Sizzler completes deal for Mexican expansionSizzler completes deal for Mexican expansion

CULVER CITY Calif. Sizzler USA has signed an agreement with franchise operator Grupo Payger to open the midscale chain’s first four locations in Mexico.

The units, slated to open in Mexico City and Acapulco within a year, will be full-service restaurants with a full-bar, a common format for the chain in Asia.

Guests at the 233 Sizzler units in the United States pay as they order, and the alcohol options tend to be limited to beer and wine. However, Sizzler officials expect to test a full-service format in Las Vegas later this year.

Grupo Payger is a franchisee of the Mexican restaurant chain Las Gaoneras, which has locations throughout Mexico and in San Antonio, Texas. The company also operates several hotels and other restaurant concepts in Mexico. Its other businesses include real estate and tequila distribution.

“As the Mexican economy grows, more families can afford to eat out,” said Alberto Diaz, chief operating officer for Grupo Payger. “We see this as an opportunity to introduce a new American restaurant concept to the country.”

Grupo Payger expects to extend the Sizzler brand into the Mexican states of Morelos, Queretaro, Puebla, Hidalgo and Estado de Mexico, with the goal of opening at least 10 restaurants overall.