Carl's Jr. Opens First of 25 Restaurants in Vietnam

CKE Restaurants Inc. (Carpinteria, Calif.) has opened the doors to its first Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, marking its entrance into the Vietnamese market. The company plans to open at least 25 restaurants in the country over the next six years. The restaurants in Vietnam will be operated by Mesa Asia Pacific Trading Services Co. Ltd., whose parent is a successful holding company specializing in consumer goods distribution, restaurant operations, media and real estate development.

“The strength of our brand matched with Mesa’s expertise and knowledge of the Vietnamese market gives us confidence that we will have a bright future in the market,” says Andrew Puzder, ceo of CKE Restaurants Inc. “The growth in the Vietnamese consumer market is truly remarkable and we wanted to take this opportunity along with the Mesa Group to employee a ‘first-mover’ strategy in our segment. In this regard, we are happy to introduce real, American-style charbroiled burgers to the market.”

The brand’s entrance into the Vietnam market is part of a strategic plan to accelerate franchise development in international markets and grow the company as a whole. In addition to existing operations in China, Singapore, Malaysia, American Samoa and Vietnam, CKE plans to enter Indonesia later this year through a partnership with PT Fortune Foods Ltd.

CKE franchises 342 international restaurants between both its Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brands and aims. to double that presence within the next five years.