TGI Fridays has signed a franchise development agreement with Meerab Hospitality to bring up to 15 restaurants to Pakistan, marking the casual-dining chain's return to one of South Asia's largest consumer markets. The first flagship unit is targeted to open within the next 12 months at the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex in Lahore.
The agreement is the second market signing for TGI Fridays in September 2026 alone, following the brand's first-ever entry into the Balkans. Over the past year, the Dallas-based chain has executed development deals spanning Kenya, the Maldives, Peru, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Greece, Cyprus and Spain — collectively adding close to 200 restaurants to its global pipeline as it pursues a stated goal of 1,000-plus locations and $2 billion in annual revenue by 2030.
The Partner Profile
Meerab Hospitality is the franchise and development arm of Meerab Properties, a UAE-headquartered diversified investment company with two decades of operating experience across the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia. The structure of the Pakistan rollout will combine company-owned restaurants with approved sub-franchised locations, giving the partnership flexibility to scale across a geographically diverse market.
Pervaiz Iqbal Shahid, Founder and Group CEO of Meerab Properties, characterized the Lahore flagship as both a launch platform and a quality benchmark. "Our ambition is to reintroduce the brand through an energized and well-capitalized platform, supported by strong operational leadership and a long-term commitment to responsible growth across Pakistan," he said.
Why Pakistan, Why Now
For international restaurant operators, Pakistan's demographic profile is difficult to ignore. The country's population exceeds 240 million, with a median age of just 21 — a consumer base that is young, increasingly urban and, according to TGI Fridays' own market assessment, actively seeking experience-led dining destinations. Rapid mall and mixed-use development across major cities is creating the physical infrastructure that international casual-dining concepts require.
Phil Broad, Global President of TGI Fridays, framed the market entry around both fundamentals and franchise fit. "Pakistan has one of the youngest populations anywhere in the world and a retail landscape that's evolving fast," he said. "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."
The Pakistan deal reflects a broader pattern in global franchise expansion that has accelerated among casual-dining brands in the post-pandemic period: prioritizing markets with strong youth demographics and rising middle-class dining frequency over more saturated Western markets. For operators and hospitality industry observers tracking where the next wave of international full-service growth is headed, South Asia — and Pakistan specifically — is emerging as a credible new frontier alongside Southeast Asia and Latin America.
TGI Fridays currently operates nearly 400 restaurants across almost 40 countries, supported by global franchise hubs in Dallas, Dubai and London.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
