Dubai-based Kitch to expand Lebanon’s restaurant Barbar across GCC

Dubai-based Kitch has signed a franchise agreement with Barbar to expand the operations of Lebanese restaurant to cities across the GCC.

Kitch operates a hybrid cloud kitchen/store front model. The company entered the F&B sector earlier this year with privately raised capital of $15m.

Following the franchise agreement with Kitch, the first Barbar restaurant in the GCC will open in Dubai this year. The new 600 square metre Barbar restaurant, located in Hessa Street, will offer both dine-in and delivery services. Eight more restaurants and cloud kitchens will be opened in the UAE, while 20 will be opened in Saudi Arabia, four of which will start operating in Riyadh in the second quarter of this year. Kitch will also open two Barbar restaurants in Qatar by the beginning of 2022.

Mohammad Ghaziri launched Barbar in 1979 as a small ‘Manouche’ bakery in front of the famous Piccadilly theatre in the heart of Beirut. Within the first few years of opening, the restaurant gained fame for its delicious manouchés and was visited by singers, artists, and celebrities who performed at the theatre.

As a family business, Barbar was built from the ground up over the years, introducing new products such as shawarma, falafel, fatayer, grills, burgers, ice creams and fruit cocktails to its extensive menu. Barbar has never closed its establishments and continues to remain open 24/7, even during the pandemic and periods of strife. Today, more than a comfort food outlet, Barbar is one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Lebanon and regarded as a tourist attraction.

“As part of our franchise agreement, we will be serving the world-class offerings and the delectable menu of Barbar through our premium store-front facilities and cloud-kitchens in the region,” said Walid Hajj, co-founder and CEO of Kitch.

“We are confident that our omnichannel cloud kitchen model will further strengthen Barbar’s brand positioning and following in the GCC,” he added.

Kitch plans to open four delivery kitchens in Riyadh in the second quarter of this year and additional 15 kitchens across the GCC by the end of 2021. Each delivery kitchen is spread over an area of 450sqm to 500sqm and is equipped to serve around 10 food concepts.