Iconic Midwestern pizza brand opens first restaurant in Cairo as part of 10-country, 25-unit master franchise agreement
In less than a year, and what came with exhilarating anticipation, Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream has made its Egyptian debut with a wildly successful opening in the Cairo suburb of Roxy, Heliopolis.
The opening weekend for the Roxy location saw families queued-up outside the door waiting for their first bite of Happy Joe’s iconic pizza, ice cream and magical flavors. Once inside, smiles were everywhere, as adults and children alike savored their meals, along with the unique atmosphere that only Happy Joe’s delivers.
As Happy Joe’s staff grew in knowledge and expertise, more dining options were rolled out, including delivery, weekday buffets and weekend brunch. The new Egypt location is already tracking 22% higher guest traffic than its U.S. counterpart on comparable orders over the same multi-week timeframe – with Chicken Ranch Pizza, BBQ Beef Pizza, Pepperoni Pizza, milkshakes and the infamous Chicken Taco Joe ranking as the most popular menu items.
Ahmed El Batran of H.J. Middle East L.L.C. plans to open several more Happy Joe’s restaurants across Egypt over the next five months, starting with locations in the affluent Giza suburb of SODIC, the prestigious Mall of Egypt and the Mall of Arabia before the end of the year. The family-owned franchise group was awarded 25 units and expects to take the brand across Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia in the months and years ahead.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the work that Ahmed and his team have done on this incredible opening in Roxy,” said Happy Joe’s Chief Happiness Officer, CEO and President Tom Sacco, who flew to Cairo to attend the festivities. “We’ve even been able to learn from this experience and will be testing out some changes the H.J. Middle East team made to the Chicken Ranch Pizza and the BBQ Beef Pizza in select U.S. markets. Now, we’re fully expecting Ahmed and his team to produce record sales on their next opening in west Giza, starting with a fabulous pre-opening party, including U.S. and Egypt government dignitaries, professional athletes, and a strong media buzz.”
For the young, and young at heart – from Iowa to Egypt – there’s nothing like a birthday celebration at Happy Joe’s, complete with sirens, horns, flashing red lights, an electric, oversized model train, hand-scooped ice cream, and a special song from the team. Pizza lovers will marvel at the abundant and superior toppings on Happy Joe’s specialty pizzas – such as the 200+ pepperonis stacked on a Lollapalooza pepperoni pizza! Happy Joe’s also offers a variety of breakfast pizzas, dessert pizzas, appetizers, pastas, sandwiches, a lunch buffet and daily specials. Happy Joe’s creates magical memories that last a lifetime.
To learn more about Happy Joe’s franchise opportunities, email Kat Davidson at KatD@drhnow.com or call 678.485.8413.
Founded in 1972 by Joe Whitty in Davenport, Iowa, Happy Joe’s dream was to create a restaurant concept that focused on serving America’s two favorite foods – pizza and ice cream – in a family-friendly, celebratory environment. Owned and operated by Dynamic Restaurant Holdings Inc., Happy Joe’s has been named a FastCasual “Top 200” concept, Franchise Times “Top 400” business, and Nation’s Restaurant News “Top 500” restaurant. The family-centric pizza brand has eight company and 34 franchise locations throughout the Midwest with more in the pipeline. To learn more, visit HappyJoes.com or follow Happy Joe’s on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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