IHOP To Expand In The Middle East

GLENDALE, Calif. -- DineEquity Inc., which owns the IHOP chain of restaurants, said Monday it plans to open 40 new IHOP stores in the Middle East with Kuwait-based franchiser M.H. Alshaya Co. in its first major expansion outside of the U.S.

The restaurants will begin to open over the next 12 months in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Egypt.

No financial terms were disclosed.

DineEquity, which also operates Applebee's Neighborhood Bar and Grill, has previously only opened stores in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. But it has been looking further afield lately, opening stores in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guatemala.

The company plans to open 55 to 65 new restaurants in 2011, the majority in the U.S.

Comments

[baxtron]

11:10 PM on 06/23/2011

that would have to be considered biological warfare.

[RobtBrock]

01:40 PM on 06/23/2011

Too early for hummus flapjacks?

[Karl Wilder]

12:48 PM on 06/23/2011

Is this a quest to make the world fat and unhealthy by feeding them very bad food?

[AmilcarCC]

06:04 AM on 06/23/2011

Meanwhile, Tunisians are saying non to McDonalds - http://bit.ly/leR9Y4

[ArthroughpadNY]

05:07 PM on 06/22/2011

Just be sure to serve bacon and sausage and the company will be a big hit.

[RobtBrock]

06:01 PM on 06/22/2011

LOL.

[Megan Engels]

11:31 AM on 06/24/2011

Actually they do, beef and turkey mostly. And they are generally a big hit.

[ArthroughpadNY]

02:32 PM on 06/26/2011

Bacon, bacon,bacon, baaacon.

[Max Shaw]

04:57 PM on 06/22/2011

....And theyre gonna call it:

Islamabad's House Of Prayer (and Pancakes)