Moe’s Southwest Grill signed its first overseas development agreement for 40 Moe’s restaurants in Turkey.

Master licensee David Ergisi plans to open the first location in Istanbul’s Sapphire Towers, the tallest building in the center of the country’s tourism capital, this September.

“I am eager to bring this successful restaurant to my home country and to be a pioneer for the fast-casual segment through the introduction of Moe’s,” Ergisi says. “Moe’s will appeal to consumers in Turkey because of the restaurant’s speed of service, value, customization, price point, and health consciousness.”

Moe’s parent company, FOCUS Brands, the franchisor and operator of 2,200 Carvel, Cinnabon, and Schlotzsky’s locations, has a robust international infrastructure that supports over 530 locations in 34 countries, and is poised to support significant international growth for Moe’s. At the same time, the Moe’s domestic development team is prepared to support 50 openings in 2010.

“This is an exciting time for the Moe’s brand,” says Paul Damico, president of Moe’s Southwest Grill. “In addition to this great partner bringing our brand to Turkey, domestic same store sales are positive and in the first quarter alone, Moe’s has sold more franchise deals than all of 2009 combined. As we celebrate our tenth year of business, I believe we’ve hit our next growth spurt.”