Saudi fried chicken chain Albaik is set to open in Pakistan, owner Rami Abu Ghazaleh confirmed during a meeting with Pakistani Trade Minister Jam Kamal Khan in Riyadh this month.

However, few details have been made public, including the number of locations in Pakistan, when they will open, or the size of the investment. 

Established in 1974 in Jeddah, Albaik has more than 150 restaurants in 80 countries, including franchised locations. 

Shahid Maitla, political analyst and managing editor of Bloom Pakistan said the launch could potentially strengthen Saudi-Pakistan economic ties; but the country has a long way to go to win big.

“In the Middle East, it takes only half an hour to register and incorporate a company, but in Pakistan, it can take months to fulfil the regulatory requirements,” he said. 

“If Pakistan realistically wants to get more investment from Saudis, it needs to promote business-to-business exchanges between Pakistani and Saudi firms and not the existing government-to-government approach.” 

Pakistan, being the world’s fifth biggest country by population at 240 million, offers a potentially huge market for the chain, adds Nikkei Asia.