Paul Sakuma/Associated Press

Burger King is going public. Again.

Just 18 months after being taken private in a leveraged buyout, Burger King Worldwide Holdings, one of the world’s largest fast-food chains, plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange through a merger with Justice Holdings, an investment company based in London.

Under the terms of the deal, 3G Capital, the little-known buyout shop that bought Burger King in 2010, will receive about $1.4 billion in cash and continue to own about 71 percent of the company. Justice Holdings will own the rest.

The transaction, which was announced late Tuesday, was unexpected, as private equity firms generally prefer to fix businesses outside of the public glare. 3G was in the midst of trying to turn around the struggling chain in the United States, while at the same time aggressively expanding internationally.

Burger King’s complex deal would be the second time in less than a decade that the restaurant chain has been acquired by a private equity firm and then taken public.

In 2002, a group of buyout shops — TPG, Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs’s private equity unit — bought the company for $1.58 billion. The owners then took Burger King public again in 2006.

3G Capital’s acquisition of Burger King for about $3.3 billion in 2010 was also a surprise. The firm is backed by Brazilian investors, including the billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann, who was best known for his major role in the $52 billion merger of the Brazilian-Belgian beer company InBev with Anheuser-Busch.

Justice Holdings is an investment vehicle controlled by the financiers Martin Franklin and Nicolas Berggruen. William A. Ackman, the hedge fund manager, is also an investor and his fund, Pershing Square Capital Management, is expected to own 10 percent of Burger King.

In corporate finance circles, Justice Holdings is known as a Spac, or a special purpose acquisition company, that raises money in the public market to buy companies within a certain time frame, typically two years. They provide private companies with a quicker way to list their shares and avoid some of the details associated with the initial public offering process.

Justice Holdings is one of the most experienced investors in Spacs. Mr. Franklin and Mr. Berggruen have created several such financial vehicles over the years, drawing upon shareholder faith that the money will be used to buy worthwhile targets.

The two men have different backgrounds. Mr. Franklin developed a reputation as a shrewd deal maker at Jarden, which he built into a sprawling group of consumer brands that now includes Rawlings baseball gloves and Coleman camping gear.

Mr. Berggruen, the son of a German art collector, built his wealth by investing in real estate, hedge funds and private equity — and became known as the “homeless billionaire” because of his penchant for living in luxury hotels.

The two created several prominent Spac vehicles with lofty names like Justice and Liberty. One of them, Freedom Acquisition Holdings, merged with GLG Partners in 2007, creating one of the few hedge funds publicly traded in the United States.

The two, along with Mr. Ackman, will join 3G in trying to turn around Burger King. The fast-food company was struggling before 3G took it private, buffeted by the global recession and rising commodity costs.

“We believe it is the right time for Burger King to be publicly traded in the U.S. again,” Daniel Schwartz, its chief financial officer, said in a statement. “With this transaction, we are positioning the Burger King brand for long-term growth both domestically and internationally.”

Last month, Burger King was knocked off its perch as the county’s second-largest hamburger chain by Wendy’s, according to a food industry research group. Burger King has come under criticism by analysts for failing to diversify its offerings.

On Monday, the company announced an overhaul of its menu. It introduced items like mango-flavored real fruit smoothies and honey-mustard crispy chicken snack wraps. Burger King also started a new advertising campaign, dropping its much criticized oversize “King” mascot in favor of celebrities including Sofia Vergara and Salma Hayek.

3G was advised by the law firm Kirkland & Ellis. Justice was advised by Tegris Advisors and the law firms Greenberg Traurig and Sullivan & Cromwell, while its board received a fairness opinion from Barclays.