News

Kuwait gets 'the meats' — and the sweets — with Arby's, Nestle Tollhouse Café by Chip

September 27, 2017

Meat-centric Arby's and sweet-centric Nestle Toll House Café by Chip have both opened locations in Kuwait this month, according to separate press releases. 

For Arby's this is new international territory, but the brand said it will open 25 locations in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, starting with the one opening  this week. For the dessert-focused Nestle's Tollhouse Café by Chip, the store that opened Sept. 5 on Shuhada Street in Kuwait City is the chain's 18th in-country location. 

Franchise owner Sulaiman Al Wazzan helms of the new café, which has opening hours 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday through Thursday in a Kuwait City bank building. 

"It’s incredibly humbling to receive such overwhelming support as we expand our brand throughout Kuwait," Ziad S. Dalal, president of franchisor, Crest Foods, said in the release. 

Arby's opened its first Kuwaiti outlet under the ownership of Al-Kharafi Global for General Trading & Contracting Company WLL, a news release said. 

Last year, Arby’s Restaurant Group and Kharafi Global signed a development agreement to open at least 25 new Arby’s restaurants in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

"We’re proud to be working with Kharafi Global to bring the Arby’s brand to Kuwait," Arby's Restaurant Group CEO Paul Brown said in the release. "They’re a team of proven operators who know how to develop strong-performing restaurants throughout the Middle East."

The first restaurant is in Jabriya; two more are expected to open this year in Abu Al-Hasaniya and Al Kout Mall. 

The new Kuwait store is one of the 126 franchised Arby's restaurants located outside the United States. The company has franchised restaurants in Canada, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and Turkey.