Smashburger to open 26 restaurants in Middle East

Last year, Denver-based Smashburger was on a growth tear, spreading all over the eastern U.S. and elsewhere in the country, then to the United Kingdom, and into Egypt.

And if the Denver-based chain's most recent bite of news is any indication, the company has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. Smashburger will open 26 restaurants in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai in the UAE and Qatar's capital Doha, by working with Pearll Investments LLC, a firm that operates in the Middle East.

"Our new franchise partners are experienced restaurant operators and we're confident they will help us grow the brand throughout this part of the region," said Scott Crane, president and CEO of Smashburger.

"Dubai in particular is an attractive destination for people all across the world," Crane said, "and we're looking forward to bringing our made-to-order, hand-crafted burgers to a community that is experiencing growth and high traffic visibility year around."

Abdel Hameed, chairman of Pearll Investments, said the firm is looking to grow its restaurant portfolio in the fast-casual business.

"Despite there being an ample number of fast casual restaurants in this region, the industry has yet to reach its potential in United Arab Emirates and Qatar and we feel there is a huge opportunity for brands such as Smashburger," Hameed said.

Four of the planned 26 restaurants will open in Qatar, while 22 will open in the United Arab Emirates.

Smashburger currently operates more than 355 restaurants in the U.S., Kuwait, Canada, El Salvador, Panama, Costa Rica, Bahrain, the U.K., Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with plans to open 60 to 80 more in the world in 2016.