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Naf Naf Grill doubling footprint with 4 franchise deals

Provided by Naf Naf

September 4, 2019

Middle Eastern concept Naf Naf Grill is doubling its footprint by opening several units in Chicago as well as entering Tennessee and Iowa thanks to deals with four franchise groups.

"We are ecstatic that shortly after launching our franchise program we have quickly doubled the size of our company," CEO Paul Damico, said in a press release. "It's incredibly important for us to continue to grow our franchising program throughout the country with strong operators so we can share our great Middle Eastern cuisine and hospitality with even more guests.”

The franchisees include:

• Nick Ibrahim of NBMM Holdings LLC, who signed a 10-store deal to open locations in Knoxville, Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Prior to joining the Naf Naf franchise program, Lebanese-born Ibrahim worked as CIO of Ruby Tuesday's.
• Jwalit Patel, John Tourville, and Ketan Patel, who will open five restaurants in the Chicago area. The group has extensive franchise experience across a variety of brands.
• Krishna Patel and Rashmi (Sim) Patel, who have a seven-store deal for Central Illinois and Iowa. Their group owns 19 Dunkin Donuts stores in Central Illinois and Iowa.
• Devarshi Patel, Riya Patel, Kamlesh Patel, Paulomi Shah and Jose Arteaga, who own 17 Dunkin Donuts and three McAlister's Delis in Northern Illinois and Northwest and Southern Indiana, signed a three-store deal to build Naf Naf locations in Northwest Indiana.

The announcements come on the heels of Naf Naf's official franchise program announcement and the first franchise deal with 316 Investments in June. Earlier this summer, 316 Investments, through its affiliate Fan the Flame LLC, announced a 10-store deal that would expand Naf Naf stores to the cities of Indianapolis, Bloomington, Lafayette and Fort Wayne over the next few years.

Naf Naf was founded in 2009, and has 37 locations under development.