Tampa-based World of Beer has signed a franchise agreement with Cong Yin and his partners to open its first overseas tavern in Shanghai.
The tavern will commence its operations in the second quarter of this year. The franchise partners also plans to open bars in at least places in Shanghai in the coming three years.
The first tavern will be located in the Shanghai French Concession area which is a popular shopping and dining district for residents and tourists. Yin's company, Zhejiang Suige Trade Company will hire nearly 40 people for that location.
Yin said: "I visited my first World of Beer in Tampa in 2013, and I knew right away Shanghai would be an ideal location to introduce the concept.
"At that time, the craft beer scene had just started to emerge in Shanghai, and the number of craft beer enthusiasts was increasing quite quickly. Because of this enthusiasm, and World of Beer's proven and successful franchise model, we knew the concept would be a perfect fit."
The tavern will be designed almost similar to those located in the US but minor changes to the menu to include baby back ribs, Asian-style sesame salad, a variety of dry-rubbed chicken wing flavors suited to the local market and fruit-oriented desserts.
World of Beer CEO Paul Avery said: "We've been looking to expand internationally for a couple of years, but we wanted to wait for the perfect partner and ideal location to launch World of Beer's international expansion on the right foot.
"The new Shanghai tavern demonstrates how World of Beer's devotion to local craft beer and its tavern fare menu translates well across cultures. We are confident that the concept will continue to grow overseas and look forward to introducing our brand to residents in Shanghai and markets such as India and the Philippines later this year."
Started in 2007, World in Beer currently has presence in 75 locations across 20 states in the US. It plans to increase the number of its taverns to over 100 across the world by 2016.
Image: World in Beer currently has presence in 75 locations across 20 states in the US. Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
