Papa John’s International Opens First Restaurant in Kazakhstan

American pizza chain Papa John’s International continues its expansion into Central Asia with the announcement of the first restaurant in Almaty, Kazakhstan, starting with August 27.

Papa John’s is now present in 46 countries and territories around the globe and it plans to open sixteen restaurants in the Kazakhstan market. PJ Western currently operates 181 Papa John’s in Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Poland, and will continue to expand in Eastern Europe and into Central Asia. A second restaurant in Almaty is scheduled to open in October.

“We are excited about establishing and expanding the Papa John’s pizza brand in Kazakhstan. We believe that our passion for better ingredients will transfer well to Almaty and beyond and our new customers will love our quality pizza,” said Christopher Wynne, co-owner and CEO of PJ Western.

“PJ Western is Papa John’s largest international franchisee with over 180 restaurants and we look forward to their continued success and expansion in the region. We expect that Christopher and his team will continue to deliver on our BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA. brand promise in Kazakhstan,” said Tim O’Hern, president  international, Papa John’s.

Papa John’s International is currently looking for potential franchisees in Paris, France, as well as Belgium and Denmark.