Franchising

Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream signs master franchise agreement for Middle East, North Africa

Provided

September 21, 2021

Iowa-based Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream has signed a master franchise agreement with with H.J. Happy Joe's for Restaurants L.L.C. to grow the brand in the Middle East and North Africa, according to a press release.

Led by Master Franchisee Ahmed Elbatran, the group will develop or sub-franchise at least 25 Happy Joe's restaurants across Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. over the next 10 years. The first few locations are set to open in Cairo, and then Happy Joe's will expand to other cities in Egypt before developing in more Middle Eastern and North African countries with the potential to operate between 50 to 75 Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlors across the region.

"Inking this deal was among the most exciting moments in our brand's history," Tom Sacco, Happy Joe's CEO, said in the release. "We're beyond thrilled to begin this extraordinary international growth push as we bring Happy Joe's overseas by expanding our presence in the Middle East and North Africa over the next decade. I expect this expansion to springboard Happy Joe's into South Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. We look forward to working with Ahmed as Happy Joe's prepares to scale new heights globally."

Happy Joe's is owned and operated by Dynamic Restaurant Holdings Inc., which has eight company locations and 38 stores throughout the Midwest