Aliso Viejo-based Johnny Rockets Restaurant Group Inc. continued its international expansion plans with franchise deals in Central America and Pakistan last week.
The American diner-themed chain signed a franchise agreement for eight more of its restaurants in Central America. The new restaurants will be located in Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. They are expected to open over the next five years.
The Johnny Rocket’s brand first arrived in Central America with the 2010 opening of a Panama City location.
The chain signed a franchise agreement for 10 restaurants in Pakistan.
The first restaurant is planned for spring at a mall in Karachi. Lahore is being eyed for the next location.
The rest of the restaurants under the franchise agreement are expected to open by 2022.
Johnny Rockets established an international division in July, with the goal of increasing franchising outside the U.S.
Johnny Rockets is the 8th-largest restaurant chain based in Orange County, with an estimated $300 million in annual sales, according to the Business Journal’s annual list.
The company now counts more than 300 restaurants, mostly franchised, with more than 200 in the U.S.
