Guzman y Gomez has posted robust growth in its fiscal results for the year, with the company’s network sales seeing a 23 per cent increase to $1.2 billion year-on-year.

​The company opened 39 new restaurants, 32 in Australia, four in Singapore, two in the US, and one in Japan.

​The brand’s strong sales translated into a 45.5 per cent increase in its EBITDA to $65 million, and its net profit after tax grew 151.8 per cent to $14.5 million, up from $5.7 million.

​In Australia, Guzman y Gomez’s network sales grew by 22.4 per cent to $1 billion, with its comparable sales seeing a 9.8 per cent growth, and the median return on interest for franchisees was nearly 50 per cent.

​The brand will continue the roll-out of its 24/7 restaurants across Australia, with 10 pre-existing restaurants that can progressively transition into 24/7 restaurants.

​The company’s US segment saw a 13 per cent increase in its network sales to $12.2 million, driven by improvements in guest experience and the launch of the Clean is the New Healthy campaign.

​The company also launched the campaign in Singapore, where network sales grew 39.6 per cent to $64.7 million, and in Japan, where network sales rose 15.7 per cent to $9.1 million.

For the next year, Guzman y Gomez expects to open 32 new restaurants in Australia, 20 of which will be drive-thrus and nine in strips.

​The company expects the underlying EBITDA of its Australian segment to be between 5.9 per cent and 6.3 per cent.

Based on a strong balance sheet, Guzman y Gomez’s board declared a fully-franked maiden dividend of 12.6 cents per share, payable this September.