How Alshaya keeps global brands true to the mothership

The group strikes a balance between quick-service and fast-casual.

From Chipotle and Shake Shack to Raising Cane’s, Alshaya has proven to be the best partner in successfully expanding these brands beyond their home markets, replicating their operations and experience exactly as designed.

“The brand, the operations model, the food, the experience is the same as the original brand, if not better. We don’t adapt the brand to different markets or do things too differently because then the core brand experience is not the same,” Sayari Ghosh, Divisional Director Brand Strategy & Marketing at Alshaya Group, said.

Alshaya Group, a dynamic family-owned enterprise that was first established in Kuwait in 1890, is one of the leading brand franchise operators in the Middle East, operating a multitude of international name brands, including quick-service and fast-casual restaurant chains like P.F. Changs, Texas Roadhouse, The Cheesecake Factory, and PizzaExpress.

Beyond operational excellence, what Alshaya has started doing differently is to treat each launch, whether it’s a new market entry or a new restaurant or store opening, as a way to drive awareness of the brand and engage with all our potential customers in the area. This is also a way for Alshaya to ensure that each brand launch isn’t just in the community but part of it as well.

For example, each time Alshaya opens a Raising Cane’s restaurant, the first 100 customers win gifts from the brand. This creates the anticipation, Caniacs and customers queue before the opening ceremonies. Chipotle and Shake Shack have their unique ways to make the customers feel special.

Alshaya’s ability to replicate global brands across markets stems from its centralised operations model. All systems, from data management to legal compliance and backend infrastructure, are orchestrated from one hub and applied uniformly across restaurants, ensuring consistency and efficiency without reinventing the wheel in each market.

Innovation

While consistency remains central to Alshaya’s model, innovation is increasingly shaping how the group engages customers and grows its brands.

Take, for example, Shake Shack Dubai’s viral Dubai Chocolate range. The innovation that was created to leverage the regional trend became global.

The launch plan combined teasers, creator partnerships and sustained content. Teaser posts reached more than two million people, whilst the full campaign produced a 600% increase in social mentions and a 1,182% surge in engagement versus comparable launches. Around 30% of the customers who engaged did so specifically to try the range, indicating real pull beyond the existing base.

In-store results aligned with the noise. Category sales jumped by 130% during the window. Guest feedback was decisive: nine in 10 consumers reported satisfaction with the Dubai Chocolate Shake, frequently citing the kunafah crunch/flavour; the Concretes posted an 88% satisfaction rate, with nearly nine in 10 saying they would buy again.

The idea travelled, too—global media exposure generated billions of impressions, and the concept crossed over to the United States, where it helped lift restaurant traffic by more than 8% during its run.

Sayari explained that menu innovations are backed by research and customer tasting. “We look into each market's data and figure out what works for each, and what would interest our customers, staying true to the high Shake Shack standards.”

“Recently, we did a chef collaboration with our AZ Burger range with Chef Ahmed Al Zamel, a Kuwaiti chef and influencer, created in Kuwait for Kuwait. For our innovation model is backed by customer preference, and we will continue to offer what our customers want,” Sayari added.

Multi-site expansion

Expansion, according to Ghosh, is approached with the same precision that defines Alshaya’s operations. Adopting the traditional QSR model, it takes a step ahead,” Alshaya takes a more strategic route—balancing reach with relevance.

Unlike pure quick-service chains such as McDonald’s or KFC, Alshaya’s portfolio sits closer to the fast-casual space, offering quick service without compromising on guest experience. This positioning informs us where and how the group expands. Each new location is selected based on traffic patterns, customer profiles, and potential cannibalisation within its own network.

“We are very careful not to sacrifice customer delight,” Sayari said. “It’s about choosing the right market, the right model, and the right price point.”

That philosophy extends to how Alshaya reads local markets. Whilst many brands are eyeing Saudi Arabia’s growth potential, Sayari noted that the group weighs macroeconomic realities and spending behaviour before making expansion decisions. “Yes, we need to be in Saudi,” she said, “but in the right way—with the right brand and the right value proposition.”

Alshaya’s disciplined approach to operations, innovation, and strategic expansion has not gone unnoticed.

At the first QSR Media Middle East Awards 2025, held on 9 September 2025 at the Taj Dubai, Business Bay, the group took home Best New Concept for Raising Cane’s Qatar, Best Menu Innovation for Shake Shack Dubai, and the coveted Multi-site Restaurant of the Year award—recognition of its ability to balance global consistency with local insight across its growing portfolio.