Tanzania, Botswana and Uganda will now be home to South Africa-based franchise restaurant Ocean Basket. The company — which famously serves up fish — is edging toward a fast-food takeover with close to 200 stores, Independent Online reported.

In the form of a chain restaurant, the company prides itself on creating a fish market aura meshed with upscale fast-food service.

“Any brand that offers sea-food becomes our competitor,” Manny Nichas, chief executive officer, said in the report. “We see these stores as an opportunity to grow the brand further by reaching a target market we may not have been formerly exposed to.”

Originally owned by Ocean Basket corporate, the owners turned over 35 restaurants and streamlined the stores into a franchise which has a presence not only in South Africa, but Lesotho, Namibia and Mauritius among other countries in Africa.

“Supply chain has been one of our successes because we have been able to control our stocks from the early days and we still do. The supply-chain environment was very challenging at the moment because of the problems with supply and shortages of various fish,” Nichas added.

He noted in the report that monetary and management issues of the original restaurants that the company owned, encouraged the franchise shift. At present the company buys fish locally from Namibia — and from places abroad like New Zealand and India, Independent Online wrote.

“Protein still remains the first choice in people’s diet. We have seen a huge growth in demand from [the] middle class; they have been frequenting our stores lately,” Nichas said.

According to the report, the international business community has hinted at investing in further Ocean Basket expansions. Competition remains stiff with a plethora of seafood franchises and restaurants across the continent.