US pizza giant Papa John’s International has continued its Central Asian expansion, opening its first restaurant in Kazakhstan.

The Kazakhstan Papa John’s is located in the capital city of Almaty and opened its doors this week. Papa John’s is now in 46 countries and territories around the globe.

Master franchisee PJ Western plans to open 16 Kazakhstan Papa John’s restaurants. PJ Western currently operates 181 Papa John’s in Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Poland, and will continue to expand in Eastern Europe and into Central Asia. A second restaurant in Almaty is scheduled to open in October.

“We believe that our passion for better ingredients will transfer well to Almaty and beyond and our new customers will love our quality pizza,” said Christopher Wynne, co-owner and CEO of PJ Western.

The company is Papa John’s largest international franchisee with more than 180 restaurants.

Papa John’s International is looking for potential franchisees in Paris, Belgium and Denmark.

Inside Retail Hong Kong