Sbarro, the Melville-based chain of Italian eateries, has announced its master franchise partnership with south India- based White Planet Restaurants, owned by Sriram Rajagopal and Gopal Rajagopalan, with a motive to expand its footprints in India.
The Italian restaurant chain is planning to open dozens of new eateries in the country’s southern region with the partnership. Under the agreement, White Planet Restaurants will open 35 new Sbarro eateries in the south region of India. The first of the new restaurants opened in Chennai in May 2013.
Three more locations are expected to open in southern India by the end of the year. Before the agreement, there were four Sbarro restaurants in Bangalore. Sbarro has stepped up its foreign expansion plans over the last year, announcing international franchise agreements in a number of countries, including Canada, Colombia and Peru. Last month, the company said it made a franchise deal to add 20 locations in Ontario, Canada. In February, the company announced a partnership to open 40 new restaurants in Peru and Colombia.