Applegreen has agreed a new licensing partnership for Northern Ireland with Chick-fil-A, the US-headquartered quick service restaurant company.
This follows Chick-fil-A's recent announcement that it will enter the UK market in 2025.
The first of two locations will open at Applegreen's Lisburn South motorway service area on the M1 later this month, followed by the second location at Applegreen Templepatrick on the M2 in March.
The new restaurants will create 70 new jobs, bringing Applegreen's overall workforce in the North to 351.
Applegreen already has a partnership with Chick-fil-A in the US and operates 14 of its restaurants at its US-based motorway service areas.
Applegreen operates five locations in Northern Ireland - the two largest sites are just outside Lisburn, on the northern and southern sides of the M1 motorway, and it also has sites in Templepatrick, Ballymena and Hillsborough.
Chick-fil-A is the third largest quick service restaurant company by sales volume in the US and it operates more than 3,000 restaurants across the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
"We are delighted to be bringing Chick-fil-A to Northern Ireland with this new partnership agreement," said Caroline Cherington, Regional Operations Director for Applegreen Northern Ireland.
"Having successfully operated Chick-fil-A restaurants in the US for several years, we know how much customers love their high-quality food, and we're excited to introduce this brand to a new audience," he added.
Applegreen now operates 592 sites in Ireland, the UK and the US and employs a total of 17,000 people worldwide.
It has more than 700 branded food offers across its global network and has existing restaurant partnerships in Northern Ireland with brands such as Burger King, Subway, Chopstix and Greggs.
Applegreen recently unveiled plans to invest €1 billion to expand its business in all three of its major markets - Ireland, the UK and the US - over the next five years.
It operates about 200 locations in Ireland, while in the UK, its Welcome Break business operates 59 sites, including 35 motorway service areas, and 31 hotels.
Earlier this week it announced a deal to sell its UK petrol filling business to EG On The Move, a UK operator of filling stations and convenience stores.
