Posted on 10/20/2010 10:50:41 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Never-ending pasta bowls and Cheddar Bay biscuits are on their way to the Middle East.
Orlando-based Darden Restaurants on Tuesday revealed plans to open Red Lobsters, Olive Gardens and LongHorn Steakhouses in seven Middle Eastern countries.
It will be Darden's first foray into international territory other than in Canada, where Darden operates some restaurants, and Japan, where a separate company runs 25 Red Lobsters.
Darden has an agreement with Americana Group, which will develop at least 60 restaurants in Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates during the next five years. The first should open within a year.
More international deals are expected, Darden executives said Tuesday. Those could include restaurants in Mexico, where the company is talking with several potential partners.
Darden, which has more than 1,800 restaurants and annual revenues of $7.1 billion, is following the lead of other chains that already have established a presence in the region. Americana, a major franchiser, has operated restaurants for KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Krispy Kreme and TGI Friday's.
The business of setting up shop in the Middle East is "growing by leaps and bounds," said Alisa Harrison, vice president of communications for the International Franchise Association.
Darden said it's not worried about security issues. Industry experts said that many of the countries into which Darden is expanding are stable and that in some of the more volatile areas, restaurant companies rely on partners who pick safer neighborhoods with tight security.
With slower growth expected in the United States casual-dining market, "we're being more aggressive about looking for growth opportunities" elsewhere, said J.J. Buettgen, Darden's senior vice president of new business development.
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
Ping
Yummy!!!
A small number of muslims go native. But when the penalty is death they won’t stray too far
I don’t believe that will happen here.
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