Torikizoku Holdings has announced plans to expand its popular yakitori chain, Torikizoku, into Taiwan and Hong Kong as part of an initial push into the Asian market.

The company intends to establish a joint venture with a local restaurant firm in Taiwan by April and finalize a franchise contract with a Hong Kong-based company by March, the company said Monday.

Opened in 1985, Osaka-based Torikizoku is one of the country’s major izakaya (Japanese style pub) chains, serving inexpensive grilled chicken skewers at over 600 stores nationwide and operating both directly and through franchisees. The chain has garnered popularity for its affordability, which it achieves by using only domestic ingredients and skewering chicken in its stores while offering a uniform price of ¥328 (excluding tax) per plate.

Specific details regarding the number of restaurants and finalized opening dates in Hong Kong and Taiwan are yet to be determined.

In Taiwan, Torikizoku Holdings will form a joint venture in Taipei with City Chain Food, which is involved in poultry farming and food services. The venture is capitalized at 65 million New Taiwan dollars (approximately ¥308 million), with the first store planned to begin operations in July.

In Hong Kong, the company has reached a franchise chain agreement with Four Seas Mercantile Holdings, a food manufacturing and sales company, with capital of 38 million Hong Kong dollars (¥737 million).

Torikizoku Holdings has one branch overseas in the United States, established in Los Angeles in April 2023.

"We have conducted market research in Taiwan and Hong Kong and have confirmed that we can open Torikizoku there,” a spokesperson for Torikizoku Holdings told Nikkei. “Our aim is to open shops in cooperation with partners that have a strong business foundation."