Franchising

Pepper Lunch signs 5-unit deal with former Halal Guys franchisee

Photo: Pepper Lunch

August 12, 2024

Pepper Lunch, a Japanese-born fast casual concept with more than 500 locations in 15 countries, has signed an agreement with High Steaks Enterprise to open five restaurants in Southern California region between Los Angeles and Orange County.

Led by Paul Tran, the director of franchise sales for Pepper Lunch in North America, High Steaks will open the locations over the next three years. Prior to becoming Pepper Lunch's franchise sales lead, Tran led a restaurant group that owned nine Halal Guys, which was recently acquired.

"I first experienced Pepper Lunch while traveling in Australia in 2016," Tran said in a company press release. "I've been in the restaurant and franchise business for two decades and I've been on both sides of the table — franchisor and franchisee. As a part of the Pepper Lunch leadership team, I've seen the greatness in the brand firsthand and I just know that the time was right. The popularity of Asian food is growing in America, but the supply is limited. Pepper Lunch is perfect in filling that need and it's something we're proud of because the business model is both brilliant and relevant for consumers who want experience, value, quality food, speed, convenience and ethnic flavors."

Additional partners in the business are Thomas Pham and Andrew Le, both executives at SLIQUE Media, a restaurant marketing agency on the West Coast. Pham has opened over 10 restaurants, and he has supported the launches of hundreds of restaurant brands. Both were previous partners with Tran in the Halal Guys' franchise group.

"Our Director of Franchise Sales signing a multi-unit agreement for Southern California speaks to how our entire organization is invested in the growth of Pepper Lunch," Troy Hooper, CEO of Pepper Lunch, said in the release. "Paul and his group have successfully operated one of the fastest-growing, and most beloved brands, Halal Guys, in this market previously, and we have no doubt they will achieve success with Pepper Lunch."