Franchising

FAT Brands sets sights on Middle East expansion

Provided

September 7, 2021

FAT Brands Inc., parent company of Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery and nine other restaurant concepts, is growing its footprint in the Middle East with 136 brick-and-mortar restaurant locations across five countries. In partnership with Kitopi, the master franchisee, six FAT Brands concepts will open over the next five years, according to a company press release.

United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait are the locales of the FAT Brands expansion. While the 136 brick-and-mortar stores will open over the next five years, the FAT Brands concepts will become available within the next year through Kitopi's existing footprint of more than 70 managed cloud kitchens, otherwise referred to as ghost kitchens throughout the region. The Middle East has proven to be fruitful for FAT Brands, with their brands steadily opening new stores across various countries for over a decade.

"The Middle East was among our brands' first forays into franchising internationally in 2008 and the region continues to be a priority for FAT Brands' expansion," FAT Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn said in the release. "Our existing concepts in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, and other countries have seen tremendous growth and popularity among locals. We are excited to introduce them to even more delicious concepts from FAT Brands."

"Our mission is to satisfy the world's appetite, by delivering exceptional food on your terms. We do this by partnering with the best brands and providing our customers with access to the food they know and love. Our partnership with FAT Brands is a testament to that," said Kitopi CEO and Co-founder Mohamad Ballout.

FAT Brands owns 14 restaurant brands and operating over 2,000 units worldwide.