Pakistan’s rapidly evolving dining landscape has caught the attention of one of the world’s best-known casual dining brands. TGI Fridays has signed a major development agreement with Meerab Hospitality that could see as many as 15 restaurants open across the country over the coming decade.
The scale of the plans reflects what international consumer brands are increasingly seeing in Pakistan: a large, exceptionally young market where the way people eat, shop and socialise is changing.
With more than 240 million people and a median age of just 21, Pakistan offers considerable consumer scale. At the same time, continued investment in malls, hotels and mixed-use developments is creating new destinations for dining and entertainment, while younger consumers are increasingly looking for experiences that extend beyond the food on the table.
That combination makes Pakistan an interesting market for TGI Fridays.
Known for its bold American flavours, legendary mocktails and energetic atmosphere, the brand has long positioned itself around the social side of dining — a place to gather, celebrate and stay awhile. That is the Fridays experience the company plans to build in Pakistan alongside Meerab Hospitality.
“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 of TGI Fridays.
Broad pointed in particular to the country’s demographics and changing retail environment, as well as the importance of having a partner with strong local knowledge.
“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.”
A 15-restaurant ambition
The company behind the local expansion is Meerab Hospitality, the franchise and development arm of Meerab Properties. With a two-decade track record spanning the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia, the group brings both regional market knowledge and international hospitality experience to the partnership.
The first flagship TGI Fridays is targeted to open within the next 12 months at the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex in Lahore, establishing the blueprint for the restaurants that follow.
Over the next decade, the plan is to build a network of up to 15 locations through a combination of company-owned and approved sub-franchised restaurants.
For Pervaiz Iqbal Shahid, Founder and Group CEO of Meerab Properties, the Lahore flagship will be an important first step in establishing the brand at scale.
“Our first flagship restaurant is targeted to open within the next 12 months at the prestigious Hyatt Regency Hotel complex in Lahore,” he said. “This will provide an exceptional launch platform for the brand and establish the standard for the restaurants that follow.”
The expansion is also expected to have a wider local footprint, creating employment and investing in Pakistani hospitality talent as the restaurant network grows.
Pakistan joins a much bigger growth story
The Pakistan agreement comes at a particularly active time for TGI Fridays Globally.
It is the brand’s second new market signing in the last 30 days, following its first entry into the Balkans, and adds to agreements spanning markets including Kenya, the Maldives, Peru, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Greece and Spain.
Together, those agreements have added close to 200 restaurants to the TGI Fridays global pipeline.
The expansion is part of the company’s 1-2-3 Strategic Vision, under which it is targeting more than 1,000 restaurants and $2 billion in annual revenue by 2030. A central part of that strategy is finding local partners that can combine the strength of an international brand with an understanding of how consumers behave in individual markets.
Pakistan fits neatly into that thinking. Its young population, expanding urban centres and growing appetite for international dining concepts provide the scale; Meerab Hospitality provides the local platform.
And Broad believes the character of the market itself is particularly well suited to Fridays.
“What makes Pakistan particularly exciting is the energy of the market and the generation coming through,” 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.”
With the first Lahore opening now targeted within a year and a potential 15-restaurant network ahead, TGI Fridays and Meerab Hospitality are making a sizeable bet on where Pakistan’s dining culture is headed next.