Reem Al Bawadi looking towards a franchise model

Dubai’s Reem Al Bawadi Restaurant & Café is planning to set up eight additional outlets over the next two years for which it is considering tapping a franchise model.

The international expansion plan – for which $17.6 million has been earmarked – will add to its five branches in the UAE and one in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Another restaurant in Jeddah and new outlets for Bahrain and Al Ain are in the works as well.

“Our brand has evolved over the last decade and now we are ready to offer interested parties the opportunity to share the success of our home-grown brand,” says Ayman Abdel Jaber, Reem Al Bawadi chief executive. “We see a huge potential for expansion in the coming two years and already have between six-to-eight international openings planned. We are aiming to target a mix of new markets and to fill in market gaps where opportunities arise. That’s not all; we’ve had a lot of interest from Malaysia, Spain and the UK as well.”