CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. announced today a master franchise agreement with CJ’s QSR (Franchise) Group Pty. Ltd. to expand Carl’s Jr.’s presence throughout Australia. The partnership marks an extension of CKE Restaurants’ acceleration of international growth following the opening of its 1,000th international restaurant earlier this year in Spain.
Since introducing Carl’s Jr. to Australia in 2016 in Bateau Bay, New South Wales, the brand has grown to nearly 30 restaurants throughout Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales. We already have plans to rapidly grow the Carl’s Jr. footprint in Australia with an additional 27 restaurants in the coming year. The Master Franchise with CJ’s QSR will further accelerate our growth as we build towards a goal to open 200 restaurants over the next 10 years.
“We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with CJ’s QSR as we expand across Australia and build upon the momentum that we’ve created with our Carl’s Jr. fans since opening our first location in Bateau Bay,” says Mike Woida, president of CKE International. “CJ’s QSR has shown incredible commitment and dedication to bringing our iconic burgers into the Australian community, as have our other Carl’s Jr. franchise partners in the territory. CJ’s QSR will continue to own, operate and expand their existing corporate restaurants while seeking to offer qualified Carl’s Jr. sub-franchise candidates the opportunity to join our growing franchise community throughout Australia.”
“The Board of CJ’s QSR Group are delighted with our appointment as Master Franchisor for Carl’s Jr. in Australia and we are committed to grow the brand aggressively over the next ten years. We are passionate about Carl’s Jr. and have been buoyed by the appetite that exists in the Australian market for our Chargrilled Burgers,” says Andrew Firn, Managing Director of CJ’s QSR Group Pty. Ltd. “This decision reflects CKE’s global ambitions, commitment to Australia and the desire for a rapid pace of expansion. There are so many opportunities for our brand to grow and we look forward to bringing a Carl’s Jr. restaurant to all corners of the nation.”
“This is an exciting time for our brand and we have some amazing franchisees already, but there are many opportunities to grow as we aggressively expand into new Australian cities and regions. So, the search is on for new franchisees to join our incredible team and we are actively seeking new franchisees with a head for business and a passion for exceptional food and customer service to get in on the ground floor,” says Greg Rako, Director Franchising for CJ’s QSR Group Pty. Ltd. “We currently have many new sites under development and are looking to further expand our footprint across the nation. As we establish Carl’s Jr. in new markets, across Australia, our franchise network will create local jobs and economic growth.”
