Kingdom key market for Burger King

Continuing the rapid expansion of its restaurant network in the Middle East, the Burger King brand has opened its 65th restaurant in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh. Located adjacent to Galleria Mall on King Fahd Highway, the new outlet is the largest Burger King restaurant yet in the Kingdom.
The restaurant was officially opened recently by Samer Khawashki, VP of Olayan Financing Company, whose subsidiary Hana International Company Ltd. is the master developer for Burger King restaurants in the MENA region.
Diners at the new restaurant, which accommodates 120-seated guests, can enjoy the world-famous fire-grilled burgers in an elegantly casual ambience.
The brand’s ‘Have It Your Way’ promise ensures that customers at the restaurant can have their meal choices personalized to suit their individual tastes and preferences.
“Saudi Arabia is a key growth market for the Burger King brand in the Gulf — a region where we have managed to expand our presence significantly in recent years. The Kingdom and the wider Gulf region will continue to be a focal point of our investment strategy in the Middle East,” Khawashki said.
The Olayan Group opened the first Burger King restaurant in the Middle East 20 years ago in Riyadh, and has since been steadily adding restaurants and new markets to its portfolio. So far, Hana International has developed more than 270 restaurants in the MENA region, with Olayan directly operating over 170 restaurants across 5 markets, including 65 restaurants in Saudi Arabia and 60 in the UAE.
“North Africa is also high on the agenda of Olayan,” said Khawashki. “There are today 22 Burger King restaurants in Egypt alone and early this year we expanded our operations into Morocco.”
The Burger King brand has emerged as one of the fastest growing Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chains in the region, added Khawashki.