Boston Market Expanding to China, Taiwan

Boston Chicken Inc. said it plans to franchise as many as 600 restaurants in China and Taiwan over the next decade in its first overseas expansion. A new Taiwan-based company managed by restaurant developer John Sun will operate the stores under the Boston Market name. Sun operates TGI Friday’s Inc. restaurants in Taiwan and Beijing. Sun and other investors will provide $20 million to the company, and Boston Market International, Boston Chicken’s international licensing and franchising unit, will lend $60 million that can be converted into a majority stake in Sun’s company. The move is part of Golden, Colo.-based Boston Chicken’s drive to compete better with bigger restaurant chains. In October, it said it plans to have 4,000 restaurants in the U.S. in five to seven years. Shares rose 12.5 cents to close at $35.50 on Nasdaq.