Restaurants continue to franchise their brands abroad as demand by potential franchisees is growing especially from the Gulf region and other Arab countries like Iraq, Jordan and Egypt. There is also demand from faraway countries across the world including Australia, Canada, USA, Brazil, and India, besides African and European countries. Demand is driven by the appeal of Lebanese cuisine and by the talent of Lebanese restaurateurs as some of the franchisors serve other kinds of cuisines. Amid the current credit crunch, franchising is a better alternative to organic growth which requires investments and involves higher risks. Franchisors are taking the necessary precautions to ensure that franchisees abide by their standards and don’t tarnish their image.
Global presence
“In franchising, we focus on the Gulf region. We are studying many franchising applications from this region. We prefer to start our overseas expansion from the Gulf because it is relatively close to us. We are also considering other countries. We can expand anywhere because Crepaway offers international cuisine,” said Mario Thoumy, Head of Communication at Crepaway Holding.
The company, which celebrates its 40 birthday in 2024, provides international and fast food through its 11 Crepaway year-long outlets and two seasonal ones in addition to a la carte Lebanese food through its two Nasma outlets and one seasonal Nasma branch. More than two years ago Crepaway Holding granted franchises to restaurants in Iraq, Qatar, and Nigeria. “In Iraq we granted Nasma and Crepaway franchises to Malia Group’s mall in the city of Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdistan Region in the northern part of the country,” Thoumy said. Malak Al Tawouk has, General Manager of Malak Al Tawouk. According to , founder and CEO of Sandwich W Noss, there are prospects for franchising in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt. He said: “These are key countries for franchising for Sandwich W Noss which was established in 2015 with one simple goal, to bring back the authentic Lebanese flavor in an original snack experience.”
