CAIRO, Egypt — Several locations in Africa and the Middle East are about to get a taste of Quad City pizza.
Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream is expanding to the eastern hemisphere with 12 planned locations across several countries and cities in northern Africa and the Middle East, including Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.
The expansion comes with an agreement made last with H.J. Middle East L.L.C, the company tasked with franchising Happy Joe's locations in the region.
The first location resides in the Cairo suburb of Roxy, Heliopolis, followed b a location in the Giza suburb of SODIC coming in August. After those, eight additional Cairo locations will be opened over the following five months. Locations are also coming to the Mall of Arabia on October 6, the Mall of Egypt on July 26, and another in Lotus.
The family-owned franchising group expects to open more than 50 Happy Joe's across the region.
“After signing our master franchise agreement last fall, we’re thrilled to start opening our doors over the next few months,” said President Ahmed El Batran. “Nothing compares to Happy Joe’s one-of-a-kind fun and family-friendly atmosphere in the entire Middle East and North Africa region. So, we can’t wait to bring the iconic brand back to Egypt under the new leadership, vision, and energy that Chief Happiness Officer, CEO and President Tom Sacco has re-energized Happy Joe’s brand with. We are looking forward to bringing the community together creating the lifelong magical memories at Happy Joe’s.”
The stores will offer a variety of pizzas, including breakfast and dessert, alongside staple appetizers, pasta, sandwiches, and lunch buffets.
Thankfully, the iconic Happy Joe's birthday party experience will remain intact; letting new groups of children experience the sirens, flashing lights, model trains, and hand-scooped ice cream that mark the occasion.