Sides signs master franchise deal for 51 Middle East restaurants

First openings are planned for Egypt and Kuwait later this year.

Sides has signed a master franchise agreement with Element F&B for Restaurant Management, part of the Al Kharafi Group, to open 51 restaurants across the Middle East.

The agreement will bring Sides to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, and Oman, with the first locations scheduled to open in Egypt and Kuwait later this year.

The deal also includes a longer-term pipeline for further expansion across the region.

Element F&B is owned by Eyad Al-Kharafi and is part of the wider Al Kharafi Group, which was one of the founding partners of Americana Group, the foodservice company behind KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Krispy Kreme, and TGI Fridays.

Al-Kharafi identified the opportunity to bring Sides to the Middle East and has led the deal from its inception.

The agreement is one of Sides' largest franchise deals to date and follows the brand's expansion outside the UK.

Sides opened its first overseas restaurant in Singapore in June 2025 and has since added a second site in Sentosa.

It has also announced plans for locations in India, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia, including upcoming restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and Riyadh.

In the UK, Sides currently operates restaurants in Essex, London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Glasgow.

Further openings have been announced across England, Scotland, and Wales, including Coventry, Livingston, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Wandsworth.