QATAR: Cheesecake Factory Opens

M.H. Alshaya Co. opened Qatar’s first The Cheesecake Factory last month, representing the US brand’s eleventh restaurant in the Middle East.

The outlet is located in the newly opened Mall of Qatar, Qatar’s largest shopping centre.

The Doha-based branch is one of about 100 F&B outlets in the QAR5.4bn (US$1.48bn) mall — which opened more than a year after it was initially scheduled to be completed — spread out over a large food court.

The upscale casual dining chain, which is known for its extensive menu of more than 250 options, has focused on international expansion in recent years.

In 2012 the New York-listed restaurant chain signed a deal with Kuwait-based retailer Alshaya to franchise its outlets across the Gulf in its first overseas expansion. The deal allowed for more than 20 restaurants to be built in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

The Alshaya group opened the world's largest branch of The Cheesecake Factory at Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates in 2013.