East Rutherford, N.J. — German Doner Kebab (GDK), the global fast-casual restaurant chain revolutionizing the kebab, is set to open its first restaurant in the United States at American Dream, an entertainment/retail center in Bergen County, N.J. The new location will open in August.
“The U.S. offers a huge opportunity for GDK, and we are excited to be opening our first U.S. restaurant at American Dream,” says Nigel Belton, managing director of German Doner Kebab North America. “German Doner Kebab is exciting consumers across Europe and Canada, offering a fast-casual concept that is responding to the needs of Generation Z. We are now recognized as a top fast-casual brand of the future, and we are looking forward to bringing this German Doner Kebab experience to people visiting American Dream.”
The American Dream location of GDK is an important step in an ambitious growth plan throughout the U.S. and Canada. The brand successfully launched two restaurants in Canada in Ottawa and Surrey in 2020 and recently opened a flagship restaurant in downtown Toronto on August 3, 2021. Plans are now in place to open 100 new restaurants in Canada over the next 10 years, and the development pipeline also includes key U.S. locations spanning New York City, New Jersey and Houston.
The opening of German Doner Kebab’s first U.S. location is in partnership with franchisee Yunus Shahul, who brings significant experience in the restaurant industry. The New York native operates two Saravana Bhavan Indian restaurants and a growing Cousins Maine Lobster portfolio throughout New York and Connecticut.
German Doner Kebab’s first location opened in Berlin in 1989, and today has over 70 restaurants across the globe. Its North American expansion is a piece of GDK’s global growth plan that also includes the UK, Sweden and the Middle East, with over 700 franchises already signed-up to its global growth strategy. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, the brand has grown at a great pace in the UK, Europe and the Middle East and is now rapidly expanding in the US, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Ireland. For more information, visit www.germandonerkebab.com. German Doner Kebab is owned by the Hero Brands group.
American Dream, developed by Triple Five Group, is a mix of world-class entertainment, retail and dining, comprising more than 3 million square feet in East Rutherford, N.J., just minutes away from New York City. American Dream is home to leading indoor attractions including DreamWorks Water Park, Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park, LEGOLAND Discovery Center, SEA LIFE Aquarium, Big SNOW Ski Hill and more. A curated collection of immersive retail experiences includes flagship locations for Aritzia, H&M, PRIMARK, Uniqlo, Sephora, Zara and IT’SUGAR. For more information, visit www.americandream.com.
SOURCE: German Doner Kebab