Headed Overseas: Restaurants

Two well-known American brands have recently unveiled plans to expand elsewhere in the world. They are:

Chuck E. Cheese (Irving, Texas), which said it will soon take the wraps off its first units in the U.K.. However, the “fun, food and play” chain provided no details on the timing or specific sites it’s planning in the market. The company and its franchisees operate nearly 600 Chuck E. Cheese fun centers in 45 U.S. states and 17 foreign countries and territories.

Sugarloaf TGIF Management LLC (Irving, Texas), manager of the TGI Fridays brand, which is working with two longtime franchise partners to expand its presence in Peru and Japan. In Peru, Franquicias Alimentarias plans to add up to 30 new restaurants in that country on top of the 20 it already has there, while in Japan, Watami Co. Ltd. plans to add 20 units to the 10 or so it has there. Overall, TGI Fridays has 400-plus restaurants in nearly 40 countries.