefinite
Other foreign net operating loss carryforwards	57		2020-2037
Other foreign capital loss carryforward	30		Indefinite
Foreign credits	2		2019-2036
Total	$	2,831

A Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Amounts of Unrecognized Tax Benefits

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in millions):



	2018			2017			2016
Beginning balance	$	461		$	241		$	239
Additions on tax position related to the current year	1			186			2
Additions for tax positions of prior years	18			41			6
Additions for tax positions taken in conjunction with acquisition of Tim Hortons	—			2			—
Reductions for tax positions of prior year	(18		)	—			(1		)
Reductions for settlement	(18		)	(2		)	(5		)
Reductions due to statute expiration	(3		)	(7		)	—
Ending balance	$	441		$	461		$	241

Derivative Instruments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Quantitative Disclosures of Derivative Instruments

The following tables present the required quantitative disclosures for our derivative instruments, including their estimated fair values (all estimated using Level 2 inputs) and their location on our consolidated balance sheets (in millions):



	Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
	2018			2017			2016
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges⁽¹⁾
Interest rate swaps	$	(37	)	$	(6	)	$	(23	)
Forward-currency contracts	$	11		$	(9	)	$	(5	)
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges
Cross-currency rate swaps	$	383		$	(384	)	$	(87	)


(1)	We did not exclude any components from the cash flow hedge relationships presented in this table.



	Location of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Earnings	Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Earnings
		2018			2017			2016
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges
Interest rate swaps	Interest expense, net	$	(19	)	$	(31	)	$	(21	)
Forward-currency contracts	Cost of sales	$	(1	)	$	(3	)	$	—

	Location of Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings	Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings (Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing)
		2018			2017			2016
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges
Cross-currency rate swaps	Interest expense, net	$	60		$	—		$	—

Summary of Fair Value Measurements



	Fair Value as of December 31,
	2018		2017		Balance Sheet Location
Assets:
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges
Foreign currency	$	7	$	1	Prepaids and other current assets
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges
Foreign currency	58		—		Other assets, net
Total assets at fair value	$	65	$	1
Liabilities:
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges
Interest rate	$	72	$	42	Other liabilities, net
Foreign currency	—		5		Other accrued liabilities
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges
Foreign currency	107		456		Other liabilities, net
Total liabilities at fair value	$	179	$	503

Shareholders' Equity (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Equity [Abstract]

Summary of Change in Components of AOCI

The following table displays the change in the components of AOCI (in millions):



	Derivatives			Pensions			Foreign Currency Translation			Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Balances at December 31, 2015	$	318		$	(12	)	$	(1,039	)	$	(733	)
Foreign currency translation adjustment	—			—			223			223
Net change in fair value of derivatives, net of tax	(119		)	—			—			(119		)
Amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges, net of tax	16			—			—			16
Pension and post-retirement benefit plans, net of tax	—			(8		)	—			(8		)
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	61			4			(142		)	(77		)
Balances at December 31, 2016	276			(16		)	(958		)	(698		)
Foreign currency translation adjustment	—			—			824			824
Net change in fair value of derivatives, net of tax	(382		)	—			—			(382		)
Amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges, net of tax	25			—			—			25
Pension and post-retirement benefit plans, net of tax	—			4			—			4
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	178			(3		)	(424		)	(249		)
Balances at December 31, 2017	97			(15		)	(558		)	(476		)
Foreign currency translation adjustment	—			—			(831		)	(831		)
Net change in fair value of derivatives, net of tax	263			—			—			263
Amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges, net of tax	14			—			—			14
Pension and post-retirement benefit plans, net of tax	—			1			—			1
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	(121		)	(1		)	351			229
Balances at December 31, 2018	$	253		$	(15	)	$	(1,038	)	$	(800	)

Share-based Compensation (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Summary of Share-based Compensation Expense

Share-based compensation expense consists of the following for the periods presented (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Stock options, stock options with tandem SARs and RSUs (a)	$	48	$	48	$	35
Accelerated vesting of Popeyes stock options (b)	—		12		—
Total share-based compensation expense (c)	$	48	$	60	$	35


(a)	Includes $2 million, $5 million, and $1 million due to modification of awards in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.


(b)	Represents expense attributed to the post-combination service associated with the accelerated vesting of stock options in connection with the Popeyes Acquisition.


(c)	Generally classified as selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

Summary of the Significant Assumptions Used During the Year to Estimate the Fair Value of Stock Options

The following assumptions were used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair value of stock option awards at the grant date:



	2018	2017	2016
Risk-free interest rate	2.13%	1.23% - 1.25%	0.85%
Expected term (in years)	6.39	6.74	6.74
Expected volatility	25.2%	24.5%	26.6%
Expected dividend yield	3.08%	1.37%	1.81%

Summary of Option Activity under the Various Plan

The following is a summary of stock option activity under our plans for the year ended December 31, 2018:



	Total Number of Options (in 000’s)		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (a) (in 000’s)		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years)
Outstanding at January 1, 2018	20,071		$	25.15
Granted	1,548		$	58.19
Exercised	(7,268	)	$	8.37
Forfeited	(748	)	$	48.26
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	13,603		$	36.41	$	231,988	6.2
Exercisable at December 31, 2018	3,118		$	16.32	$	112,215	3.8
Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2018	12,479		$	35.75	$	220,320	6.1


(a)	The intrinsic value represents the amount by which the fair value of our stock exceeds the option exercise price at December 31, 2018.

Summary of Time-Vested RSUs and Performance-Based RSUs Activity

The following is a summary of time-vested RSUs and performance-based RSUs activity for the year ended December 31, 2018:



	Time-vested RSUs				Performance-based RSUs
	Total Number of Shares (in 000’s)		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value		Total Number of Shares (in 000’s)		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding at January 1, 2018	1,293		$	38.64	1,590		$	36.31
Granted	329		$	57.68	920		$	58.49
Vested and settled	(43	)	$	41.62	(81	)	$	34.68
Dividend equivalents granted	31		$	—	58		$	—
Forfeited	(110	)	$	51.05	(80	)	$	34.65
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	1,500		$	41.88	2,407		$	45.25

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Change in contract liabilities

The following table reflects the change in contract liabilities by segment and on a consolidated basis between the date of adoption (January 1, 2018) and December 31, 2018 (in millions):



Contract Liabilities	TH			BK			PLK		Consolidated
Balance at January 1, 2018	$	47		$	402		$	6	$	455
Revenue recognized that was included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the year	(6		)	(43		)	—		(49		)
Increase, excluding amounts recognized as revenue during the period	24			58			13		95
Impact of foreign currency translation	(3		)	(12		)	—		(15		)
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	62		$	405		$	19	$	486

Schedule of estimated revenues expected to be recognized

The following table illustrates estimated revenues expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) by segment and on a consolidated basis as of December 31, 2018 (in millions):



Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	TH		BK		PLK		Consolidated
2019	$	7	$	30	$	1	$	38
2020	7		29		1		37
2021	7		28		1		36
2022	6		28		1		35
2023	6		27		1		34
Thereafter	29		263		14		306
Total	$	62	$	405	$	19	$	486

Disaggregation of total revenues

Total revenues consist of the following (in millions):



	2018		2017		2016
Sales	$	2,355	$	2,390	$	2,205
Royalties	2,165		1,215		993
Property revenues	744		765		753
Franchise fees and other revenue	93		206		195
Total revenues	$	5,357	$	4,576	$	4,146

Schedule of new accounting pronouncements and adjustments

The following tables reflect the impact of adoption of ASC 606 on our consolidated statements of operations for 2018 and cash flows from operating activities for 2018 and our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 and the amounts as if the Previous Standards were in effect (“Amounts Under Previous Standards”) (in millions):

Consolidated Statement of Operations for 2018



	As Reported			Total Adjustments			Amounts Under Previous Standards
Revenues:
Sales	$	2,355		$	—		$	2,355
Franchise and property revenues	3,002			(750		)	2,252
Total revenues	5,357			(750		)	4,607
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of sales	1,818			—			1,818
Franchise and property expenses	422			—			422
Selling, general and administrative expenses	1,214			(785		)	429
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(22		)	(6		)	(28		)
Other operating expenses (income), net	8			(1		)	7
Total operating costs and expenses	3,440			(792		)	2,648
Income from operations	1,917			42			1,959
Interest expense, net	535			1			536
Income before income taxes	1,382			41			1,423
Income tax expense	238			9			247
Net income	1,144			32			1,176
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	532			15			547
Net income attributable to common shareholders	$	612		$	17		$	629

Earnings per common share:
Basic	$	2.46					$	2.53
Diluted	$	2.42					$	2.49

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for 2018

The transition to ASC 606 had no net impact on our cash provided by operating activities and no impact on our cash used for investing activities or cash used for financing activities during 2018.



				Total			Amounts Under
	As Reported			Adjustments			Previous Standards
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$	1,144		$	32		$	1,176
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	180			—			180
Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount	29			—			29
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(22		)	(6		)	(28		)
Loss (gain) on remeasurement of foreign denominated transactions	(33		)	—			(33		)
Net (gains) losses on derivatives	(40		)	—			(40		)
Share-based compensation expense	48			—			48
Deferred income taxes	29			9			38
Other	5			—			5
Changes in current assets and liabilities, excluding acquisitions and dispositions:
Accounts and notes receivable	19			—			19
Inventories and prepaids and other current assets	(7		)	6			(1		)
Accounts and drafts payable	41			7			48
Other accrued liabilities and gift card liability	(219		)	(6		)	(225		)
Tenant inducements paid to franchisees	(52		)	—			(52		)
Other long-term assets and liabilities	43			(42		)	1
Net cash provided by operating activities	$	1,165		$	—		$	1,165

Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018



	As Reported			Total			Amounts Under
	December 31, 2018			Adjustments			Previous Standards
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	913		$	—		$	913
Accounts and notes receivable, net	452			—			452
Inventories, net	75			—			75
Prepaids and other current assets	60			17			77
Total current assets	1,500			17			1,517
Property and equipment, net	1,996			—			1,996
Intangible assets, net	10,463			—			10,463
Goodwill	5,486			—			5,486
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	54			—			54
Other assets, net	642			(101		)	541
Total assets	$	20,141		$	(84	)	$	20,057
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	$	513		$	7		$	520
Other accrued liabilities	637			(15		)	622
Gift card liability	167			42			209
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	91			—			91
Total current liabilities	1,408			34			1,442
Term debt, net of current portion	11,823			—			11,823
Capital leases, net of current portion	226			—			226
Other liabilities, net	1,547			(468		)	1,079
Deferred income taxes, net	1,519			67			1,586
Total liabilities	16,523			(367		)	16,156
Shareholders’ equity:
Common shares	1,737			—			1,737
Retained earnings	674			155			829
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(800		)	—			(800		)
Total RBI shareholders’ equity	1,611			155			1,766
Noncontrolling interests	2,007			128			2,135
Total shareholders’ equity	3,618			283			3,901
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	20,141		$	(84	)	$	20,057

As a result of applying the modified retrospective method to transition to ASC 606, the following adjustments were made to the consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2018 (in millions):



	As Reported			Total			Adjusted
	December 31, 2017			Adjustments			January 1, 2018
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,097		$	—		$	1,097
Accounts and notes receivable, net	489			—			489
Inventories, net	78			—			78
Prepaids and other current assets	86			(23		)	63
Total current assets	1,750			(23		)	1,727
Property and equipment, net	2,133			—			2,133
Intangible assets, net	11,062			—			11,062
Goodwill	5,782			—			5,782
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	71			—			71
Other assets, net	426			107			533
Total assets	$	21,224		$	84		$	21,308
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	$	496		$	—		$	496
Other accrued liabilities	866			9			875
Gift card liability	215			(43		)	172
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	78			—			78
Total current liabilities	1,655			(34		)	1,621
Term debt, net of current portion	11,801			—			11,801
Capital leases, net of current portion	244			—			244
Other liabilities, net	1,455			426			1,881
Deferred income taxes, net	1,508			(58		)	1,450
Total liabilities	16,663			334			16,997
Shareholders’ equity:
Common shares	2,052			—			2,052
Retained earnings	651			(132		)	519
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(476		)	—			(476		)
Total RBI shareholders’ equity	2,227			(132		)	2,095
Noncontrolling interests	2,334			(118		)	2,216
Total shareholders’ equity	4,561			(250		)	4,311
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	21,224		$	84		$	21,308

Other Operating Expenses (Income), net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]

Other Operating Expenses (Income), Net

Other operating expenses (income), net, consist of the following (in millions):



	2018			2017		2016
Net losses on disposal of assets, restaurant closures and refranchisings	$	19		$	29	$	18
Litigation settlements and reserves, net	11			2		1
Net losses (gains) on foreign exchange	(33		)	77		(20		)
Other, net	11			1		—
Other operating expenses (income), net	$	8		$	109	$	(1	)

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Revenues by Operating Segment and Country

The following tables present revenues, by segment and by country, depreciation and amortization, (income) loss from equity method investments, and capital expenditures by segment (in millions):



	2018 As Reported		2018 Amounts Under Previous Standards		2017		2016
Revenues by operating segment:
TH	$	3,292	$	3,077	$	3,155	$	3,001
BK	1,651		1,251		1,219		1,145
PLK	414		279		202		—
Total	$	5,357	$	4,607	$	4,576	$	4,146

Revenues by country (a):
Canada	$	2,984			$	2,832	$	2,672
United States	1,785				1,190		1,004
Other	588				554		470
Total	$	5,357			$	4,576	$	4,146

(a)Only Canada and the United States represented 10% or more of our total revenues in each period presented.

Depreciation and Amortization Expense



Depreciation and amortization:
TH	$	108	$	110	$	108
BK	61		62		64
PLK	11		10		—
Total	$	180	$	182	$	172

(Income) Loss from Equity Method Investments



(Income) loss from equity method investments:
TH	$	(6	)	$	(8	)	$	(8	)
BK	(16		)	(4		)	(12		)
Total	$	(22	)	$	(12	)	$	(20	)

Capital Expenditure



Capital expenditures:
TH	$	59	$	13	$	12
BK	25		23		22
PLK	2		1		—
Total	$	86	$	37	$	34

Schedule of Segment Related Assets and Long Lived Assets

Total assets by segment, and long-lived assets by segment and country are as follows (in millions):



	Assets				Long-Lived Assets
	As of December 31,				As of December 31,
	2018		2017		2018		2017
By operating segment:
TH	$	12,666	$	13,733	$	1,226	$	1,351
BK	4,514		4,633		729		751
PLK	2,420		2,440		95		102
Unallocated	541		418		—		—
Total	$	20,141	$	21,224	$	2,050	$	2,204
By country:
Canada					$	945	$	1,059
United States					1,098		1,138
Other					7		7
Total					$	2,050	$	2,204

Reconciliation of Segment Income to Net Income (Loss)



	2018 As Reported			2018 Amounts Under Previous Standards			2017			2016
Segment income:
TH	$	1,127		$	1,128		$	1,136		$	1,072
BK	928			950			903			816
PLK	157			169			107			—
Adjusted EBITDA	2,212			2,247			2,146			1,888
Share-based compensation and non-cash incentive compensation expense	55			55			55			42
PLK Transaction costs	10			10			62			—
Corporate restructuring and tax advisory fees	25			25			2			—
Office centralization and relocation costs	20			20			—			—
Integration costs	—			—			—			16
Impact of equity method investments (a)	(3		)	(9		)	1			(8		)
Other operating expenses (income), net	8			7			109			(1		)
EBITDA	2,097			2,139			1,917			1,839
Depreciation and amortization	180			180			182			172
Income from operations	1,917			1,959			1,735			1,667
Interest expense, net	535			536			512			467
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	—			—			122			—
Income tax expense (benefit)	238			247			(134		)	244
Net income (loss)	$	1,144		$	1,176		$	1,235		$	956


(a)	Represents (i) (income) loss from equity method investments and (ii) cash distributions received from our equity method investments. Cash distributions received from our equity method investments are included in segment income.

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]

Summarized Unaudited Quarterly Financial Data

Summarized unaudited quarterly financial data (in millions, except per share data) was as follows:



	Quarters Ended
	March 31,				June 30,				September 30,				December 31,
	2018		2017		2018		2017		2018		2017		2018		2017
Total revenues	$	1,254	$	1,001	$	1,343	$	1,132	$	1,375	$	1,209	$	1,385	$	1,234
Income from operations	$	421	$	336	$	503	$	415	$	477	$	479	$	516	$	505
Net income	$	279	$	167	$	314	$	243	$	250	$	247	$	301	$	578
Basic earnings per share	$	0.60	$	0.21	$	0.67	$	0.38	$	0.53	$	0.39	$	0.65	$	1.64
Diluted earnings per share	$	0.59	$	0.21	$	0.66	$	0.37	$	0.53	$	0.37	$	0.64	$	1.59

Description of Business and Organization - Additional Information (Details)	Dec. 31, 2018 Restaurant Country
Basis of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of restaurants in operation	25,744
Number of countries in which company and franchise restaurants operated (more than) \| Country	100
Percentage of franchised Tim Hortons and Burger King restaurants	100.00%
Tim Hortons
Basis of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of restaurants in operation	4,846
Burger King
Basis of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of restaurants in operation	17,796
Popeyes
Basis of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of restaurants in operation	3,102

Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Details)	10 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) Restaurant	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) Restaurant	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2019 USD ($)
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Investment in other affiliates	50.00%	50.00%
Other debt recognized	$ 150,000,000	$ 150,000,000	$ 89,000,000
Goodwill and Brand impairment		0	0	$ 0
Advertising expense, net of franchisee contributions		793,000,000	7,000,000	6,000,000
Gain (loss) recognized in other operating expenses (income), net		(535,000,000)	(512,000,000)	$ (467,000,000)
Construction loans
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Other debt recognized	71,000,000	$ 71,000,000	$ 83,000,000
Buildings and improvements
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets (up to)		40 years
Restaurant equipment
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets (up to)		17 years
Furniture, fixtures, and other
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets (up to)		10 years
Manufacturing equipment
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets (up to)		25 years
Capital leases
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets (up to)		40 years
Restaurant VIEs
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of consolidated restaurants \| Restaurant		17	31
Accounting Standards Update 2017-12
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Gain (loss) recognized in other operating expenses (income), net	$ 60,000,000
Pro Forma \| Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
Summary Of Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Lease liabilities					$ 1,100,000,000

Significant Accounting Policies - Reclassification of Certain Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2015
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Tenant inducements paid to franchisees	$ (52)	$ (20)	$ (19)
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	913	1,097	1,476	$ 1,097	$ 792
Accounts and notes receivable, net	452	489		489
Inventories, net	75	78		78
Advertising fund restricted assets		0
Prepaids and other current assets	60	86		63
Total current assets	1,500	1,750		1,727
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	513	496		496
Other accrued liabilities	637	866		875
Gift card liability	167	215		172
Advertising fund liabilities		0
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	91	78		78
Total current liabilities	$ 1,408	1,655		$ 1,621
As Reported
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		1,073
Accounts and notes receivable, net		456
Inventories, net		78
Advertising fund restricted assets		83
Prepaids and other current assets		60
Total current assets		1,750
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable		413
Other accrued liabilities		838
Gift card liability		215
Advertising fund liabilities		111
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases		78
Total current liabilities		1,655
Reclassification
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Tenant inducements paid to franchisees		20	$ 19
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		24
Accounts and notes receivable, net		33
Inventories, net		0
Advertising fund restricted assets		(83)
Prepaids and other current assets		26
Total current assets		0
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable		83
Other accrued liabilities		28
Gift card liability		0
Advertising fund liabilities		(111)
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases		0
Total current liabilities		$ 0

Significant Accounting Policies - Schedule of Fair Value Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Fair value of our variable term debt and senior notes	$ 11,000	$ 12,000
Principal carrying amount	$ 11,893	$ 11,858

Popeyes Acquisition - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 27, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Jan. 01, 2018
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets, net		$ 10,463	$ 11,062		$ 11,062
Franchise agreements
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets	$ 41
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets	17 years
Off-market favorable lease
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets	$ 9
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets	14 years
Popeyes Acquisition
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total consideration	$ 1,655
Value of equity awards transferred	33
Business acquisition funded by cash	355
PLK Transaction costs		$ 10	$ 62	$ 0
Intangible assets, net	1,355
Intangible assets	1,405
Popeyes Acquisition \| Selling, general and administrative expenses
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
PLK Transaction costs	34
Long-term Debt \| Popeyes Acquisition
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Incremental borrowings funded by business acquisition	$ 1,300

Popeyes Acquisition - Schedule of Preliminary Allocation of Consideration to Net Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired (Details) - Popeyes Acquisition $ in Millions	Mar. 27, 2017 USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total current assets	$ 64
Property and equipment	114
Intangible assets	1,405
Other assets	1
Total current liabilities	(73)
Total debt and capital lease obligations	(159)
Deferred income taxes	(523)
Other liabilities	(20)
Total identifiable net assets	809
Goodwill	846
Total consideration	$ 1,655

Earnings per Share - Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Numerator:
Net income attributable to common shareholders - basic									$ 612	$ 626	$ 346
Add: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests									531	585	337
Net income available to common shareholders and noncontrolling interests - diluted									$ 1,143	$ 1,211	$ 683
Denominator:
Weighted average common shares - basic (in shares)									249	237	233
Exchange of noncontrolling interests for common shares (in shares)									216	226	228
Effect of other dilutive securities (in shares)									8	14	9
Weighted average common shares - diluted (in shares)									473	477	470
Basic earnings (loss) per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.53	$ 0.67	$ 0.60	$ 1.64	$ 0.39	$ 0.38	$ 0.21	$ 2.46	$ 2.64	$ 1.48
Diluted earnings (loss) per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.64	$ 0.53	$ 0.66	$ 0.59	$ 1.59	$ 0.37	$ 0.37	$ 0.21	$ 2.42	$ 2.54	$ 1.45
Anti-dilutive securities outstanding (in shares)									3	4	6

Property and Equipment, net - Summary of Property and Equipment, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$ 2,700		$ 2,756
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(704)		(623)
Property and equipment, net	1,996	$ 2,133	2,133
Land
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	998		1,020
Buildings and improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	1,145		1,172
Restaurant equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	99		122
Furniture, fixtures, and other
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	182		171
Capital leases
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	257		256
Construction in progress
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$ 19		$ 15

Property and Equipment, net - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Depreciation and amortization expense on property and equipment	$ 148	$ 150	$ 144
Assets leased under capital leases, net	180	193
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	$ 77	$ 63

Intangible Assets, net and Goodwill - Schedule of Intangible Assets, Net and Goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Identifiable assets, Gross	$ 1,112		$ 1,181
Identifiable assets, accumulated amortization	(394)		(362)
Identifiable assets, Net	718		819
Indefinite lived intangible assets, Net	9,745		10,243
Intangible assets, net	10,463	$ 11,062	11,062
Goodwill	5,486	$ 5,782	5,782
Tim Hortons
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	4,038		4,326
Tim Hortons \| Trade Names
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Indefinite lived intangible assets, Net	6,259		6,727
Burger King
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	602		610
Burger King \| Trade Names
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Indefinite lived intangible assets, Net	2,131		2,161
Popeyes
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	846		846
Popeyes \| Trade Names
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Indefinite lived intangible assets, Net	1,355		1,355
Franchise agreements
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Identifiable assets, Gross	705		725
Identifiable assets, accumulated amortization	(194)		(168)
Identifiable assets, Net	511		557
Favorable leases
Finite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Identifiable assets, Gross	407		456
Identifiable assets, accumulated amortization	(200)		(194)
Identifiable assets, Net	$ 207		$ 262

Intangible Assets, net and Goodwill - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Amortization expense on intangible assets	$ 70	$ 72	$ 72

Intangible Assets, net and Goodwill - Schedule of the Estimated Future Amortization Expenses on Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
2019	$ 64
2020	59
2021	55
2022	51
2023	48
Thereafter	441
Total	$ 718	$ 819

Equity Method Investments - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Joint-venture interest	50.00%
Contingent rent expense	$ 71,000,000	$ 71,000,000	$ 71,000,000
Increase to carrying value of equity method investment	20,000,000	0	12,000,000
Equity method investee
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Accounts receivable from equity method investments	41,000,000	32,000,000
Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc.
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Quoted market price	93,000,000
BK Brasil
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Quoted market price	120,000,000
Tim Hortons \| Wendy's Company TIMWEN Partnership
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Cash distributions	13,000,000	12,000,000	11,000,000
Contingent rent expense	$ 20,000,000	20,000,000	$ 20,000,000
Canada \| TIMWEN Partnership
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Joint-venture interest	50.00%
United States \| Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc.
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Joint-venture interest	20.50%
China \| Pangaea Foods (China) Holdings, Ltd.
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Joint-venture interest	10.10%
Other assets, net
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity method investments	$ 259,000,000	$ 155,000,000

Equity Method Investments - Summary of Franchise and Property Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenues:
Property revenues									$ 744	$ 765	$ 753
Total revenues	$ 1,385	$ 1,375	$ 1,343	$ 1,254	$ 1,234	$ 1,209	$ 1,132	$ 1,001	5,357	4,576	4,146
Affiliates
Revenues:
Property revenues									36	27	28
Total revenues									357	228	179
Royalties
Revenues:
Revenues									2,165	1,215	993
Royalties \| Affiliates
Revenues:
Revenues									310	175	132
Franchise fees and other revenue
Revenues:
Revenues									93	206	195
Franchise fees and other revenue \| Affiliates
Revenues:
Revenues									$ 11	$ 26	$ 19

Other Accrued Liabilities and Other Liabilities - Schedule of Other Accrued Liabilities (Current) and Other Liabilities (Noncurrent), Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current:
Dividend payable	$ 207		$ 97
Interest payable	87		89
Accrued compensation and benefits	69		67
Taxes payable	113		401
Deferred income	27		43
Accrued advertising expenses	30		27
Closed property reserve	9		11
Restructuring and other provisions	11		12
Other	84		119
Other accrued liabilities	637	$ 875	866
Non-current:
Derivatives liabilities	179		499
Taxes payable	493		496
Contract liabilities, net	486		10
Unfavorable leases	192		252
Accrued pension	64		72
Accrued lease straight-lining liability	69		46
Deferred income	22		27
Other	42		53
Other liabilities, net	$ 1,547	$ 1,881	$ 1,455

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Long-Term Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Other	$ 150			$ 89
Less: unamortized deferred financing costs and deferred issuance discount	(145)			(170)
Total debt, net	11,893			11,858
Less: current maturities of debt	(70)			(57)
Total long-term debt	11,823		$ 11,801	11,801
Term Loan Facility (due February 17, 2024)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term loan facility	6,338			6,389
2017 4.25% Senior Notes (due May 15, 2024)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes	1,500			1,500
Stated interest rate (as a percent)		4.25%
2015 4.625% Senior Notes (due January 15, 2022)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes	1,250			1,250
Stated interest rate (as a percent)		4.625%
2017 5.00% Senior Notes (due October 15, 2025)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes	$ 2,800			$ 2,800
Stated interest rate (as a percent)		5.00%

Long-Term Debt - Credit Facilities (Details)		12 Months Ended
Long-Term Debt - Credit Facilities (Details)	Feb. 17, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 CAD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Capitalized debt issuance costs			$ 63,000,000	$ 0	$ 0
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		$ 0	122,000,000	$ 0
Eurocurrency rate loans
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Fluctuating interest rate points		1.00%
Term loan facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Senior secured revolving credit facility	$ 4,900,000,000
Repayment of outstanding term loan facility	$ 146,000,000
Interest rate	1.25%				1.25%	1.25%
Margin percentage for fluctuating interest rate	2.25%	2.25%
Capitalized debt issuance costs			11,000,000
Loss on early extinguishment of debt			20,000,000
Effective interest rate					4.77%	4.77%
Amortization of principal amount of Term Loan Facility		$ 16,000,000
2015 Senior Notes
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (as a percent)					4.625%	4.625%
Minimum
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Margin percentage for fluctuating interest rate alternative		1.25%
Minimum \| Base rate
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt instrument floor rate		1.00%
Minimum \| LIBOR
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt instrument floor rate		1.25%
Maximum
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Margin percentage for fluctuating interest rate alternative		2.00%
Maximum \| Base rate
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt instrument floor rate		0.25%
Maximum \| LIBOR
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt instrument floor rate		2.00%
Revolving credit facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Senior secured revolving credit facility	$ 500,000,000
Amount outstanding at the credit facility						$ 0
Letter of credit sublimit as part of revolving credit facility						125,000,000
Amount withdrawn from revolving credit facility						20,000,000
Remaining borrowing capacity						$ 480,000,000
Fluctuating interest rates					2.00%	2.00%
Revolving credit facility \| Minimum
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility interest rate on unused portion, minimum		0.25%
Senior notes \| 2017 4.25% Senior Notes (due May 15, 2024)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount of debt issued			1,500,000,000
Stated interest rate (as a percent)					4.25%	4.25%
2015 4.625% Senior Notes (due January 15, 2022)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (as a percent)							4.625%
2015 4.625% Senior Notes (due January 15, 2022) \| Revolving credit facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Senior secured revolving credit facility			150,000,000
Capitalized debt issuance costs			$ 1,000,000
Popeyes \| Term loan facility \| Incremental term loan
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Capitalized debt issuance costs						$ 23,000,000
Aggregate principal amount of debt issued						1,300,000,000
Popeyes \| Term loan facility \| Incremental term loan two
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount of debt issued						$ 250,000,000

Long-Term Debt - 2017 4.25% Senior Notes (Details) - USD ($)		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 12, 2014	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018
Senior notes \| 2017 4.25% Senior Notes (due May 15, 2024)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (as a percent)			4.25%
Aggregate principal amount of debt issued		$ 1,500,000,000
Debt issuance costs, net		$ 13,000,000
Preferred Share
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Preferred stock dividend rate percentage	9.00%	9.00%

Long-Term Debt - 2017 5.00% Senior Notes (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	$ 0	$ 122,000,000	$ 0
Senior notes \| 5% Senior Notes Indenture 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (as a percent)	5.00%
Aggregate principal amount of debt issued		2,800,000,000
Debt issuance costs, net		$ 15,000,000
Senior notes \| 6% Senior Notes Indenture 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (as a percent)	6.00%	6.00%
Redemption of 2014 senior notes		$ 2,250,000,000
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		$ 102,000,000

Long-Term Debt - 2015 4.625% Senior Notes (Details) - 2015 Senior Notes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Issuance of senior notes	$ 1,250,000,000
Stated interest rate (as a percent)	4.625%
Principal payments due	$ 0

Long-Term Debt - Restrictions and Covenants (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
2015 Senior Notes
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (as a percent)	4.625%
2011 Amended Credit Agreement
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
First lien senior secured leverage ratio limit	6.50
Amount of letter of credit outstanding	$ 50
Swingline loans outstanding percentage	30.00%
Senior notes \| 2017 4.25% Senior Notes (due May 15, 2024)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (as a percent)	4.25%
Senior notes \| 5% Senior Notes Indenture 2017
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (as a percent)	5.00%

Long-Term Debt - Other (Details) $ in Millions			3 Months Ended
Long-Term Debt - Other (Details) $ in Millions	Oct. 11, 2018 CAD ($)	Mar. 27, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 CAD ($)	Jun. 01, 2017 USD ($)
TH Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Maximum borrowing capacity	$ 100,000,000.0
Amount drawn			$ 100,000,000
Effective interest rate			3.64%
Canadian Bankers' Acceptance rate \| TH Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest rate	1.40%
Prime rate \| TH Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest rate	0.40%
Popeyes Acquisition
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Repayments of debt		$ 156
Senior notes \| Series 1
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount of debt issued				$ 36

Long-Term Debt - Debt Issuance Costs and Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 CAD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capitalized debt issuance costs		$ 63.0	$ 0.0	$ 0
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	$ 0.0	122.0	$ 0.0
6% Senior Notes Indenture 2014 \| Senior notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		$ 102.0
Stated interest rate (as a percent)		6.00%		6.00%

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Aggregate Maturities of Long-Term Debt (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
2019	$ 70
2020	74
2021	72
2022	1,324
2023	78
Thereafter	10,420
Total	$ 12,038

Long-Term Debt - Schedule of Interest Expense, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	10 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Debt		$ 498	$ 484	$ 412
Capital lease obligations		23	21	20
Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount		29	33	39
Interest income		(15)	(26)	(4)
Interest expense, net		$ 535	$ 512	$ 467
Accounting Standards Update 2017-12
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Interest expense, net	$ (60)

Leases - Additional Information (Details)	12 Months Ended
Leases - Additional Information (Details)	Dec. 31, 2018 Restaurant Property Building
Leases [Abstract]
Restaurant properties to franchisees leased or subleased \| Restaurant	5,284
Non restaurant properties to third parties under capital and operating leases \| Property	129
Minimum lease term for assets given on lease	10 years
Maximum lease term for assets given on lease	20 years
Number of restaurant buildings taken on lease \| Building	675
Minimum lease term for assets taken on lease	10 years
Maximum lease term for assets taken on lease	30 years

Leases - Summary of Assets Lease, Property and Equipment, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Property Subject to or Available for Operating Lease [Line Items]
Total lease, property and equipment	$ 2,098	$ 2,163
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(475)	(407)
Property and equipment leased, net	1,623	1,756
Land
Property Subject to or Available for Operating Lease [Line Items]
Total lease, property and equipment	906	931
Buildings and improvements
Property Subject to or Available for Operating Lease [Line Items]
Total lease, property and equipment	1,175	1,215
Restaurant equipment
Property Subject to or Available for Operating Lease [Line Items]
Total lease, property and equipment	$ 17	$ 17

Leases - Summary of Net Investment, Direct Financing Leases (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Leases [Abstract]
Future minimum lease receipts	$ 60		$ 77
Contingent rents	29		39
Estimated unguaranteed residual value	16		17
Unearned income	(35)		(45)
Net investment, direct financing leases	70		88
Current portion included within accounts receivables	(16)		(17)
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	$ 54	$ 71	$ 71

Leases - Summary of Property Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Lease Disclosure [Line Items]
Total rental income	$ 744	$ 765	$ 753
Franchise and Property Revenue
Lease Disclosure [Line Items]
Minimum	454	464	451
Contingent	273	284	282
Amortization of favorable and unfavorable income lease contracts, net	8	8	9
Total rental income	735	756	742
Earned income on direct financing leases	9	9	11
Total property revenues	$ 744	$ 765	$ 753

Leases - Summary of Rent Expense Associated with Lease Commitments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Leases [Abstract]
Minimum	$ 201	$ 198	$ 193
Contingent	71	71	71
Amortization of favorable and unfavorable payable lease contracts, net	9	10	9
Total rental expense	281	279	273
Rental expense from properties subleased to franchisees	$ 263	$ 263	$ 254

- Definition

The increases or decreases in lease payments that result from changes occurring after the inception of the lease in the factors (other than the passage of time) on which lease payments are based, except that any escalation of minimum lease payments relating to increases in construction or acquisition cost of the leased property or for increases in some measure of cost or value during the construction or preconstruction period, are excluded from contingent rentals. Contingent rentals also may include amounts for which the triggering events have not yet occurred or the specified targets for which have not yet been achieved (such as sales based percentage rent), but which events are considered probable of occurring or which specified targets are considered probable of being achieved.

+ References + Details

Leases - Summary of Future Minimum Lease Receipts and Commitments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Leases [Abstract]
Future minimum lease receipts, direct financing leases, 2019	$ 14
Future minimum lease receipts, direct financing leases, 2020	10
Future minimum lease receipts, direct financing leases, 2021	7
Future minimum lease receipts, direct financing leases, 2022	5
Future minimum lease receipts, direct financing leases, 2023	5
Future minimum lease receipts, direct financing leases, thereafter	19
Future minimum lease receipts, direct financing leases, total	60		$ 77
Future minimum lease receipts, operating leases, 2019	416
Future minimum lease receipts, operating leases, 2020	388
Future minimum lease receipts, operating leases, 2021	360
Future minimum lease receipts, operating leases, 2022	331
Future minimum lease receipts, operating leases, 2023	306
Future minimum lease receipts, operating leases, thereafter	1,704
Future minimum lease receipts, operating leases, total	3,505
Future minimum lease commitments, capital leases, 2019	38
Future minimum lease commitments, capital leases, 2020	36
Future minimum lease commitments, capital leases, 2021	34
Future minimum lease commitments, capital leases, 2022	33
Future minimum lease commitments, capital leases, 2023	30
Future minimum lease commitments, capital leases, thereafter	201
Future minimum lease commitments, capital leases, Total	372
Less amount representing interest	(125)
Present value of minimum capital lease payments	247
Current portion of capital lease obligation	(21)
Long-term portion of capital lease obligation	226	$ 244	$ 244
Future minimum lease commitments, operating leases, 2019	183
Future minimum lease commitments, operating leases, 2020	172
Future minimum lease commitments, operating leases, 2021	158
Future minimum lease commitments, operating leases, 2022	145
Future minimum lease commitments, operating leases, 2023	130
Future minimum lease commitments, operating leases, thereafter	831
Future minimum lease commitments, operating leases, total	1,619
Minimum sublease rentals under non-cancelable subleases	$ 2,290

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Income Tax [Line Items]
Provisional tax expense (benefit) due to TCJA		$ 420
Favorable adjustment as a result of remeasurement of net deferred tax liabilities	$ 9
Provisional charges carryforward related to TCJA		103
Favorable adjustment related to certain deductions allowed to be carried forward	3
Provisional estimate for transition tax related to TCJA		119
Favorable adjustment related to utilization of foreign tax credits	15
Increase in valuation allowance	43
Unrecognized tax benefits	441	461	$ 241	$ 239
Possible reduction in unrecognized tax benefits in the next twelve months	6
Total amount of accrued interest and penalties	51	37
Potential interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions	$ 14	$ 10	$ 11
Minimum
Income Tax [Line Items]
Income tax returns period subject to examination	3 years
Maximum
Income Tax [Line Items]
Income tax returns period subject to examination	5 years

Income Taxes - Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax [Line Items]
Foreign	$ 271	$ (122)	$ 150
Income before income taxes	1,382	1,101	1,200
Canada
Income Tax [Line Items]
Foreign	$ 1,111	$ 1,223	$ 1,050

Income Taxes - Income Tax (Benefit) Expense Attributable to Income from Continuing Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current:
Current Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	$ 209	$ 608	$ 164
Deferred:
Total	29	(742)	80
Income tax (benefit) expense	238	(134)	244
Canada
Current:
Foreign	25	438	79
Deferred:
Foreign	78	(302)	49
United States
Current:
U.S. Federal	95	113	45
U.S. state, net of federal income tax benefit	17	3	2
Deferred:
U.S. Federal	(65)	(473)	37
U.S. state, net of federal income tax benefit	13	34	(7)
Other Foreign
Current:
Foreign	72	54	38
Deferred:
Foreign	$ 3	$ (1)	$ 1

Income Taxes - Schedule of US Federal Tax Statutory Rate Reconciles to Effective Income Tax Rate (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Statutory rate	26.50%	26.50%	26.50%
Costs and taxes related to foreign operations	4.20%	8.90%	9.60%
Foreign exchange gain (loss)	(0.10%)	(7.70%)	0.10%
Foreign tax rate differential	(6.10%)	(1.90%)	(1.00%)
Change in valuation allowance	3.20%	12.00%	0.20%
Change in accrual for tax uncertainties	0.10%	(0.40%)	1.00%
Intercompany financing	(4.40%)	(19.50%)	(16.00%)
Impact of Tax Act	(1.90%)	(27.40%)	0.00%
Benefit from stock option exercises	(5.00%)	(4.90%)	0.00%
Other	0.70%	2.30%	(0.10%)
Effective income tax rate	17.20%	(12.10%)	20.30%

Income Taxes - Schedule of Income Tax (Benefit) Expense Allocated to Continuing Operations and Amounts Separately Allocated to Other Items (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income tax (benefit) expense	$ 238	$ (134)	$ 244
Cash flow hedge in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(2)	5	(2)
Net investment hedge in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	101	(13)	12
Pension liability in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	0	(2)	(2)
Stock option tax benefit in common shares	0	0	(9)
Total	$ 337	$ (144)	$ 243

Income Taxes - Schedule of Deferred Income Tax (Benefit) Expense Attributable to Income from Continuing Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Deferred income tax (benefit) expense	$ (14)	$ (449)	$ 78
Change in valuation allowance	43	133	2
Change in effective Canadian income tax rate	(3)	0	0
Change in effective foreign income tax rate	(4)	3	3
Change in effective U.S. federal income tax rate	(8)	(433)	0
Change in effective U.S. state income tax rate	15	4	(3)
Total	$ 29	$ (742)	$ 80

Income Taxes - Schedule of the Deferred Tax Assets and Deferred Tax Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Deferred tax assets:
Accounts and notes receivable	$ 5	$ 5
Accrued employee benefits	49	49
Unfavorable leases	123	146
Liabilities not currently deductible for tax	176	74
Tax loss and credit carryforwards	509	550
Derivatives	25	136
Other	8	0
Total gross deferred tax assets	895	960
Valuation allowance	(325)	(282)	$ (133)	$ (125)
Net deferred tax assets	570	678
Less deferred tax liabilities:
Property and equipment, principally due to differences in depreciation	43	33
Intangible assets	1,734	1,791
Leases	105	129
Statutory impairment	31	26
Outside basis difference	35	68
Total gross deferred tax liabilities	1,948	2,047
Net deferred tax liability	$ 1,378	$ 1,369

Income Taxes - Summary of Changes in Valuation Allowance (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
SEC Schedule, 12-09, Movement in Valuation Allowances and Reserves [Roll Forward]
Valuation Allowance, beginning balance	$ 282	$ 133	$ 125
Additions due to acquisition	0	9	0
Change in estimates recorded to deferred income tax expense	43	133	2
Changes from foreign currency exchange rates	0	6	(1)
True-ups from changes in losses and credits	0	1	7
Valuation Allowance, ending balance	$ 325	$ 282	$ 133

Income Taxes - Summary of Amount and Expiration Dates of Operating Loss and Tax Credit Carry-forwards (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Operating Loss And Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Total	$ 2,831
Canadian net operating loss carryforwards
Operating Loss And Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	735
Canadian capital loss carryforwards
Operating Loss And Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Capital loss carryforwards	1,139
U.S. state net operating loss carryforwards
Operating Loss And Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	595
U.S. foreign tax credits
Operating Loss And Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
U.S. foreign tax credits	81
Foreign tax credits
Operating Loss And Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	192
Capital loss carryforwards	30
Credits	2
Other foreign net operating loss carryforwards
Operating Loss And Tax Credit Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards	$ 57

Income Taxes - A Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Amounts of Unrecognized Tax Benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 461	$ 241	$ 239
Additions on tax position related to the current year	1	186	2
Additions for tax positions of prior years	18	41	6
Additions for tax positions taken in conjunction with acquisition of Tim Hortons	0	2	0
Reductions for tax positions of prior year	(18)	0	(1)
Reductions for settlement	(18)	(2)	(5)
Reductions due to statute expiration	(3)	(7)	0
Ending balance	$ 441	$ 461	$ 241

Derivative Instruments - Additional Information (Details) € in Millions, $ in Millions, $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 EUR (€)	Dec. 31, 2017 CAD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Maximum
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional value	$ 124
Interest expense, net
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Amount of pre-tax losses in AOCI expect to be reclassified into interest expense	12
Interest rate swaps
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional value	3,500		$ 2,500
Interest rate swaps \| Interest expense, net
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Net unrealized loss remaining in AOCI			$ 85
Cross currency interest rate contract
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Cash received on hedge		$ 764
Net unrealized gain remaining in AOCI		$ 533
Cross currency interest rate contract \| Fixed income interest rate
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional value	400				$ 6,754	$ 5,000
Hedge funds \| Cross currency interest rate contract \| Fixed income interest rate
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional value	$ 1,200			€ 1,108

Derivative Instruments - Quantitative Disclosures of Derivative Instruments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges \| Interest rate swaps
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	$ (37)	$ (6)	$ (23)
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges \| Interest rate swaps \| Interest expense, net
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Earnings	(19)	(31)	(21)
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges \| Forward-currency contracts
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	11	(9)	(5)
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges \| Forward-currency contracts \| Cost of sales
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Earnings	(1)	(3)	0
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges \| Cross-currency rate swaps
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	383	(384)	(87)
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges \| Cross-currency rate swaps \| Interest expense, net
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Gain or (Loss) Recognized in Earnings (Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing)	$ 60	$ 0	$ 0

Derivative Instruments - Summary of Fair Value Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivatives assets designated as cash flow hedges and net investment hedges	$ 65	$ 1
Derivatives liabilities designated as cash flow hedges and net investment hedges	179	503
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges \| Interest rate \| Other liabilities, net
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivatives liabilities designated as cash flow hedges and net investment hedges	72	42
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges \| Foreign currency \| Prepaids and other current assets
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivatives assets designated as cash flow hedges and net investment hedges	7	1
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges \| Foreign currency \| Other accrued liabilities
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivatives liabilities designated as cash flow hedges and net investment hedges	0	5
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges \| Foreign currency \| Other assets, net
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivatives assets designated as cash flow hedges and net investment hedges	58	0
Derivatives designated as net investment hedges \| Foreign currency \| Other liabilities, net
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivatives liabilities designated as cash flow hedges and net investment hedges	$ 107	$ 456

Redeemable Preferred Shares - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 12, 2017	Dec. 12, 2014	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Preferred shares redemption price per share (in dollars per share)				$ 48.109657
Preferred Share
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Preferred stock, shares issued		68,530,939
Preferred stock dividend rate percentage		9.00%	9.00%
Preferred stock par value (in dollars per share)				$ 43.775848
Aggregate consideration received	$ 3,116
Total redemption amount	3,297
Accrued and unpaid dividends	54
Adjustment for internal tax rate return	235
Related stock transaction costs	(1)
Increase in net income attributable to common shareholders	$ 234
Senior notes \| 2017 4.25% Senior Notes (due May 15, 2024)
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Stated interest rate (as a percent)				4.25%

Shareholders' Equity - Additional Information (Details)	12 Months Ended
Shareholders' Equity - Additional Information (Details)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) day shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) shares	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) shares
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Consecutive trading days \| day	20
Partnership exchangeable units (shares)	10,185,333	9,286,480	6,744,244
Repurchase of partnership exchangeable units (in shares)	10,000,000	5,000,000
Repurchase of Partnership exchangeable units \| $	$ 561,000,000	$ 330,000,000
Gain (loss) recorded on equity transactions \| $			$ 0
Restaurant Brands International Limited Partnership
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Partnership exchangeable units economic interest	45.20%	47.20%
Partnership exchangeable units economic interest, (shares)	207,523,591	217,708,924
Partnerships with exchangeable units
Stockholders Equity [Line Items]
Partnership exchangeable units (shares)	185,333	4,286,480

Shareholders' Equity - Summary of Change in Components of AOCI (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ 4,561	$ 3,489	$ 2,914
Foreign currency translation adjustment	(831)	824	223
Net change in fair value of derivatives, net of tax	263	(382)	(119)
Amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges, net of tax	14	25	16
Pension and post-retirement benefit plans, net of tax	1	4	(8)
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	229	(249)	(77)
Ending Balance	3,618	4,561	3,489
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	(476)	(698)	(733)
Ending Balance	(800)	(476)	(698)
Derivatives
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	97	276	318
Net change in fair value of derivatives, net of tax	263	(382)	(119)
Amounts reclassified to earnings of cash flow hedges, net of tax	14	25	16
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	(121)	178	61
Ending Balance	253	97	276
Pensions
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	(15)	(16)	(12)
Pension and post-retirement benefit plans, net of tax	1	4	(8)
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1)	(3)	4
Ending Balance	(15)	(15)	(16)
Foreign Currency Translation
AOCI Attributable to Parent, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	(558)	(958)	(1,039)
Foreign currency translation adjustment	(831)	824	223
Amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests	351	(424)	(142)
Ending Balance	$ (1,038)	$ (558)	$ (958)

Share-based Compensation - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
	Jan. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
New awards granted (in shares)		1,548,000
Expected term of grant options		6 years 4 months 20 days	6 years 8 months 27 days	6 years 8 months 27 days
Stock options, expiration period		10 years
Portion of options vesting on each anniversary date, vesting percentage		20.00%
Unrecognized compensation cost, recognition period		6 years 2 months 13 days
Fair value of options granted (in dollars per share)		$ 10.82	$ 12.57	$ 7.53
Total intrinsic value of stock options exercised		$ 371	$ 288	$ 47
Legacy BK Plans
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
New awards granted (in shares)	0
Legacy TH Plans
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
New awards granted (in shares)	0
Minimum \| U.S. Treasury Yield
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected term of grant options		3 years
Maximum \| U.S. Treasury Yield
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected term of grant options		5 years
First Anniversary
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Portion of options vesting on each anniversary date, vesting percentage		20.00%
Second Anniversary
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Portion of options vesting on each anniversary date, vesting percentage		40.00%
Third Anniversary
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Portion of options vesting on each anniversary date, vesting percentage		100.00%
2016 Omnibus Incentive Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares available for issuance under the Plan		16,945,969
Stock Compensation Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation cost		$ 126
Unrecognized compensation cost, recognition period		3 years 3 months 18 days
Limited performance-based RSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period		4 years
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Portion of options vesting on each anniversary date, vesting percentage		20.00%
Vesting period		5 years
Total intrinsic value of vested RSU's		$ 7	$ 6	$ 3
Performance-based RSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Portion of options vesting on each anniversary date, vesting percentage		100.00%
Vesting period		5 years
Employee service period		3 years
Performance-based RSUs \| Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee service period		3 years
Performance-based RSUs \| Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee service period		5 years
Performance-based RSUs \| Fourth Anniversary
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Portion of options vesting on each anniversary date, vesting percentage		50.00%
Time-vested RSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period		5 years
Employee service period		2 years
Percentage of RSUs forfeited		100.00%

Share-based Compensation - Summary of Share-based Compensation Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Stock options, stock options with tandem SARs and RSUs	$ 48	$ 48	$ 35
Accelerated vesting of Popeyes stock options	0	12	0
Total share-based compensation expense	48	60	35
Modification of awards	$ 2	$ 5	$ 1

Share-based Compensation - Summary of the Significant Assumptions Used During the Year to Estimate the Fair Value of Stock Options (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate	2.13%		0.85%
Expected term (in years)	6 years 4 months 20 days	6 years 8 months 27 days	6 years 8 months 27 days
Expected volatility	25.20%	24.50%	26.60%
Expected dividend yield	3.08%	1.37%	1.81%
Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate	1.23%
Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free interest rate	1.25%

Share-based Compensation - Summary of Option Activity under the Various Plan (Details) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Total Number of Options
Outstanding Beginning Balance (in shares) \| shares	20,071
Granted (in shares) \| shares	1,548
Exercised (in shares) \| shares	(7,268)
Forfeited (in shares) \| shares	(748)
Outstanding Ending Balance (in shares) \| shares	13,603
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding Beginning Balance (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 25.15
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	58.19
Exercised (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	8.37
Forfeited (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	48.26
Outstanding Ending Balance (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 36.41
Stock Option Activity, Additional Disclosures
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Outstanding \| $	$ 231,988
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Outstanding	6 years 2 months 13 days
Total Number of Options, Exercisable (in shares) \| shares	3,118
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Exercisable (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 16.32
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Exercisable \| $	$ 112,215
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Exercisable	3 years 9 months 17 days
Total Number of Options, Vested or expected to vest (in shares) \| shares	12,479
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Vested or expected to vest (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 35.75
Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Vested or expected to vest \| $	$ 220,320
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term, Vested or expected to vest	6 years 1 month 6 days

Share-based Compensation - Summary of Time-Vested RSUs and Performance-Based RSUs Activity (Details) shares in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 $ / shares shares
Time-vested RSUs
Time-vested and Performance-based, Total Number of Shares
Outstanding beginning balance (in shares) \| shares	1,293
Granted (in shares) \| shares	329
Vested and Settled (in shares) \| shares	(43)
Dividend equivalents grants (in shares) \| shares	31
Forfeited (in shares) \| shares	(110)
Outstanding ending balance (in shares) \| shares	1,500
Time-vested and Performance-based, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding beginning balance (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 38.64
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	57.68
Vested & Settled (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	41.62
Dividend equivalents granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Forfeited (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	51.05
Outstanding ending balance (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 41.88
Performance-based RSUs
Time-vested and Performance-based, Total Number of Shares
Outstanding beginning balance (in shares) \| shares	1,590
Granted (in shares) \| shares	920
Vested and Settled (in shares) \| shares	(81)
Dividend equivalents grants (in shares) \| shares	58
Forfeited (in shares) \| shares	(80)
Outstanding ending balance (in shares) \| shares	2,407
Time-vested and Performance-based, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding beginning balance (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 36.31
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	58.49
Vested & Settled (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	34.68
Dividend equivalents granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Forfeited (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	34.65
Outstanding ending balance (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 45.25

Revenue Recognition - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2015
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Other liabilities, net	$ 1,547				$ 1,455				$ 1,547	$ 1,455		$ 1,881
Other assets, net	642				426				642	426		533
Shareholders' Equity	3,618				4,561				3,618	4,561	$ 3,489	4,311	$ 2,914
Deferred income taxes, net	1,519				1,508				1,519	1,508		1,450
Prepaids and other current assets	60				86				60	86		63
Gift card liability	167				215				167	215		172
Revenues	1,385	$ 1,375	$ 1,343	$ 1,254	1,234	$ 1,209	$ 1,132	$ 1,001	5,357	4,576	4,146
Income tax (benefit) expense									238	(134)	244
Franchise fees									422	478	454
Selling, general and administrative expenses									1,214	416	319
Other operating expenses (income), net									(8)	(109)	1
Interest expense, net									(535)	(512)	(467)
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Retained earnings					(250)					(250)
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Retained earnings												250
Other liabilities, net	(468)				426				(468)	426
Other assets, net	(101)				107				(101)	107		107
Shareholders' Equity	283				(250)				283	(250)
Deferred income taxes, net	67				(58)				67	(58)
Prepaids and other current assets	17				(23)				17	(23)
Gift card liability	$ 42				$ (43)				42	(43)
Revenues									(750)
Income tax (benefit) expense									9
Franchise fees									0
Selling, general and administrative expenses									(785)
Other operating expenses (income), net									1
Interest expense, net									(1)
MFDA Arrangements \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Other liabilities, net												105
Shareholders' Equity												2
Gift Cards \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Shareholders' Equity												25
Deferred income taxes, net												9
Gift card liability												(43)
Other accrued liabilities												9
Franchise and property revenues
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Revenues									3,002	$ 2,186	$ 1,941
Franchise and property revenues \| Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Revenues									43
Income tax (benefit) expense									11
Franchise and property revenues \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Other liabilities, net												321
Deferred income taxes, net												(67)
Revenues									(750)
Advertising Funds \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Difference between Revenue Guidance in Effect before and after Topic 606
Deferred Revenue Arrangement [Line Items]
Shareholders' Equity												(23)
Prepaids and other current assets												$ (23)
Revenues									(793)
Income tax (benefit) expense									(2)
Selling, general and administrative expenses									(785)
Other operating expenses (income), net									1
Interest expense, net									$ (1)

Revenue Recognition - Change in contract liabilities (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	$ 486
Change In Contract With Customer Liability [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	455
Revenue recognized that was included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the year	(49)
Increase, excluding amounts recognized as revenue during the period	95
Impact of foreign currency translation	(15)
Ending balance	486
Tim Hortons
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	62
Change In Contract With Customer Liability [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	47
Revenue recognized that was included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the year	(6)
Increase, excluding amounts recognized as revenue during the period	24
Impact of foreign currency translation	(3)
Ending balance	62
Burger King
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	405
Change In Contract With Customer Liability [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	402
Revenue recognized that was included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the year	(43)
Increase, excluding amounts recognized as revenue during the period	58
Impact of foreign currency translation	(12)
Ending balance	405
Popeyes
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	19
Change In Contract With Customer Liability [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	6
Revenue recognized that was included in the contract liability balance at the beginning of the year	0
Increase, excluding amounts recognized as revenue during the period	13
Impact of foreign currency translation	0
Ending balance	$ 19

Revenue Recognition - Estimated revenue recognition (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	$ 486
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2019-01-01
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	$ 38
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2020-01-01
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	$ 37
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2021-01-01
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	$ 36
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2022-01-01
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	$ 35
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2023-01-01
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	$ 34
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2024-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	306
Tim Hortons
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	62
Tim Hortons \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2019-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	7
Tim Hortons \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2020-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	7
Tim Hortons \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2021-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	7
Tim Hortons \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2022-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	6
Tim Hortons \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2023-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	6
Tim Hortons \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2024-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	29
Burger King
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	405
Burger King \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2019-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	30
Burger King \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2020-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	29
Burger King \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2021-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	28
Burger King \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2022-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	28
Burger King \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2023-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	27
Burger King \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2024-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	263
Popeyes
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	19
Popeyes \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2019-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	1
Popeyes \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2020-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	1
Popeyes \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2021-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	1
Popeyes \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2022-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	1
Popeyes \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2023-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	1
Popeyes \| Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date [Axis]: 2024-01-01
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Contract liabilities expected to be recognized in	$ 14

Revenue Recognition - Disaggregation of total revenues (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenue Recognition, Multiple-deliverable Arrangements [Line Items]
Property revenues									$ 744	$ 765	$ 753
Total revenues	$ 1,385	$ 1,375	$ 1,343	$ 1,254	$ 1,234	$ 1,209	$ 1,132	$ 1,001	5,357	4,576	4,146
Sales
Revenue Recognition, Multiple-deliverable Arrangements [Line Items]
Revenues									2,355	2,390	2,205
Royalties
Revenue Recognition, Multiple-deliverable Arrangements [Line Items]
Revenues									2,165	1,215	993
Franchise fees and other revenue
Revenue Recognition, Multiple-deliverable Arrangements [Line Items]
Revenues									$ 93	$ 206	$ 195

Revenue Recognition - Pro Forma adjustments to income statement (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenues:
Total revenues	$ 1,385	$ 1,375	$ 1,343	$ 1,254	$ 1,234	$ 1,209	$ 1,132	$ 1,001	$ 5,357	$ 4,576	$ 4,146
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of sales									1,818	1,850	1,727
Franchise and property expenses									422	478	454
Selling, general and administrative expenses									1,214	416	319
(Income) loss from equity method investments									(22)	(12)	(20)
Other operating expenses (income), net									8	109	(1)
Total operating costs and expenses									3,440	2,841	2,479
Income from operations	$ 516	$ 477	$ 503	$ 421	$ 505	$ 479	$ 415	$ 336	1,917	1,735	1,667
Interest expense, net									535	512	467
Income before income taxes									1,382	1,101	1,200
Income tax (benefit) expense									238	(134)	244
Net income									1,144	1,235	956
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests									532	587	340
Net income attributable to common shareholders									$ 612	$ 626	$ 346
Earnings per common share:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.53	$ 0.67	$ 0.60	$ 1.64	$ 0.39	$ 0.38	$ 0.21	$ 2.46	$ 2.64	$ 1.48
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.64	$ 0.53	$ 0.66	$ 0.59	$ 1.59	$ 0.37	$ 0.37	$ 0.21	$ 2.42	$ 2.54	$ 1.45
Amounts Under Previous Standards
Revenues:
Total revenues									$ 4,607
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of sales									1,818
Franchise and property expenses									422
Selling, general and administrative expenses									429
(Income) loss from equity method investments									(28)
Other operating expenses (income), net									7
Total operating costs and expenses									2,648
Income from operations									1,959
Interest expense, net									536
Income before income taxes									1,423
Income tax (benefit) expense									247
Net income									1,176
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests									547
Net income attributable to common shareholders									$ 629
Earnings per common share:
Basic (in dollars per share)									$ 2.53
Diluted (in dollars per share)									$ 2.49
Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Total Adjustments
Revenues:
Total revenues									$ (750)
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of sales									0
Franchise and property expenses									0
Selling, general and administrative expenses									(785)
(Income) loss from equity method investments									(6)
Other operating expenses (income), net									(1)
Total operating costs and expenses									(792)
Income from operations									42
Interest expense, net									1
Income before income taxes									41
Income tax (benefit) expense									9
Net income									32
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests									15
Net income attributable to common shareholders									17
Sales
Revenues:
Sales									2,355	$ 2,390	$ 2,205
Sales \| Amounts Under Previous Standards
Revenues:
Sales									2,355
Sales \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Total Adjustments
Revenues:
Sales									0
Franchise and property revenues
Revenues:
Total revenues									3,002	$ 2,186	$ 1,941
Franchise and property revenues \| Total Adjustments
Revenues:
Total revenues									43
Operating costs and expenses:
Income tax (benefit) expense									11
Franchise and property revenues \| Amounts Under Previous Standards
Revenues:
Total revenues									2,252
Franchise and property revenues \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 \| Total Adjustments
Revenues:
Total revenues									$ (750)

Revenue Recognition - Pro Forma adjustments to cash flow statement (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$ 1,144	$ 1,235	$ 956
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	180	182	172
Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount	29	33	39
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(22)	(12)	(20)
Loss (gain) on remeasurement of foreign denominated transactions	(33)	77	(20)
Net (gains) losses on derivatives	(40)	31	21
Share-based compensation expense	48	48	35
Deferred income taxes	29	(742)	80
Other	5	18	4
Changes in current assets and liabilities, excluding acquisitions and dispositions:
Accounts and notes receivable	19	(30)	(16)
Inventories and prepaids and other current assets	(7)	19	(10)
Accounts and drafts payable	41	14	16
Other accrued liabilities and gift card liability	(219)	360	(1)
Tenant inducements paid to franchisees	(52)	(20)	(19)
Other long-term assets and liabilities	43	59	13
Net cash provided by operating activities	1,165	$ 1,391	$ 1,250
Total Adjustments \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	32
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	0
Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount	0
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(6)
Loss (gain) on remeasurement of foreign denominated transactions	0
Net (gains) losses on derivatives	0
Share-based compensation expense	0
Deferred income taxes	9
Other	0
Changes in current assets and liabilities, excluding acquisitions and dispositions:
Accounts and notes receivable	0
Inventories and prepaids and other current assets	6
Accounts and drafts payable	7
Other accrued liabilities and gift card liability	(6)
Tenant inducements paid to franchisees	0
Other long-term assets and liabilities	(42)
Net cash provided by operating activities	0
Amounts Under Previous Standards
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	1,176
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	180
Amortization of deferred financing costs and debt issuance discount	29
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(28)
Loss (gain) on remeasurement of foreign denominated transactions	(33)
Net (gains) losses on derivatives	(40)
Share-based compensation expense	48
Deferred income taxes	38
Other	5
Changes in current assets and liabilities, excluding acquisitions and dispositions:
Accounts and notes receivable	19
Inventories and prepaids and other current assets	(1)
Accounts and drafts payable	48
Other accrued liabilities and gift card liability	(225)
Tenant inducements paid to franchisees	(52)
Other long-term assets and liabilities	1
Net cash provided by operating activities	$ 1,165

Revenue Recognition - Adjustments to balance sheet due to Topic 606 and Pro Forma adjustments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 913	$ 1,097	$ 1,097	$ 1,476	$ 792
Accounts and notes receivable, net	452	489	489
Inventories, net	75	78	78
Prepaids and other current assets	60	63	86
Total current assets	1,500	1,727	1,750
Property and equipment, net	1,996	2,133	2,133
Intangible assets, net	10,463	11,062	11,062
Goodwill	5,486	5,782	5,782
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	54	71	71
Other assets, net	642	533	426
Total assets	20,141	21,308	21,224
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	513	496	496
Other accrued liabilities	637	875	866
Gift card liability	167	172	215
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	91	78	78
Total current liabilities	1,408	1,621	1,655
Term debt, net of current portion	11,823	11,801	11,801
Capital leases, net of current portion	226	244	244
Other liabilities, net	1,547	1,881	1,455
Deferred income taxes, net	1,519	1,450	1,508
Total liabilities	16,523	16,997	16,663
Shareholders’ equity:
Common shares	1,737	2,052	2,052
Retained earnings	674	519	651
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(800)	(476)	(476)
Total Restaurant Brands International Inc. shareholders’ equity	1,611	2,095	2,227
Noncontrolling interests	2,007	2,216	2,334
Total shareholders’ equity	3,618	4,311	4,561	$ 3,489	$ 2,914
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	20,141	21,308	21,224
Amounts Under Previous Standards
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	913		1,097
Accounts and notes receivable, net	452		489
Inventories, net	75		78
Prepaids and other current assets	77		86
Total current assets	1,517		1,750
Property and equipment, net	1,996		2,133
Intangible assets, net	10,463		11,062
Goodwill	5,486		5,782
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	54		71
Other assets, net	541		426
Total assets	20,057		21,224
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	520		496
Other accrued liabilities	622		866
Gift card liability	209		215
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	91		78
Total current liabilities	1,442		1,655
Term debt, net of current portion	11,823		11,801
Capital leases, net of current portion	226		244
Other liabilities, net	1,079		1,455
Deferred income taxes, net	1,586		1,508
Total liabilities	16,156		16,663
Shareholders’ equity:
Common shares	1,737		2,052
Retained earnings	829		651
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(800)		(476)
Total Restaurant Brands International Inc. shareholders’ equity	1,766		2,227
Noncontrolling interests	2,135		2,334
Total shareholders’ equity	3,901		4,561
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	20,057		21,224
Total Adjustments \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0		0
Accounts and notes receivable, net	0		0
Inventories, net	0		0
Prepaids and other current assets	17		(23)
Total current assets	17		(23)
Property and equipment, net	0		0
Intangible assets, net	0		0
Goodwill	0		0
Net investment in property leased to franchisees	0		0
Other assets, net	(101)	$ 107	107
Total assets	(84)		84
Current liabilities:
Accounts and drafts payable	7		0
Other accrued liabilities	(15)		9
Gift card liability	42		(43)
Current portion of long term debt and capital leases	0		0
Total current liabilities	34		(34)
Term debt, net of current portion	0		0
Capital leases, net of current portion	0		0
Other liabilities, net	(468)		426
Deferred income taxes, net	67		(58)
Total liabilities	(367)		334
Shareholders’ equity:
Common shares	0		0
Retained earnings	155		(132)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	0		0
Total Restaurant Brands International Inc. shareholders’ equity	155		(132)
Noncontrolling interests	128		(118)
Total shareholders’ equity	283		(250)
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$ (84)		$ 84

Other Operating Expenses (Income), net - Other Operating Expenses (Income), net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Net losses on disposal of assets, restaurant closures and refranchisings	$ 19	$ 29	$ 18
Litigation settlements and reserves, net	11	2	1
Net losses (gains) on foreign exchange	(33)	77	(20)
Other, net	11	1	0
Other operating expenses (income), net	$ 8	$ 109	$ (1)

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Details)			12 Months Ended
	Oct. 06, 2017 plaintiff	Jun. 19, 2017 plaintiff	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Oct. 22, 2018 claim
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Number of lawsuits \| claim				2
Telecommunication Services
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Litigation settlement, Gross			$ 41,000,000
Information Technology
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Litigation settlement, Gross			41,000,000
Standby letters of credit
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Amount withdrawn from standby letter of credit			20,000,000
Revolving credit facility
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Amount withdrawn from standby letter of credit			$ 0
Purchase commitments
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Contractual obligation related with telecommunication			3 years
Purchase of advertising			$ 380,000,000
Pending litigation
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Number of plaintiffs \| plaintiff	2	2

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information - Additional Information (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 Segment Brand	Dec. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Number of brands \| Brand	3
Tim Hortons, Burger King, and Popeyes brand
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Number of operating segments	3
Number of reportable segments	3
Canada
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Percentage of long lived assets by segment	10.00%	10.00%
United States
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Percentage of long lived assets by segment	10.00%	10.00%

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information - Revenues by Operating Segment and Country (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues	$ 1,385	$ 1,375	$ 1,343	$ 1,254	$ 1,234	$ 1,209	$ 1,132	$ 1,001	$ 5,357	$ 4,576	$ 4,146
Canada
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									2,984	2,832	2,672
United States
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									1,785	1,190	1,004
Other
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									588	554	470
Tim Hortons
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									3,292	3,155	3,001
Burger King
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									1,651	1,219	1,145
Popeyes
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									414	$ 202	$ 0
Amounts Under Previous Standards
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									4,607
Amounts Under Previous Standards \| Tim Hortons
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									3,077
Amounts Under Previous Standards \| Burger King
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									1,251
Amounts Under Previous Standards \| Popeyes
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Total revenues									$ 279

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information - Depreciation and Amortization Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Depreciation and Amortization:
Depreciation and amortization	$ 180	$ 182	$ 172
Tim Hortons
Depreciation and Amortization:
Depreciation and amortization	108	110	108
Burger King
Depreciation and Amortization:
Depreciation and amortization	61	62	64
Popeyes
Depreciation and Amortization:
Depreciation and amortization	$ 11	$ 10	$ 0

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information - (Income) Loss from Equity Method Investments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
(Income) loss from equity method investments
(Income) loss from equity method investments	$ (22)	$ (12)	$ (20)
Tim Hortons
(Income) loss from equity method investments
(Income) loss from equity method investments	(6)	(8)	(8)
Burger King
(Income) loss from equity method investments
(Income) loss from equity method investments	$ (16)	$ (4)	$ (12)

- Definition

This item represents the entity's proportionate share for the period of the net income (loss) of its investee (such as unconsolidated subsidiaries and joint ventures) to which the equity method of accounting is applied. This item includes income or expense related to stock-based compensation based on the investor's grant of stock to employees of an equity method investee.

+ References + Details

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information - Capital Expenditure (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Capital Expenditures:
Capital expenditures	$ 86	$ 37	$ 34
Tim Hortons
Capital Expenditures:
Capital expenditures	59	13	12
Burger King
Capital Expenditures:
Capital expenditures	25	23	22
Popeyes
Capital Expenditures:
Capital expenditures	$ 2	$ 1	$ 0
Geographic concentration risk \| Sales revenue, net \| Canada And United States
Capital Expenditures:
Percentage of revenue	10.00%	10.00%	10.00%

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information - Schedule of Segment Related Assets and Long Lived Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets	$ 20,141	$ 21,308	$ 21,224
Long-Lived Assets	2,050		2,204
Canada
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Long-Lived Assets	945		1,059
United States
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Long-Lived Assets	1,098		1,138
Other
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Long-Lived Assets	7		7
Operating segments \| Tim Hortons
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets	12,666		13,733
Long-Lived Assets	1,226		1,351
Operating segments \| Burger King
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets	4,514		4,633
Long-Lived Assets	729		751
Operating segments \| Popeyes
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets	2,420		2,440
Long-Lived Assets	95		102
Unallocated
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets	541		418
Long-Lived Assets	$ 0		$ 0

Segment Reporting and Geographical Information - Reconciliation of Segment Income to Net Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA									$ 2,212	$ 2,146	$ 1,888
Impact of equity method investments									(22)	(12)	(20)
Other operating expenses (income), net									8	109	(1)
EBITDA									2,097	1,917	1,839
Depreciation and amortization									180	182	172
Income from operations	$ 516	$ 477	$ 503	$ 421	$ 505	$ 479	$ 415	$ 336	1,917	1,735	1,667
Interest expense, net									535	512	467
Loss on early extinguishment of debt									0	122	0
Income tax (benefit) expense									238	(134)	244
Net income									1,144	1,235	956
PLK Transaction costs
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
PLK Transaction costs									10	62	0
Tim Hortons
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Impact of equity method investments									(6)	(8)	(8)
Burger King
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Impact of equity method investments									(16)	(4)	(12)
Operating segments \| Tim Hortons
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA									1,127	1,136	1,072
Operating segments \| Burger King
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA									928	903	816
Operating segments \| Popeyes
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA									157	107	0
Unallocated management G&A
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Share-based compensation and non-cash incentive compensation expense									55	55	42
Corporate restructuring and tax advisory fees									25	2	0
Office centralization and relocation costs									20	0	0
Integration costs									0	0	16
Impact of equity method investments									(3)	1	(8)
Other operating expenses (income), net									8	$ 109	$ (1)
Amounts Under Previous Standards
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA									2,247
Impact of equity method investments									(28)
Other operating expenses (income), net									7
EBITDA									2,139
Depreciation and amortization									180
Income from operations									1,959
Interest expense, net									536
Loss on early extinguishment of debt									0
Income tax (benefit) expense									247
Net income									1,176
Amounts Under Previous Standards \| PLK Transaction costs
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
PLK Transaction costs									10
Amounts Under Previous Standards \| Operating segments \| Tim Hortons
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA									1,128
Amounts Under Previous Standards \| Operating segments \| Burger King
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA									950
Amounts Under Previous Standards \| Operating segments \| Popeyes
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Adjusted EBITDA									169
Amounts Under Previous Standards \| Unallocated management G&A
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Share-based compensation and non-cash incentive compensation expense									55
Corporate restructuring and tax advisory fees									25
Office centralization and relocation costs									20
Integration costs									0
Impact of equity method investments									(9)
Other operating expenses (income), net									$ 7

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) - Summarized Unaudited Quarterly Financial Data (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 1,385	$ 1,375	$ 1,343	$ 1,254	$ 1,234	$ 1,209	$ 1,132	$ 1,001	$ 5,357	$ 4,576	$ 4,146
Income from operations	516	477	503	421	505	479	415	336	$ 1,917	$ 1,735	$ 1,667
Net income	$ 301	$ 250	$ 314	$ 279	$ 578	$ 247	$ 243	$ 167
Basic earnings (loss) per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.53	$ 0.67	$ 0.60	$ 1.64	$ 0.39	$ 0.38	$ 0.21	$ 2.46	$ 2.64	$ 1.48
Diluted earnings (loss) per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.64	$ 0.53	$ 0.66	$ 0.59	$ 1.59	$ 0.37	$ 0.37	$ 0.21	$ 2.42	$ 2.54	$ 1.45

- Definition

The amount of net income (loss) for the period per each share of common stock or unit outstanding during the reporting period.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 220
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-04(19))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114873790&loc=SL114874131-224263

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 7
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109260490&loc=d3e1337-109256

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 55
-Paragraph 52
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109256448&loc=d3e4984-109258

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03(21))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=115205541&loc=SL114868664-224227

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 250
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 11
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109234566&loc=d3e22694-107794

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6371337&loc=d3e3550-109257

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109260490&loc=d3e1252-109256

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 220
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-04(23))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114873765&loc=SL114874048-224260

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 60B
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109260490&loc=SL5780133-109256

+ Details

- Definition

The amount of net income (loss) for the period available to each share of common stock or common unit outstanding during the reporting period and to each share or unit that would have been outstanding assuming the issuance of common shares or units for all dilutive potential common shares or units outstanding during the reporting period.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 55
-Paragraph 52
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109256448&loc=d3e4984-109258

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109260490&loc=d3e1252-109256

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6371337&loc=d3e3550-109257

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 220
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-04(23))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114873765&loc=SL114874048-224260

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 250
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 11
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109234566&loc=d3e22694-107794

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 7
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109260490&loc=d3e1337-109256

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03(21))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=115205541&loc=SL114868664-224227

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 260
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 60B
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109260490&loc=SL5780133-109256

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 220
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-04(19))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=114873790&loc=SL114874131-224263

+ Details

- Definition

The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent.

+ References + Details

Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Details) - $ / shares			12 Months Ended
	Jan. 22, 2019	Jan. 04, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Cash dividend declared by board (in dollars per share)			$ 1.80	$ 0.78	$ 0.62
Subsequent event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Cash dividend paid per common share (in dollars per share)		$ 0.45
Cash dividend declared by board (in dollars per share)	$ 0.5
Restaurant Brands International Limited Partnership \| Partnerships with exchangeable units \| Subsequent event
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Distribution in respect of Partnership exchangeable unit (in dollars per share)	$ 0.5	$ 0.45