Five Guys, the popular US burger chain is to launch in Ireland after signing a franchise deal with Brett, Ross and Derry Desmond, the sons of financier Dermot Desmond.
The brand, which opened its twentieth UK site earlier this month, plans to open 10 sites across Northern Ireland and the Republic, with Dublin is initial target location.
It hopes to open two in Dublin’s city centre and three more around the M50 belt, before looking at opportunities in Cork, Limerick and Galway.
It would also like to add at least to sites in Belfast.
The group recently secured a third flagship site in central London, after acquiring the Café Rouge restaurant near The Strand from Tragus.
The chain, which hopes to open 22 sites in the UK this year, already operates flagship sites in Covent Garden and Argyll Street.
The brand has also secured openings in Wimbledon, Nottingham and in the Old Brewery Quarter, Cardiff for the first half of the year.
It hopes to eventually operate 175 to 200 “high volume sites” in the UK and plans to launch in Continental Europe over the next 18 months.
