US diner-style restaurant chain eyes UAE expansion

Restaurant chain Johnny Rockets said on Sunday it is looking to nearly double its number of outlets in the UAE.

The company, which runs eateries resembling the 1960s diner in the US, said six new locations would be added over a period of five months.

This will bring the total number of Johnny Rockets restaurants in the UAE to 13, the company said in a statement.

Wael and Zaher Samman, co-managing directors of Johnny Rockets UAE said: "The announcement of the expansion of Johnny Rockets is testament of our gratitude to the country, its leadership, people and guests who have been loyal to the brand for the past 16 years."

They added that there were plans in the pipeline to open a further seven restaurants to take the total to 20 in the UAE.

They added: "We are proud to have achieved the highest presence of the Johnny Rockets brand in a single country outside the United States.

"This is a clear indication that the UAE, under its wise leadership has grown into a very mature market, in all its sectors, and has thus attracted a more demanding population mix, with higher disposable income, and this is key in helping various business sectors grow and flourish."

The statement said that Johnny Rockets UAE has seen an increase in overall revenues of 63 percent in the last three years.

A report from Euromonitor indicated that the market for restaurants in the UAE was worth $1.21bn in 2012 and is expected to increase by 23 percent to $1.42bn in 2013.