TGI Fridays has signed a development agreement with Meerab Hospitality to expand its restaurant network across Pakistan, with plans to scale to 15 restaurants as the US casual dining brand accelerates its international franchise growth.
Announced on September 23, the agreement marks TGI Fridays’ latest expansion across South Asia and follows its recent development deal in the Maldives. The partnership will see Meerab Hospitality develop the brand in Pakistan through a combination of company-owned and approved sub-franchised restaurants.
The first flagship TGI Fridays restaurant is targeted to open within the next 12 months at the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex in Lahore, providing the launch platform for the brand’s planned nationwide expansion.
“We are delighted to bring TGI Fridays back to Pakistan and to begin a new chapter for this iconic global brand in the country,” said Pervaiz Iqbal Shahid, Founder and Group CEO, Meerab Properties. “Our ambition is to reintroduce the brand through an energized and well-capitalized platform, supported by strong operational leadership and a long-term commitment to responsible growth across Pakistan.”
He added: “Over the next decade, we look forward to developing TGI Fridays across Pakistan through a carefully considered combination of company-owned and approved sub-franchised restaurants.”
Meerab Hospitality is the franchise and development arm of Meerab Properties, which has a two-decade operating track record across the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia. The company’s hospitality platform, Meerab Hospitality Ventures, is building a portfolio of international restaurant and hospitality brands in Pakistan.
TGI Fridays said Pakistan’s population of more than 240 million, combined with a median age of 21, urbanisation, investment in malls and mixed-use destinations, and an evolving dining culture are creating opportunities for international restaurant brands.
The partnership is intended to bring TGI Fridays’ American-style menu, signature mocktails and experience-led dining format to the Pakistani market while creating employment opportunities and developing local hospitality talent.
“We don’t enter a market like Pakistan because it’s on a list, we enter it because the fundamentals are right and the partner is right,” said Phil Broad, Global President, TGI Fridays. “Pakistan has one of the youngest populations anywhere in the world and a retail landscape that’s evolving fast. Meerab Hospitality understands that better than an outside operator could, and their hospitality background means they know how to run a room, not just build one. That’s the combination we look for.”
Broad said the market’s younger consumer base also aligns with the brand’s experience-led positioning.
“They’re connected, curious and looking for brands that give them more than just a meal. That plays directly to the strength of TGI Fridays,” he said. “We’ve always been at our best when we bring people together, create a little theatre and give guests a reason to stay longer, celebrate louder and come back again. Pakistan gives us an exciting new stage to do exactly that.”
TGI Fridays’ Global Franchise Expansion
The Pakistan agreement is TGI Fridays’ second market signing this month, following its first-ever entry into the Balkans. Over the past year, the company has also announced international agreements covering Kenya, the Maldives, Peru, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Greece, Cyprus and Spain.
According to the company, these agreements have added close to 200 restaurants to its global pipeline as it works toward its 1-2-3 Strategic Vision of reaching more than 1,000 restaurants and $2 billion in annual revenue by 2030.
TGI Fridays currently operates nearly 400 restaurants across almost 40countries, according to the company. Founded in 1965, the brand describes itself as a franchise-first restaurant business, with global support hubs in Dallas, Dubai and London.
For Meerab Hospitality, the Pakistan rollout will combine company-owned locations with approved sub-franchise development, with the Lahore flagship expected to establish the operating model for the restaurants that follow.
