09 Sep 2011 - US-based restaurant chain Applebee's has announced plans to grow its brand in the Middle East with the launch of 10 new restaurants in Egypt over the next decade. Parent company DineEquity said this week it signed a deal with Ameco Foods to franchise the restaurant chain across the Arab world?s most populous country. Applebee's operates 147 restaurants in 15 countries outside the US,
including outlets in Saudi and the UAE, and is a cornerstone of DineEquity's aggressive expansion across the Middle East. Menus in Applebee's Egyptian restaurants will feature established dishes such as its Real burgers, but up to 20 percent of dishes will be customized to reflect the local market. Franchise partner, Ameco, which is also in talks to launch 30 Dairy Queen outlets across Egypt, expects to source up to 75 percent of produce from Egyptian suppliers by the second year of operations.
