Falafel Arax goes to the Gulf

Company also eyes expansion into India

Arax Restaurants, the company that owns Falafel Arax, is planning a solid expansion plan in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and later in the MENA region. Raffi Heybelian, CEO of Arax Restaurants, said: “There were several reasons why we chose to expand in the GCC, one of them is because Lebanese Falafel and Shawarma are quite popular in those markets.”

The company will open branches in Kuwait and Qatar in the coming two months. “We are studying possible expansions in India too as it is a high potential market ,” Heybelian said.

The company has sold franchises for three branches in Jordan, and three branches in Oman. The price of a single unit franchise starts at $10,000, according to Heybelian: “This cost could exceed $50,000 for master franchisors, but eventually prices vary according to the hosting country and its market.”

Arax Restaurants has a sister company that operates four branches of Falafel Arax in Canada and the United States. Established in 1949, the eatery chain now has seven local branches. Heybelian said the diner is willing to give single-unit franchises for new local branches.