Arby’s returns to Mexico, adds beer

Sandy Springs- based chain plans expansion to ‘ several hundred.’

SANDY SPRINGS— Arby’s restaurants are returning to Mexico and, at its first location there, beer is part of the mix.

The Sandy Springs- based fastfood chain said it hopes to open “several hundred” restaurants in Mexico in the coming years. On Thursday, the first officially opened in Guadalajara. A second location is slated to open early next year, according to an email from a company spokesperson.

The company and franchisee Key Spot Group, part of Gruncorp, said extensive testing was done on menu options with Mexican tastes in mind. Additions include sandwiches with pulled pork, pork belly and avocados.

The Guadalajara restaurant also will serve beer — Modelo Especial and Modelo Negra — on draft. It’s part of an effort to adapt “the brand to meet local consumer preferences,” the company said.

When asked, the company didn’t say whether it plans to offer beer at any other restaurants.

Paul Brown, chief executive of Inspire Brands, the chain’s parent, called Arby’s Mexico launch “an exciting moment in the brand’s international growth aswe bring our meat- focused menu to new guests around the world.”

Arby’s restaurants have operated in Mexico in past years. Those operations ended, though the company didn’t provide details when asked about it Thursday. A story in media outlet El Financiero suggested the restaurant swere hurt by a poor economy in the 1990s and management problems.

Arby’s has more than 3,500 restaurants in its chain, all but 155 in the United States.