The Kallasi Group recently launched ‘Lime Tree’, a café-restaurant, on the Dbayeh Highway. An official opening is planned for July 21, after a soft-opening earlier this month.

The restaurant replaces the closed American eatery Applebee’s, operated under a franchise agreement by the Kallasi Group. The company is also the local franchisee of Burger King.

Lime Tree offers international cuisine, a sushi bar and a salad bar. It also offers stations of wooden baked food. Nargileh is available.

The restaurant seats 400 people on a 1,000 m2 space. The investment in the project is $700,000.

Marc Kallassi, General Manager of King Food said that the new outlet targets mid-to-high income clients as it serves premium quality food.

“We are planning to expand the brand locally, and we will be targeting malls,” he said. The company has also signed a memorandum of understanding with a GCC-based master franchisee, which will develop the brand in that region. “We are aiming at opening ten branches in the coming three years.”