TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — JustKitchen announced Monday (Feb. 28) that it has signed a deal to swap virtual branding rights with TGAL Inc., the largest ghost kitchen operator in Japan.

TGAL, which was established in Tokyo in 2013, has access to over 100 brands, while JustKitchen currently boasts around 30 proprietary menus and partner food brands, according to a company press release. JustKitchen and TGAL will initially exchange one to two brands under the deal. 

JustKitchen is expected to first license Chili House to TGAL, while TGAL will likely provide the rights for Japanese curry brand BistroRyu. JustKitchen said the swaps will occur on a location-by-location basis, with a royalty-based mechanism applied to compensate each party on a low risk, variable basis.

The TGAL deal will help JustKitchen and its plans for international expansion. The company added that Japanese food is growing in popularity with JustKitchen customers and noted that the number of Japanese restaurants around Asia has increased by 13% over the last year.

“JustKitchen is excited that the novel brand swap agreement with TGAL will not only be beneficial for both parties from a business perspective, but also for consumers in Taiwan and Japan who value quality food and unique experiences that are on the cutting edge of the delivery-only culinary landscape,” said Jason Chen (陳星豪), co-founder and CEO of JustKitchen.

“I would like to commend the team at TGAL for coming together with us at JustKitchen on this opportunity to bring new on-demand food items to customers in multiple markets. We look forward to swapping more brands with TGAL as our relationship strengthens over time,” Chen added.