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| MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Prepares for Strong Middle East Expansion with First Restaurant Opening in Dubai | Growing Fast-Casual Chain Enters Dubai and Targets Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar as Key Development Focuses in 2013 | The
Ibn Battuta Mall restaurant is the first of at least 10 restaurants to
be owned and operated by AWGAL Investments, which has entered into a multi-unit
development agreement with MENAFEX LLC (MENAFEX), MOOYAH’s international
development partner for the UAE. AWGAL Investments is led by Chairman Abdul-Wahab
Galadari and President and CEO Zubair A. Razzaq.
 “AWGAL Investments is proud to launch MOOYAH in the UAE,” said Razzaq. “We believe the brand stands out in a highly competitive restaurant market. The great quality of the food, fun family nature of the restaurant and regionally based MOOYAH operations team were the driving influences behind our decision to partner with MOOYAH.” Founded in Dallas, Texas, MOOYAH has seen tremendous growth in the last several years, expanding from a Texas brand into an emerging national player and a leader in the growing “better burger” segment of fast-casual dining. The brand is currently in 11 states and has nearly doubled its number of restaurants from 25 to 48 in 2012. In 2013, MOOYAH is continuing its expansion, with plans to grow domestically and abroad, to total nearly 65 restaurants. Internationally, the brand is developing in Canada and Latin America in addition to the Middle East. “As we come off the heels of our 50th restaurant opening in the U.S., there is no better time than now to expand internationally,” said Bill Spae, MOOYAH’s CEO and President. “MENAFEX’s experience in successful multi-brand support and international development, along with its excellent connections and enthusiasm for the MOOYAH brand, all make MENAFEX the perfect partner to spearhead our growth in the Middle East.” MENAFEX is a uniquely focused company that was founded on the concept of providing complete development strategy, brand adaptation and implementation, along with operations support for food service brands internationally. Its success is also attributed to its support from dedicated, brand-focused personnel in a development region. MENAFEX is led by CEO and President Stephen Getty who, in addition to being a classically trained chef, has more than 20 years of global business operations experience in outsourcing and procurement, as well as quality and efficiency engineering. “We’re thrilled to bring MOOYAH to the Middle East,” Getty said. “The concept is fun, the people are great and the focus the brand places on food quality is intense. There’s a passion and commitment to excel that you just don’t normally find, and we know that the people of the Middle East will love the fresh food and better, customizable burgers that MOOYAH offers its Guests.” Beyond MENAFEX’s development for MOOYAH in the UAE, the company has strategic partnerships and expansion plans in place to develop MOOYAH in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar before the end of 2013. “The MOOYAH brand is special because, while they want to drive sales and grow, they want to have fun and maintain the core brand DNA and quality while doing it,” Getty said. “At MENAFEX, we sincerely believe MOOYAH is poised for greater growth. They have established an incredible foundation in the United States, through the strength of their process, solid strategic plan, honest leadership team and commitment to quality in food and operations. These factors, along with great individual country operators, will fuel their growth internationally.” Spae echoed his sentiment noting that MOOYAH began as a simple concept revolving around friendly people serving the freshest, most delicious burgers, fries and shakes available. “As our brand continues to evolve domestically and internationally, we are committed to keeping it simple, while still relevant to appeal to our Guests’ individual tastes and favorites,” Spae said. For more information on the growing brand, follow MOOYAH on Twitter @MooyahBurger and connect with MOOYAH on Facebook at the MOOYAH Burgers & Fries Fan page. For MOOYAH franchise information, please visit www.mooyah.com/franchise-info. About
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes
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Placement Dates: 09/19/13 – 11/19/13
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