CaliBurger, a California-style burger joint with locations in Asia and the Middle East, will establish a U.S. headquarters in the D.C. area after securing a new round of equity financing, according to a statement from the company.
CaliBurger plans to open its first American eatery by the end of this year. It’s unclear where the first U.S. location will be, although a map on the restaurant’s website lists D.C. and Los Angeles locations as “coming soon.” CaliBurger is operating in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou in China and lists other coming-soon locations in London, Stockholm, Sweden, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai and Manila, Phillipines.
The restaurant did not release the amount of equity financing it received, noting only that it came from “two U.S.-based venture capital groups.”
The U.S. operation will be led by Rick DeMarco, who previously served in various positions for The Counter, House of Blues and California Pizza Kitchen, according to the release.
CaliBurger serves fast-food burgers with hand-cut French fries and has a dedication to fresh ingredients. The restaurant ran into some opposition from California-based In-N-Out Burger in 2012 after the beloved chain claimed CaliBurger’s red and yellow logo and burger style copied its longtime West Coast staples.
CaliBurger, which was at the time based in Diamond Bar, Calif., according to reports in the Los Angeles Times and QSR Magazine, made changes to its menu.
I’ve emailed CaliBurger for additional information and will update this post when I learn more.
