SAO PAULO, BRAZIL-Johnny Rockets, the Aliso Viejo, CA-based firm run by owners and former players of the Washington Redskins, is furthering its South American push by a plan to open the 30 restaurants in Brazil. The firm recently opened a number of restaurants in Peru, Ecuador, Chile and the Dominican Republic.

The company has signed a franchise agreement with local restaurant owner Antonio Augusto Ribeiro de Souza, a former McDonald’s franchisee and new concept creator. The first Johnny Rockets is expected to open here by early 2013, Augusto said in a statement. “We are committed to offering our guests a special all-American dining experience,” he said.

Steve Devine, president of the firm’s international division, said in the statement that the company’s goal is to open restaurants in active, thriving communities throughout South America. “With more than 205 million residents, nearly 20 million in Sao Paulo alone, Brazil represents a tremendous audience,” he said. “The timing couldn’t be better for us.”