Signing MF Agreement with ONE FOOD LLC
Targeting the Central Asian Market
Mom's Touch has become the first domestic quick service restaurant (QSR) brand to enter Uzbekistan, targeting the Central Asian market.
On August 26, at the headquarters of Mom's Touch & Company in Jung-gu, Seoul, Mom's Touch announced on September 1 that it had signed a master franchise (MF) agreement with ONE FOOD LLC, the F&B subsidiary of local Uzbek company UHL CO, to launch its restaurant business in Uzbekistan.
The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Dongjeon, CEO of Mom's Touch & Company, Zafar, CEO of ONE FOOD LLC, and other key executives from both companies.
Through this MF agreement, Mom's Touch will open its first store, approximately 495 square meters in size, in a prime commercial district of Tashkent, the capital, within this year, making it the first domestic QSR brand to do so. The company plans to expand to up to 60 locations in the future. Mom's Touch believes it can more than double the number of stores compared to KFC, the leading local chicken and burger brand.
Uzbekistan, the most populous country in Central Asia, is home to about 170,000 ethnic Koreans and has long shown a keen interest in the Korean Wave and K-Food. With around 88% of the population being Muslims who avoid pork, the market is considered favorable for Mom's Touch, which specializes in chicken-based menu items such as the Thigh Burger, Big Thigh Boneless, and Thigh Pizza. Recently, dining out has become a routine part of life in Tashkent and other metropolitan areas, and food delivery services have become widespread since the COVID-19 pandemic, providing the basic infrastructure needed for QSR business success.
At the signing ceremony, Zafar, CEO of ONE FOOD LLC, explained, "In order to bring major Korean hamburger and chicken brands to Uzbekistan, we have thoroughly reviewed several well-known brands in Korea over a long period of time and concluded that Mom's Touch is the most competitive brand."
Mom's Touch plans to expand its influence from Uzbekistan to neighboring Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and further into Russia and the halal markets of the Middle East.
A representative from Mom's Touch stated, "This agreement marks the first time a domestic QSR brand is entering the Central Asian market through an MF model rather than direct management. The contract was signed after a suitability review at the request of the MF company, which was confident in the differentiated menu and quality competitiveness based on the 'QSR platform.' We will work closely with our local partner to create a K-QSR success story in the region, just as we did in the Japanese market."
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