White nights aren't the only big attraction giving St. Petersburg residents something extra to smile about recently. Quiznos, one of the world's premier quick service restaurant chains, announced its first two Russian locations are now open for business. St. Petersburg is home to the first of hundreds of Quiznos planned to open in Russia over the next 10 years. The openings are the latest in a series of recent Quiznos international development announcements, including expansion into Mexico.
"QSR Russia, our Franchise partner, has an aggressive timeline to open hundreds of Quiznos across Russia in the coming years that works well with our expansion plans," says Kenneth Cutshaw, president of international for Quiznos. "We couldn't be happier to be working with a strategic partner that knows the Russian market and its needs so well. The prime St. Petersberg location is a great example. We anticipate a warm Russian welcome from our consumers."
"Quiznos is about the closest thing to the perfect business model for Russia that I've ever seen. You have a high quality product, perfect cold weather food, combined with easy and cost effective store development—it's ideal for Russia. I can also tell you from personal experience that Russians, in particular the people of St. Petersburg, have extremely high standards. They want high quality and are willing to pay for good value," says Darrin Stock, founder and CEO of QSR Russia. "There is no doubt in my mind that customers will be lining up for our Chef inspired toasted subs and traditional local favorites such as Borscht and Cream of Mushroom soup. I also have to say that our first location in the center of the city at Sennaya Square Metro, with over 34 million passengers annually, is amazing. To me, that equates to 90,000 potential customers walking within 50 meters of our front door every day. You don't have to be a fortune teller to know—this is a big deal!"
The first Quiznos, located at Moskovsky 2, hosted Grand Opening events on Friday, July 26. Events included a private Quiznos tasting for media and a ribbon cutting ceremony at the restaurant. The second Quiznos, located at Prospect Engels, will host Grand Opening events on Saturday, July 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. Events include a ribbon cutting ceremony and events for the public such as street performers, face painters, and magicians. Both restaurants will be open to the public on Monday, July 29.
QSR Russia has plans to open more than 60 locations in St. Petersburg and more than 50 locations in Moscow in the next five years. 500 Quiznos locations are scheduled to open throughout Russia by 2023. The Russian locations round out Quiznos international development initiative, with Quiznos expecting to open more than 1,000 international locations in more than 40 countries by 2020.
