Atlas Hospitality focused on franchising

Atlas Hospitality has announced that it is planning to open 20 restaurant outlets in the next 36 months, some of which will be owned while others will be opened through a franchise model.

The company already owns Italian restaurant Certo, which launched at the Atlas Hospitality-owned Radisson Blu Dubai Media City and has since been rolled out to Souk Qaryat Al Beri in Abu Dhabi.

Atlas Hospitality managing director Siegfried Nierhaus said: “First we would like to develop our existing brand Certo. We want to roll it out in the GCC countries and certainly in some major cities Certo has its place.”

The company also owns Tanjia at Dubai Festival City, but Nierhaus said that while an Italian brand “can work almost anywhere”, the franchising of Tanjia would really “depend on the success” of the original venue.

“If you look at Dubai you have huge potential here with 35,000 Moroccans here to capture, but I cannot generalise and say we will roll out,” said Nierhaus.

He said he was also looking at developing an Indian concept, having had some conversations with restaurants in India and the US.

Other options could range from a French bakery to a Lebanese restaurant, he said.

“We want to focus on five brands we could develop. Whatever we do I am trying to be as authentic as possible,” said Nierhaus.

Atlas Hospitality is also developing the 377-room Regent Emirates Pearl in Abu Dhabi, a joint venture with Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company.

The company aimed “to sign three new hotels” within a three year period, Nierhaus added.