Abu Dhabi.- Sense Gourmet has just opened its first Figaro’s Pizza outlet in the Middle East at the Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi.
Being located next to the new Snow Dome at the mall, it is expected to do a roaring trade with customers wanting to warm up after their frozen experiences on the ski slopes.
Sense Gourmet Chairman HE Ahmed Al Dhahry declared the outlet officially opened at a ceremony attended by HE Ali bin Khalfan Al Dhahry (Chairman of Foodco Holding and Ali & Sons), Sense Gourmet Board of Directors members and industry leaders.
It is the first of five outlets to be opened in the UAE this year with the second in Sharjah’s Mega Mall next month, the third in Dubai in March and fourth and fifth will be opened on the second quarter.
This follows the signing of an exclusive master franchising agreement for the Middle East with veteran American company Figaro’s Pizza and plans to open 35 outlets in the UAE alone.
Figaro’s will later be rolled out in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt and Lebanon.
It is expected that the Figaro’s chain in the Middle East will employ more than 1,600 staff.
Mr Ahmed Al Dhahry says the decision to invest in the Figaro’s franchise follows careful planning and research into the pizza market.
“Our studies showed there is an unfilled niche in the Middle East for high quality products, especially for fresh pizzas that people can take home and bake for themselves.
“Figaro’s has a long established track record in this field and is the brand that fits closest with our core values of wanting to provide high quality food experiences.”
Sense Gourmet Managing Director, Mr Ali Al Qellawi says Figaro’s prides itself on the quality of its products, using a special blend of only 100 percent real cheese, freshly prepared dough and fresh vegetables and meats. To reinforce their freshness Figaro’s has adopted the slogan “Flavours That Sing”
It also pioneered the “take and bake” pizza in the US in 1981, originally selling only fresh pizzas for people to take home to bake themselves. To meet customer demand, Figaro’s added ovens to its stores in 1991 and now operates as a full service restaurant chain with 120 outlets across the US and Canada selling pizzas, lasagne, calzone, chicken wings and bread sticks, partnered with Pepsi.
It is still the only pizza chain in the US that provides the “take and bake” option, as well as dine-in food or cooked takeaways and home delivery.
The master franchising agreement signed with Sense Gourmet will see the Figaro’s name appear outside North America for the first time.
Sense Gourmet was originally set up as a subsidiary of Foodco Holding to expand into catering, restaurant franchise and other retail operations in the hospitality sector. It was formed with a specific purpose of establishing high-potential restaurants across GCC countries in partnership with renowned restaurant operators as well as catering services.
The company has paid up capital of AED 33 million.
