Something to cluck about: Mary Brown's opening stores in Pakistan, Mexico, India and Northern Ireland
Chicken chain hopes to open a few hundred international locations within the next 5 years
This chicken isn't just crossing the road. Mary Brown's is spreading its wings and flying overseas with plans to open international stores a hop across the pond in Northern Ireland, and all the way to Mexico, Pakistan and India.
Within the next five years, the Newfoundland-based chicken chain hopes to open 800 stores worldwide, says Tony Samuelson, the fast-food chicken chain's chief development officer.
"We've got to get our product into the guests' hands because once they taste it, I think they're hooked in," said Samuelson, who has worked at Mary Brown's for more than 25 years.
The cluck of the Irish
Samuelson says Mary Brown's is opening its first international store in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, in February, and it hopes to soon get Big Mary's and taters into the hands of people in Mexico and Pakistan, and later, India.
Samuelson says the Big Mary product will stay consistent across the globe but its flavours, including the varieties of sandwich sauces, may vary depending on the location. Side options will also vary among countries.
In 2024, Samuelson says Mary Brown's hopes to have opened 10 international stores. Growth will become exponential starting in 2025, he said, with plans to open 300 to 400 stores overseas within five years.
Born in St. John's, Samuelson says he probably wouldn't have predicted decades ago that people would eventually be munching on taters in Pakistan.
But not to worry, the chicken isn't flying the Canadian coop — Samuelson says there are 255 stores across Canada, and within the next five years, Mary Brown's plans to raise that number to 500.
"We're ready and we're really excited," said Samuelson.
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With files from Carolyn Stokes