Papa John's opens first restaurant in Kyrgyzstan

American restaurant franchise company Papa John’s International continues its expansion into Central Asia with the announcement of the first Papa John’s restaurant in Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyzstan Papa John’s is located in Bishkek and opened its doors on February 8, 2018.

Papa John’s franchisee PJ Western plans to open six restaurants in the Kyrgyzstan market. PJ Western currently operates 147 Papa John’s in Russia, Belarus and Poland, and will continue to expand in Eastern Europe and into Central Asia. A second restaurant in Bishkek is scheduled to open in early March.

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

“PJ Western continues to be one of Papa John’s fastest-growing franchise groups and we look forward to their continued success in the region. We expect that Christopher and his team will continue to deliver on our 'Better Ingredients, Better Pizza' brand promise in Kyrgyzstan,” said Tim O’Hern, senior vice-president and chief development officer.

Papa John’s is now in 45 countries and territories around the globe, including the Philippines and South Korea.