IHOP Restaurant Opens First Location in Bahrain, March 17

DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), parent company of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar® and IHOP® Restaurants, today announced the opening of the first IHOP restaurant in Bahrain on March 17, 2014.

Mar 17, 2014 - 10:43
DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), parent company of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar® and IHOP® Restaurants, today announced the opening of the first IHOP restaurant in Bahrain on March 17, 2014. The restaurant, located in Bahrain City Centre, represents the sixth restaurant opening for the iconic IHOP brand in the region since 2012 under the multi-franchise agreement with M.H. Alshaya Co. (“Alshaya”), a leading international franchise operator. This agreement allows for the development of 40 restaurants across the Middle East and North Africa region. Locations have already been open and operating successfully in Dubai, Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with future locations expected to include Lebanon, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The new restaurant features IHOP Restaurants’ world famous menu of pancakes, waffles, omelets and breakfast favorites, as well as a full complement of delicious lunch and dinner items. It will be open Saturday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to midnight.

“It has been very exciting to see our brand continue to build and expand its presence in the Middle East and to be able to bring our famous great service and food to a steadily growing list of countries in the region,” said Julia Stewart, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DineEquity Inc., and Interim President, International House of Pancakes, LLC. “We have been extremely gratified by the response our restaurants have been receiving in this market. Alshaya has been instrumental in that success, bringing their unparalleled expertise and high standards of excellence to every IHOP location they open.”

Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman, M.H. Alshaya Co., commented: “The opening of this new IHOP location in Bahrain demonstrates our commitment to introducing internationally-recognized brands to customers in additional markets across the Middle East. It has been gratifying to see how warmly guests throughout the region have taken to the unique offerings IHOP restaurants provide and we look forward to providing guests in new locations throughout the Middle East region with the opportunity to enjoy the IHOP experience.”

“IHOP restaurants are famous for their unique, delicious offerings that have delighted guests for over 55 years—so it is only fitting that guests the world over have the opportunity to enjoy that experience in their own countries and neighborhoods,” said Daniel Del Olmo, President, International, DineEquity, Inc. “Alshaya has done a tremendous job in making this reality in this key growth region, and we could not be happier with the tremendous job they have done in maintaining a level of excellence in every restaurant they have opened while continuing to expand. We look forward to welcoming more locations under our agreement with Alshaya.”