Lebanese–Kuwaiti Memorandum Aims to Develop Franchise Opportunities at HORECA 2026

The Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafés, Nightclubs and Pastry Shops and the Lebanese Business Council in Kuwait have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening Lebanese brands’ presence in Kuwait and developing franchise opportunities. Signed on the sidelines of HORECA Lebanon 2026 in Beirut, the agreement covers joint investment, training and delegation exchanges, placing opportunities for Lebanon’s franchise community on both organisations’ agendas.

Beirut signing brings together trade bodies and business representatives

The memorandum was signed by Tony Ramy, president of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafés, Nightclubs and Pastry Shops, and Ali Hassan Khalil, chairman of the Lebanese Business Council in Kuwait. The ceremony took place in the VIP hall at BIEL, attended by First Lady Nehmat Aoun, alongside representatives of economic and professional bodies and members of the business community.

Other attendees included engineer Assaad Saqqal, chairman of the Lebanese–Kuwaiti Business Council; Alphonse Dib, the council’s secretary; and Mohammad Najia, secretary-general of the Kuwait Hotel Owners Association. Joumana Dammous-Salamé, managing director and co-founder of Hospitality Services, also attended, along with board members from both signatory organisations and figures from the hospitality sector.

The agreement brings together a trade body representing restaurant and hospitality business owners in Lebanon and a Lebanese business council in Kuwait. Choosing HORECA as the venue placed the initiative within an industry gathering directly relevant to the businesses and brands covered by the announced areas of co-operation.

According to the report published on 13 November 2026, speeches at the event focused on turning the two countries’ historic ties into sustainable economic partnerships. Attendees also stressed the importance of opening up opportunities for Lebanese businesses to expand abroad and strengthening co-operation between the relevant bodies in both countries.

Franchise opportunities within broader support for Lebanese brands

The memorandum explicitly identifies the development of franchise opportunities as an objective, alongside strengthening Lebanese brands’ presence in Kuwait and encouraging joint investment. This is its most relevant aspect for the franchise community: it places expansion through franchising within a framework of institutional co-operation, rather than simply promoting economic ties in general.

Areas of co-operation include exchanging expertise, organising trade delegations, providing training programmes and holding joint business events. They also extend to promoting the food industry and supporting food tourism initiatives, giving the memorandum a broader scope than opening restaurants or granting rights to use a brand alone.

It is important to distinguish between the stated objective and a completed commercial outcome. The announced step is the signing of a memorandum to develop opportunities and encourage partnerships, not the award of a franchise for a particular brand or the opening of a new outlet in Kuwait. Its significance therefore lies in providing a framework for joint action, with results to emerge from initiatives implemented later.

For Lebanese brands seeking to expand, the combination of investment, training and knowledge exchange identifies areas to explore with the two organisations. It does not, in itself, mean that every brand is ready to enter Kuwait or that participation in activities will necessarily lead to a commercial agreement.

Annual programme and committee to oversee implementation

The memorandum provides for an annual work programme covering joint events, exchanges of professional delegations and the identification of new investment opportunities. It also calls for a co-ordination committee to oversee implementation and assess results. This is the stated mechanism for turning the agreement’s objectives into activities whose progress can be monitored.

This aspect merits attention from Lebanon’s franchise community because the annual programme and committee set out how the two parties will organise their work. Delegations, events and training are not investment outcomes in themselves, but they are tools identified in the memorandum for exploring opportunities, exchanging expertise and building professional connections.

Assessing results, which falls within the co-ordination committee’s remit, remains a key part of monitoring the agreement. A practical assessment will need to distinguish between activities held, opportunities identified and any commercial partnerships announced separately.

What should brands interested in Kuwait follow up on?

Participants at the event focused on attracting new investment, expanding Lebanese brands’ reach and creating additional jobs. These are goals expressed by attendees, not operational results achieved simply by signing the memorandum. The agreement’s practical value will depend on how the work programme translates those ambitions into concrete initiatives.

For brand owners interested in Kuwait, a useful starting point is to ask the two signatory organisations about the annual work programme, professional delegations, events and training programmes they plan to organise. It is also worth defining the purpose of participation in advance: finding a potential investment partner, exploring franchise opportunities or exchanging operational expertise.

The practical takeaway: the memorandum gives Lebanon’s franchise community an institutional route for exploring opportunities in Kuwait. Interested brands should next follow up on how to participate and which initiatives are being delivered, without confusing an announcement of co-operation with a signed franchise agreement.