CARPINTERIA, CALIF. – Carl’s Jr. has opened its first restaurant in Shanghai, China, announced CKE Restaurants Inc. This restaurant is the first of more than 100 Carl’s Jr. units planned in the municipalities of Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu over the next eight years.

Carl’s Jr. is operated in China by Star Food F&B Management Co. Ltd., a joint venture between SGX-listed BreadTalk Group Limited, a leading lifestyle food and beverage group, and Aspac F&B International Pte Ltd, the current Carl’s Jr. franchisee in Singapore and Malaysia.

CKE Restaurants’ entry into the People’s Republic of China is part of a plan to increase franchise development in international markets and grow the system as a whole. The new restaurant opening in Shanghai is part of the first phase in the company’s expansion efforts in China where it sees potential for more than 1,000 restaurants over time.