Chipotle has opened its first restaurant in Dubai in partnership with the Alshaya Group, marking the chain’s debut in the United Arab Emirates. The 6,000-plus-square-foot restaurant is at “The Beach,” at Jumeirah Beach Residence, and is open from 10 a.m. to midnight during the week and until 1 a.m. on the weekends. A second Chipotle is planned to open in the Dubai Hills Mall in the coming months.
Chipotle signed a franchise agreement – its first ever – with Alshaya Group in July 2023 with plans to expand in Dubai and Kuwait, as well as additional markets across the region. Alshaya Group opened the company’s first restaurant in the Middle East – in Kuwait City, Kuwait – in April, which marked the first time Chipotle entered a new country in more than 10 years. A second restaurant opened in Kuwait last month.
“We are thrilled by the overwhelming response to Chipotle’s responsibly sourced, classically cooked, real ingredients in Kuwait and hope to see similar enthusiasm at our JBR restaurant,” chief business development officer Nate Lawton said in a statement. “Alshaya has been a tremendous partner and continues to ensure our culinary and our purpose to cultivate a better world are clear points of differentiation for consumers as we enter these new regions.”
In a statement, Alshaya Group chief executive officer John Hadden said early results at Chipotle restaurants in Kuwait have exceeded expectations and the company has become one of the top performing brands in the group’s portfolio, which includes thousands of stores, restaurants, and other businesses across multiple sectors in the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, and Europe.
“We are more confident than ever that the fast-casual concept has immense growth potential in the Middle East. We’re excited to open our doors at JBR and start serving Chipotle’s delicious culinary and menu of real ingredients to more guests throughout the Gulf region,” Hadden added.
Chipotle’s existing international portfolio of company-owned restaurants includes 47 locations in Canada; 20 in the United Kingdom, six locations in France, and two in Germany. The company plans to open between 285 to 315 new restaurants this year, with a long-term target of 7,000 restaurants in North America.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
