Villa Enterprises, a multi-brand restaurant operator and franchisor, is expanding its footprint in the Middle East with the grand opening of its Villa Italian Kitchen and South Philly Steaks & Fries brands at the Alexandria City Centre in Egypt. The openings are part of exclusive franchise development deals with local franchisees, Sherief Sobh and Ahmed Ghoniem.

Currently, Sobh owns and operates a Villa Italian Kitchen at the Mall of Arabia, as well as a Villa Italian Kitchen and Bananas at American University of Cairo. To date, Ghoniem has a South Philly Steak & Fries open at the Mall of Arabia and is now working on opening his third location in Egypt within the next six months.

“Fast food and quick-serve American brands are in high demand in the Middle East and the local residents are extremely eager to see, buy, and taste, which presents a great opportunity to grow our company,” says vice president of international development Seamus MacTreinfhir. “We’ve been aggressively expanding in the Middle East, and we’re always looking for opportunities to introduce our restaurants in new markets worldwide.”

Over the next four years, Villa Enterprises plans to expand its existing efforts and dedication to diversification throughout the Middle East. Currently, Villa has concepts in Turkey, Egypt, Azerbaijan, and United Arab Emirates. Villa Enterprises is actively recruiting new franchisees in the Middle East, and Villa Enterprises’ variety of concepts are expected to be introduced through multiunit development deals with franchisees in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, among others.

This month, the company also celebrated the opening of Villa Italian Kitchen at the EPPCO Fuel Station in the United Arab Emirates.

Villa Enterprises’ family of brands is quickly approaching 350 quick-serve concepts in shopping centers, airports, college campuses and casinos worldwide. To date, the global restaurant franchisor operates in 38 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and nine international countries.