Kuwaiti retail giant M H Alshaya has agreed a partnership with a top US hospitality firm to bring a new restaurant brand to the region.
Katsuya by Starck, which serves Japanese cuisines across eight outlets in the US, will open two locations in Kuwait and Dubai next year. The brand, managed by Los Angeles based SBE, has plans to develop up to seventeen restaurants across the Middle East by 2017.
“The cuisine, service and design of Katsuya by Starck restaurants combine to create an exciting dining destination that we believe will have strong appeal in this region,” said MH Alshaya executive chairman Mohammed Alshaya, in a press statement.
“We are delighted to partner with SBE to deliver the international expansion of this innovative dining experience which supports our goal of introducing outstanding new Food concepts to consumers in the Middle East.”
Katsuya by Starck is the latest in a series of American franchises to enter the fast-growing restaurant market in the Gulf.
In August, the Cheesecake Factory, which is also operating in partnership with M H Alshaya, opened its first restaurant outside the US in Dubai.
Another chain, IHOP, also made its Gulf debut in Dubai this year.
Alshaya operates 2,000 stores across 19 countries, and counts brands such as Starbucks, Pizza Express, American Eagle, Boots and Pottery Barn in its portfolio.
The company employs around 28,000 people.
Last November, Alshaya said it planned to open 1,250 new stores over the next five years, creating an estimated 4,000 jobs.
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