Darden, Americana Team Up In Middle East Push

Darden Restaurants and Americana Group are joining forces to develop and operate Darden’s Red Lobster, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse brands in the Middle East. An agreement announced Oct. 19 between the Orlando, Fla.-based restaurant company and the Kuwait-headquartered franchisee calls for Americana to develop a minimum of 60 restaurants over the next five years in Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.

Americana is the largest foodservice franchise operator in the region, with more than 1,200 restaurants in 14 countries. Its brands include KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee’s, Krispy Kreme, and T.G.I. Friday’s.