Coco Cubano's Tony Melham and Cameron Kenna.

While Cuban bar chain, Coco Cubano hunts for a site for its first confirmed franchisee, it's also working towards signing up its first overseas franchisee in Lebanon.

Coco Cubano offer tapas-style dishes, desserts, cocktails and coffees at its three existing company-owned sites in Kings Cross, Taylors Square and Parramatta, and director Cameron Kenna is confident that the brand will soon be a hit in Lebanon as well.

"We've got a very strong prospect from a fellow in Lebanon. He's actually Australian and has been over here for 18 years working as a Caltex franchisee, and now he's selling up and going back home," Kenna told Franchising.

"He loves the concept, so we're now putting a proposal to him to be our first franchisee over in Lebanon, which is great because his family is over there and they work in the resorts and hotels industry."

The potential franchisee, who Kenna preferred not to name, could be signed up to the brand by as early as September, with a store opening penciled in by the end of the year.

Lebanon's potential franchisee joined Coco Cubano's first official franchisee, Angelo Geronazza, who is currently looking for a site in Melbourne's CBD, at the launch of Coco Cubano's new site in Sydney's Parramatta on 30 June.

"Key to us was getting Parramatta built," Kenna said. "That site, to us, represents the evolution of the brand, and this is the model that we'll be going forward with. It's the model that we now go to the franchisee with and say 'This is what you'll be getting.'"

Kenna said he and co-founder Tony Melham prefer to focus on finding the perfect franchisees for the brand rather than growing as quickly as possible, but admits there is strong interest from franchisees across the country.

"We are very close to signing two or three people in Sydney and another in Brisbane, and there is also another strong enquiry from Melbourne," he said.

Sarah Stowe recently spoke with Melham and Kenna about the Coco Cubano brand, click here to view the video, or here to see pictures from the Parramatta launch.