Americana Restaurants, the leading restaurant platform in the MENA region, announced on Tuesday that it has signed a Franchise Agreement with Yum! Brands, the world's largest restaurant company, to develop and operate Pizza Hut restaurants across Saudi Arabia, except for Jeddah city. With over 54,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries and territories, Yum! Brands is widely known for operating iconic global restaurant brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. As part of the agreement, Americana Restaurants is set to relaunch the much-loved Pizza Hut brand across the Kingdom's largest cities and regions. To fully tap into the growing demand for great quality pizzas and omnichannel restaurant experiences in the Saudi market, Americana is planning to open up to 30 Pizza Hut locations by early 2023, and approximately 100 branches over the next three years. Pizza Hut will also offer pizza enthusiasts in Saudi Arabia an opportunity to try its 'first in the world' Artisanal Pizzas, which are baked to perfection in a cupola-style hot stone oven. Commenting on the announcement, Amarpal Sandhu, CEO of Americana Restaurants, said: "Today marks a new beginning for Pizza Hut in Saudi Arabia, one of our core markets and one that continues to offer unique and exciting growth potential. We are confident that Americana Restaurants will provide customers and families across the Kingdom with a reimagined and fresh take on Pizza Hut's world-famous and iconic pizzas. Improvements across ingredient quality, speed of service, and an overall unmatched pizza experience are very significant! "Our plans for KSA and Pizza Hut do not stop here. As part of our commitment to easy and frictionless experiences at Pizza Hut we will introduce a range of innovative technology solutions that empower our customers to order on-the-go by using our "Super-App", QR codes, and self-service Kiosks." Ewan Davenport, Pizza Hut – YUM Managing Director – the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, commented: "We're excited to continue our growth across KSA, and we couldn't be more thrilled to be partnering with our preferred partner, Americana Restaurants, to bring Pizza Hut and our world-famous pizzas to diners across Saudi Arabia. We are confident that the partnership represents the beginning of an exciting growth journey for us in KSA and we will endeavor to win the hearts of our customers by serving delicious pizzas, starting from the first branch in Riyadh, Al Narjis area, whilst also continuing to offer product innovation and relatable, real, and lighthearted fun." — SG
