Dentons Franchise Advisory has awarded SushiArt as “Restaurant Franchise of the Year” and Nakhati as “Restaurant Franchise of the Year: Best New System”. The awards recognize restaurant franchises with a unique and innovative concept, attractive value proposition, and a strong support system for their franchisees. Babette Marzheuser-Wood, Managing Director of Dentons Franchise Advisory, and Karolina Cotronei, senior associate at Dentons, presented the two awards under the auspices of the Future Hospitality Summit in Dubai on September 19, 2022.

SushiArt is a Japanese casual dining restaurant franchise that serves artfully crafted sushi to its discerning guests. It is the franchisee in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of global brand Sushi Shop, which was founded in France and is currently the largest brand in its segment in Europe, with more than 200 restaurants. Owned by eathos, SushiArt operates 12 restaurants in the United Arab Emirates and 4 in Saudi Arabia. Its exclusive yearly collaborations with Michelin Star chefs on the menu, and with renowned artists on its limited-edition boxes, makes it a one of a kind in the market.

“Receiving the Franchise of the Year award is the culmination of many years of hard and thoughtful work by the eathos and SushiArt teams. The success of SushiArt is also the fruit of a great franchisor/franchisee Partnership, based on trust, alignment of interests, flexibility, and a proven ability to adapt to the regional market trends in an agile way”, said Nadim Majdalani, CEO of eathos.

Nakhati is Kerten Hospitality’s new franchise brand, which offers handcrafted premium gelato in local and surprising flavors. A female-led, purpose-driven organization, it offers the first franchise model for local female entrepreneurs by offering easy access to initial funding for different sizes of gelato stores, mobile units and kiosks. Nakhati offers high-quality business tools to support the franchisees’ growth and empowerment, with mentorship at the core. The first Nakhati store opened in Riyadh last month and there are several other locations in the GCC currently in discussion.

Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality said, “We have created a purpose-driven premium gelato brand that offers more than just deliciously unexpected flavors and locally inspired ingredients. Just like in any other project we embark on, we seek to give back to the community and focus on empowering the business ecosystem. This is our purpose with Nakhati as well – to offer female entrepreneurs the opportunity to launch their own franchises and to facilitate access to initial funding, a network of mentors and all the needful tools that support the franchisees growth – which are some of the challenges women face when trying to enter the business world.”

“Having worked with many of the world’s leading franchise brands, I have identified five key ingredients which make a franchise successful: a recognizable brand, a unique business model, a strong value proposition for both franchiser and franchisee, good quality control, and a model that is easy to teach,” said Babette Marzheuser-Wood. “It was an absolute pleasure to present these awards to Sushi Art and Nakhati – two restaurant franchises that are bringing something new and exciting to the GCC market.”

Dentons Franchise Advisory combines legal advice with strategic franchising consulting services, leveraging Dentons’ experience in representing more than 400 franchise systems in over 85 countries around the world.

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