The Cambodia Daily
January 27, 2013
U.S. fast-food chain Burger King is set to open its first restaurant in Cambodia next month, an official confirmed on Thursday.
A worker stands beside an advertisement for Burger King at the Phnom Penh International Airport on Thursday. (Siv Channa)
Advertisements have gone up at the Phnom Penh International Airport
bearing the famous Burger King logo, with a message saying that the
chain is “Coming soon.” The outlet is going up on the perimeter of the
airport terminal building, next to the existing Pizza Company and Dairy
Queen outlets.
“We have started the construction,” said Cambodia Airports CEO
Emmanuel Menanteau, adding that he expected the restaurant to be
completed and opened in February.
In June last year, the company holding the franchise for Burger King,
as well as Domino’s Pizza in Vietnam, Blue Kite Food & Beverage Co.
Ltd., began advertising for management jobs and general staff posts in
the franchise in Cambodia. The company is a subsidiary of Vietnamese
company Imex Pan-Pacific.
Local garment factory owner Sok Hong, who also sits on the board of
Sok Kong’s Sokimex Corporation, said at the time that he was involved in
bringing Burger King to Cambodia. Mr. Hong could not be reached for
comment on Thursday.
But it appeared the gun had been jumped when an official at Burger
King’s regional office in Singapore said the company then had no plans
to open in Cambodia. The official even said the company would
investigate unauthorized use of its branding on the job advertisements.
Despite the open displaying of the chain’s logo at the airport, Burger King is yet to confirm its move into Cambodia.
Asked to confirm the move on Thursday, officials at Burger King in
Singapore did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Burger King, which has outlets in 73 countries globally, joins other
U.S. brands Dairy Queen—which is run in Cambodia by Thailand-based RMA
Group—and KFC, which was brought into the country by local businessman
Kith Meng.
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