Finland’s Hesburger Debuts In Tehran

The capital city of Iran is now home to one of Finland’s most popular exports, a Hesburger restaurant. The Turku-based chain opened a new outlet in Tehran this spring and says that it intends to open one or two new franchise outlets in Iran each year. Hesburger, which started as a small burger stand in Naantali in the 1960s, is the largest hamburger restaurant chain in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, with a larger presence in these markets than U.S.-based rival McDonald's. It has franchises operating in ten countries. Last year the chain opened its first outlets in Belarus; it also has locations in the Baltic States, Ukraine and Germany, as well as in Vladivostok, Russia. Burger-In, the company behind Hesburger — announced plans to open nine new restaurants in Bulgaria.