Tarfeeh and Ocean Basket in deal to open restaurants

Ocean Basket, a South African seafood chain, has opened a restaurant each in Riyadh and Jeddah.
This follows a franchise agreement signed between Tarfeeh, a Saudi restaurant company, and Ocean Basket, a South African seafood restaurant chain.
Ocean Basket has more than 190 restaurants around the world and is said to be growing rapidly across several countries.
It is South Africa’s “favorite and leading” seafood restaurant chain, which has now set its foot in Saudi Arabia partnering with Tarfeeh, a SEDCO Holding Group Company, which also operates other restaurant chains like Applebee’s, Macaroni Grill and China Gate in the Kingdom.
“Tarfeeh, a promising company in SEDCO’s diverse portfolio, has witnessed tremendous growth over the past few years and continues to scale new heights,” said SEDCO Holding Group CEO Anees Moumina.
South African Consul General Shoaib Caso, government officials, and business executives were present.
“There are no dominant international seafood chains in Saudi Arabia and hence there are opportunities in this segment,” said Waleed Bin Mahfouz, chairman of Tarfeeh. “The company has an aggressive plan to grow and add more strong brands under its portfolio. Acquiring franchising rights for Ocean Basket is another great step in this direction,” Tarfeeh CEO Ahmed Marashde said.
The Ocean Basket was established in Menlyn Park, South Africa. “This phenomenal global expansion in just 17 years is due to an unshakable recipe for success,” an Ocean Basket team member said.
Ocean Basket’s menu includes varieties of fish, calamari, prawns, sushi, etc. a majority of its stores can be found in South Africa with the rest placed throughout the Middle East, Africa and Europe, and especially in Mauritius. Apart from other exciting global locations, 2011 also saw the Middle East’s first Ocean Basket restaurant opening in Dubai. The chain has won several restaurant and cuisine awards in different countries.