CALGARY, Alberta – Smashburger plans to expand in Canada behind the leadership of Audra Wosik, the newly appointed director of franchise sales in Canada. Smashburger entered the Canadian market in 2012 by opening two new restaurants in Calgary. The chain now plans to open restaurants in Edmonton, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec before the end of 2014.

"Canada is an important growth market for us,” said David Prokupek, chairman and CEO of Smashburger. “We have lots of demand for our burgers in Canada. That is why we brought Audra Wosik on board. Her experience in the franchise industry will help us identify the right partners and develop markets designed to fuel our growth here."

Wosik has more than 20 years' experience in the franchise industry and a solid understanding of operations, marketing, real estate, and sales. Smashburger plans to open 200 new stores across Canada in the next decade. International expansion is also planned as the restaurant strives to become the number one global "better burger" brand.

Smashburger calls itself America's fastest-growing, fast-casual "better burger" restaurant. Its hand-crafted burgers are made with refrigerated, 100 per cent Certified Angus Beef that are "smashed", seared and seasoned on the grill per order. Developed and owned by private-equity firm Consumer Capital Partners, Smashburger operates and develops corporate and multi-unit franchise territories throughout the world. It now operates 156 restaurants in the United States, one location in Calgary and one in Kuwait.