Mom's Touch Executive Director Lee Kyung-min, left, poses with RS Group CEO Surachai Chetchotisak after signing a master franchise contract at RS Group's headquarters in Bangkok, May 23. Courtesy of Mom's Touch

By Kim Jae-heun

Mom's Touch is entering the Thai market with a master franchise contract it signed with local entertainment firm RS Group, the chicken burger restaurant chain said Wednesday.

Master franchise is a franchise relationship in which the franchise brand owner grants another party the right to recruit new franchisees in a specific area.

RS Group established Mom's Touch Thailand to open its very first restaurant in Bangkok and plans to open five more this year.

"We successfully entered the American market last year. This year, we hope to promote Korean-style chicken burgers more internationally through our business in Thailand," Mom's Touch Executive Director Lee Kyung-min said.

Mom's Touch Thailand will first attract local customers with the brand's signature Thigh Burger, which is made from chicken thigh meat. For the Thai market, Mom's Touch plans to introduce new burgers on the menu and side dishes that suit the local palate in collaboration with the Thai partner firm.

Mom's Touch also has plans to make its overseas branch in Thailand into an international hub to enter five more ASEAN countries within this year.

"The Middle East is also another option we are eyeing and we are currently in talks with several candidates that have shown interest in the master franchise business with our brand," a company official said.

Mom's Touch is said to be expanding its global franchise business to improve its corporate value before the company's sell-off.

KL & Partners, its largest shareholder with a 97.9 percent stake, applied for the delisting of the fast food restaurant chain on March 30, and the Korea Exchange accepted it on May 31. The private equity firm believes delisting Mom's Touch will make it easier to sell off its stake for a higher price.

"Mom's Touch recently beat Lotteria to become the franchise with the most burger restaurants in the country. If it successfully settles down in overseas markets, it will attract new bidders in taking over the fast food chain business," a local food company official said.