Ocean Basket opens 150th restaurant

"150 restaurants opened by a single company in just 17 years - that's a rate of almost nine a year or one almost every six weeks.

"Right from the start we set out to supply top-class food at an affordable price, backed by consistently outstanding service," said Manny Nichas, Ocean Basket CEO.

The company has also been expanding its footprint beyond South African boarders.

In February it launched its first outlet in the Dubai International Airport.

"Dubai marks the expansion of the brand into international territories, with ten of our restaurants already well-established in Namibia, Zambia, Cyprus and Mauritius," the company said.

In September last year, Ocean Basket through a master licensee opened an Ocean Basket restaurant at the new Bagatelle Mall in the heart of Mauritius, between Port Louis and the emerging Cyber City growth zone.

A master licensee is granted the right to serve as the group's agent in a territory, where they manage the business on behalf of the group, in exchange for a royalty payment for use of the group's intellectual property and business systems.

Pedro De Sambento, a director at Ocean Basket told I-Net Bridge/BusinessLIVE that the interest to open in Mauritius actually came from Mauritian developer ENL.

"There was demand for the brand. There's also a South African presence with an established expat community," he said.

Ocean Basket aims to open four more stores within the next five years in Mauritius.

De Sambento noted that the group was also extending its footprint in the Middle East and Africa.

"We'll be adding one store in the Dubai city centre in the second quarter of 2012."

The company plans to open an outlet in Swaziland, which will bring its international store count to a dozen.