Carpinteria-based CKE Restaurants announced the opening of its first Carl’s Jr. restaurant in Shanghai, China, marking the first of more than 100 Carl’s Jr. units planned in the municipalities of Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu over the next eight years.

CKE said its entry into China is part of a strategic plan to accelerate franchise development in international markets and grow the system as a whole. The new Shanghai restaurant is part of the first phase in the company’s expansion efforts in China where it sees potential for more than 1,000 restaurants over time. In China, Carl’s Jr. is operated by Star Food F&B Management, a joint venture between SGX-listed BreadTalk Group Limited, a lifestyle food and beverage group, and Aspac F&B International Pte Ltd, the current Carl’s Jr. franchisee in Singapore and Malaysia.

In a release, Mason Tan, chief executive officer of Star Food F&B, said over the last five years his company has “seen a meteoric rise in the demand for overseas premier brands due to irreversible rising consumerism and economic growth.”