SHAKEY’S Pizza Asia Ventures Inc., the company that owns the American pizza restaurant brand in the Philippines and parts of the region, on Tuesday said it opened its first store in Dubai, expanding its footprint in the Middle East where it is leveraging on the large population of Filipinos living and working in the area.
The new store represents the first for franchisee Aljeel Capital, a Dubai-based group. It is committed to open nine more in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over a span of five years, the company said.
Everything on the menu is halal-certified, the company said, as this is in line with Dubai’s Islamic culture. The company said, the key features and flavors that make for a Shakey’s trademark taste are kept intact. Marinade, breading, dough blends and spice mix for the pizzas, chicken, and spaghetti are all flown in from the Philippines.
“Dubai, UAE, and the rest of the Middle East are great markets for us. Aside from the strong and welcoming Filipino communities which really love the Shakey’s brand and are excited about experiencing it away from home. Shakey’s is also a Western concept with Western menu—thus giving us tremendous growth opportunities within the mainstream markets there,” Vicente L. Gregorio, the company’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
The said store is located opposite Burjuman Mall and just a few steps from Exit 4 of Burjuman Metro Station, one of the busiest stations in Dubai.
It features the familiar store environment of a Shakey’s pizza parlor in the Philippines and offers the many iconic products which many Filipinos liked.
The company said the restaurant drew a huge number of patrons in Dubai, with long lines and guests patiently waiting close to an hour to enter.
As of end-March 2018, the company had a total of 212 stores locally. The store in Dubai is the second international store for Shakey’s Philippines, a company led by the Po family and owns the perpetual rights to the Shakey’s brand for the Middle East, Asia, excluding Japan and Malaysia, China, Australia, and Oceania.
With two area development agreements already signed up, its total international pipeline is currently at least 20 outlets over the next few years.