Yellow Cab expands in Middle East

MANILA, Philippines - Max’s Group Inc. (MGI) wants a bigger slice of the Middle Eastern pizza segment.

Laying the groundwork for an aggressive expansion plan in the Middle East, MGI signed an agreement with the Silver Group to establish at least 22 Yellow Cab Pizza stores in Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman within five years beginning January 2017.

MGI president and CEO Robert Trota said the agreement would beef up the company’s international network.

“We are pleased with the opportunity to further expand our presence in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Our international business has been scaling up quite aggressively with Yellow Cab Pizza emerging as the most coveted brand. We are optimistic in sustaining this pace as we possess the necessary structure and support systems to fuel overseas growth through franchising,” Trota said.

The latest development agreement marks MGI’s seventh overseas franchise contract, which has translated to a total international pipeline of 153 outlets slated to open in the coming years.

The Silver Group pioneered Yellow Cab’s pizza offerings in the region, Trota said.

“We appreciate their continued trust and for sharing our vision of Yellow Cab Pizza as a global mainstream brand. Together, we are confident of replicating our earlier success in Qatar into surrounding nations.”

For his part, Silver Group CEO Abdulrahman Al-Kaabi said they greatly value their partnership with MGI and believe in the brand potential in the Middle East after the successful results in Qatar.

Yellow Cab Pizza currently operates a network of 145 branches including seven franchised outlets located in Qatar, one in United Arab Emirates and two in China.

Plans are underway to open flagship stores in Singapore, Hawaii, Jordan and Egypt.

MGI, which started with the Max’s Restaurant in 1945, is now the largest operator in the Philippine casual dining segment with the following brands: Pancake House, Yellow Cab Pizza, Krispy Kreme, Jamba Juice, Max’s Corner Bakery, Teriyaki Boy, Dencio’s,Meranti, Sizzlin’ Steak, Maple, Kabisera, Le Coeur de France and Singkit.