The burger chain Wahlburgers, run by Wahlberg brothers Mark, Donnie and Paul, recently entered a partnership to expand the chain into Asia. The deal is a joint venture with Cachet Hospitality Group and businessman Farooq Arjomand, an investor in Cachet. Wahlburgers is headquartered in Massachusetts and currently operates locations across the U.S. and Canada. This deal with Cachet Hospitality will help open 100 new stores throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Wahlburgers opened its first store in Hingham, MA in 2011 and has since opened 12 more locations. This venture will be the company’s first outside of North America. The expansion will begin with the opening of three initial stores in the Chinese cities of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Wuhan.
“This combines perfectly with the explosive popularity of international restaurant brands in China’s malls and airports, opening the door to tremendous opportunity for Wahlburgers and our Asia Pacific joint venture,” Cachet Hospitality Group’s CEO Alexander Mirza said in a news release announcing the deal.
Wahlburgers CEO Rick Vanzura told the Boston Globe he was confident the chain would thrive based on the Wahlburgers experience and products, even in parts of the world where the Wahlberg name has less recognition. In an interview with City Weekend, Mark Wahlberg explained that while menus in the new locations would be adapted to satisfy local tastes, the core Wahlburgers experience would remain the same. “Our partners and we agree that, at its core, what we need to deliver is a Wahlburgers experience built around our core products,” said Wahlberg.
Cachet Hospitality Group is a Shanghai-based hospitality branding and management company. The group operates primarily in the Asia Pacific and North America. Cachet has already signed deals to secure the opening of new Wahlburgers locations in Asia and will continue to drive the expansion and development of the American chain in the region.
Robert Roche 