US restaurant group Arby’s is beginning its Middle East expansion. US restaurant group Arby’s is beginning its Middle East expansion.

US restaurant group Arby’s is expanding to the Middle East, having agreed a franchise development agreement for 25 locations in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia last month.

This is the chain’s first international push since it revealed plans to open outlets in Turkey in 2010, reports Gulf Business.

The Middle East locations will be owned and operated by Kharafi Global - the regional franchise owner of Johnny Rockets.

The outlets will be mainly standalone with many located at the bottom floor of office buildings, Arby’s chief executive Paul Brown told Bloomberg recently.

All 25 in the region are expected to open over the next seven years.

The quick service sandwich chain entered the market in the 1960s and, currently, most of its restaurants are based in the US. 

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