Divino Fogão wins top category at Brazil’s Best Franchises Awards 2026

Divino Fogão won the main category at Brazil’s Best Franchises Awards 2026, organised by the magazine Pequenas Empresas & Grandes Negócios (PEGN). This year’s edition assessed 371 franchise networks and awarded five stars, the highest rating, to 105 of them. The results, reported by Brazilian news outlet g1 on 19 October, also highlighted Kumon in the microfranchise category.

Assessment combines performance and franchisee satisfaction

The awards take into account financial performance, operational quality and franchisee satisfaction. The views of those running individual outlets are gathered through a survey conducted by Serasa Experian, contributing to an assessment that goes beyond each brand’s outlet count.

Of the 371 networks assessed, 105 achieved the highest rating. It is important to distinguish between the two types of recognition: receiving five stars means reaching the highest assessment standard, while winning a category is a separate distinction awarded by the organisers. Divino Fogão was announced as the winner of the main category.

For those following the franchise sector, this combination of criteria provides a broader view of the recognised brands. A network’s size indicates its market presence, but is no substitute for analysing its operations or the experiences reported by the franchisees running the business day to day.

Franchisee participation also offers a different perspective from expansion figures alone. In this case, the awards incorporate operators’ own views alongside financial indicators and operational quality.

Divino Fogão has 254 outlets in Brazil

The winner of the main category, Divino Fogão, has 254 outlets across Brazil. The network’s story began with founder Reinaldo Varela’s experience in the kitchen. The brand expanded by bringing a pay-by-weight buffet model to shopping centres, offering different plate sizes and a menu that changes daily.

These elements describe the award-winning network’s commercial proposition: shopping-centre dining, a choice of plate sizes and daily buffet variety. They are specific features of the business, distinct from the general criteria used to assess award participants.

The win puts the brand in the spotlight in the 2026 edition, but the information presented does not allow the result to be attributed to any single aspect of its model. The assessment considers a range of factors, not just the restaurant format or the number of outlets.

For prospective franchisees, this distinction is useful. Learning about the winning brand is a starting point; understanding how it operates also requires a closer look at its daily routines and the particular demands of a food-service business.

Kumon recognised among microfranchises

Kumon was recognised in the microfranchise category, which covers lower-investment franchise businesses. The education network operates in 60 countries and has around 1,600 centres in Brazil. The stated initial investment to open a centre ranges from R$60,000 to R$90,000 (Brazilian reais).

The recognition of an education network alongside a food-service brand in the main category illustrates the range of activities covered by the awards. These are different business propositions, each of which needs to be examined in light of its own operational requirements.

Kumon’s published investment range provides an initial reference point for anyone considering the brand. Its international presence and number of Brazilian centres help indicate its scale. None of these facts, taken in isolation, amounts to a forecast of how a new centre will perform.

How to use award recognition when choosing a franchise network

The awards offer a starting point for discovering brands and identifying networks that performed well against the assessment criteria. They become more useful when prospective franchisees distinguish between three things: the rating received, the category in which recognition was awarded and the features of the business model.

In this edition, the results include Divino Fogão’s win in the main category, Kumon’s recognition among microfranchises and the highest rating awarded to 105 participants. Each piece of information has its own significance and should be considered without treating the award as a promise of individual business success.

In practice: use the recognition to guide comparisons between networks, speak to franchisees and check whether the day-to-day demands of the operation suit you before making a decision.