Shake Shack Japan bound

US burger chain Shake Shack is headed for Asia.

The company says it has signed a licensing agreement with Japanese company Sazaby League, local operator of Starbucks. The two companies plan to open 10 Shake Shacks in Japan by 2020, with the first, in Tokyo, scheduled to open in 2016.

Shake Shack, headquartered in New York, raised US$105 million in a recent IPO and is using the funds for expansion at home and abroad.

At the time of the IPO it ran 63 restaurants in the US, 15 of them in New York. It also has stores in London, Istanbul and Moscow and plans 10 new restaurants this year as part of a longer term plan to expand to 450 outlets.

The chain is known for burgers, milk shakes and crinkle-cut fries.

Its Japanese restaurants will have a menu which retains core items from the brand, but is tailored to the local palate.