"You can't do it on your own terms, especially when it comes to the cost of the real estate that is usually available," Myres tells GlobeSt.com. "It's much easier to work with people who know where to go to find the best locations."
In Cairo, that meant a franchisee who put Johnny Carino's on a riverboat on the Nile River. Antiquities are so prevalent in Egypt that most franchisees such as Applebee's and TGI Friday's are located on riverboats, Myres says.
The franchisee handling Bahrain is an expert in local real estate, Myres says. He's introduced Chili's and Outback Steakhouse to the country. Johnny Carino's will open its location in June.
Fired Up has signed a franchise agreement for 12 units across 10 countries in the Middle East, including a location on the banks of the Persian Gulf in Kuwait that overlooks Iran and Iraq. Another 10 Johnny Carino locations are devoted solely to Egypt.Latin America, Myres says, will be a tougher market. The Johnny Carino concept has played well in heavily Hispanic Texas markets such as Laredo, Corpus Christi and Brownsville, but the depth of the target income market will be more limited in Latin America. CHRISCO will start with one location and evaluate.
Myres describes the real estate approach in the US as more suburban than urban. Fired Up aims for high-profile locations such as the freestanding 6,200-sf Johnny Carino's pad site on Interstate 35 in Round Rock. The high visibility, Myres says, makes the concept easier to market.
By comparison, Fired Up has taken its Gumbo's Louisiana Style Cafe concept to Downtown Austin, where development is denser. The company also owns the adjacent upscale Brown Bar. The bulk of Fired Up's portfolio, however, is Johnny Carino's. There are company-owned eateries in four states and franchisees in another 11 states, for a total of 129 locations in operating or development stages.
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