New York City burger and shake brand Harlem Shake has signed a master franchise agreement with Franchise India to develop 75 units across multiple markets in India. Advisory support comes from FranGlobal, the international arm of Franchise India. The deal is the brand’s first major step outside the United States and sets India as its opening international market.
Harlem Shake will grow in India through regional master franchise and area-development models, with Franchise India and FranGlobal matching the brand to local partners and investors by territory.
Under the agreement, Franchise India holds the master franchise for India and will lead the search for regional franchise partners. Founder and CEO Jelena Pasic said India represents an important growth opportunity as the company begins expanding internationally, and described the brand as more than burgers and shakes, rooted in culture, community and food.
Gaurav Marya, Chairman of Franchise India Brands Limited, said the brand brings a distinctive New York dining concept to India, pairing a recognisable American menu with a strong identity. He added that FranGlobal’s international franchising experience and Franchise India’s knowledge of the domestic market would be used to connect the brand with suitable partners across key Indian territories.
Deal snapshot:
The striking part of the deal is the sequencing. Harlem Shake is still building its domestic franchise network, with three US franchise units in the pipeline, yet it is committing to a 75-unit plan abroad. That is a sharper international bet than most American burger brands make at this stage, and it relies heavily on the master franchisee’s ability to recruit and support sub-franchisees.
India is becoming a launchpad, not a late-stage add-on, for American restaurant brands.
India’s size makes a single national operator difficult for a brand without a large support team on the ground. Splitting the country into regional master and area-development territories lets local partners with real-estate and operating knowledge in each region carry the build-out. The same approach has been used by other international brands that entered through Franchise India, including the Tony Macaroni expansion into India and the UAE.
Harlem Shake enters a segment where scale players are already deep into national roll-outs; Burger King India passed its 600th restaurant under its master franchisee. For a newer brand, the opening is in a differentiated, diner-style experience rather than in price or speed.
The deal also adds to a run of international food brands choosing India for multi-unit commitments, including Flam’s 50-restaurant India programme. VF’s guide to burger franchise formats in Asia Pacific and MENA covers how these concepts are typically sized and sited.
For investors, the deal shows that emerging US brands are now willing to open international master rights before they reach national scale at home. That widens the pool of available American concepts but shifts more of the brand-building load to the master franchisee. Investors assessing similar rights should look closely at the franchisor’s training capacity, supply chain readiness and willingness to adapt the menu, since those determine whether a 75-unit plan becomes a real network.
Harlem Shake has also said it is seeking franchise partners and investors for further markets, so India may be the first of several international agreements.
Source: QSR Magazine — Harlem Shake Signs 75-Unit Master Franchise Agreement in India; additional detail from Fast Casual — Harlem Shake signs 75-unit franchise agreement in India
