CANER DİKİCİ: USTA PİDECİ WILL REACH 150 BRANCHES NEXT YEAR

The Turkish quick-service restaurant operator TAB Gıda, the franchiser of American fast-food chains, Burger King, Sbarro, Popeyes and Arby's in Turkey, is preparing to offer the local delight pide in overseas markets with its subsidiary, Usta Pideci.

TAB Gıda General Manager Caner Dikici announced that the company's most recent brand Usta Pideci, which began operations this year and has currently 19 branches, will reach 150 branches next year.

Dikici noted that negotiations to enter Russia, the Middle East and the U.S. are currently underway.

"The world is familiar with Turkish delight and Turkish döner and we want to make the world know better Turkish pide. Considering our success in the overseas market, like China, I believe we will also accomplish our goals with our new brand Usta Pideci," Dikici said. The company has also been running the franchising operations of Burger King in China since 2001, with more than 1,000 BK China restaurants in over 150 cities.

Dikici claimed that almost all of their products are sourced locally. He added that they source meat from domestic producers with the halal certification and only work with suppliers who produce in accordance with the Turkish Food Code to ensure customer confidence.

With their new brand Usta Pideci, the focus will be initially on entering the Russian market and will be followed by the Middle East and the U.S., he confirmed.

Besides Burger King, TAB Gıda is also poised to launch Popeyes in China. The company is looking to open 1,500 new Popeyes restaurants over the next 10 years.