Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream opens 2nd store in Egypt

Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream has opened a second location in Egypt in the SODIC shopping district of Giza, according to a press release.

The restaurant is led by president of Happy Joe's Restaurants LLC, Ahmed El Batran. The group first opened in Egypt in the Cairo suburb of Roxy earlier this year.

"Thanks to its unique pizzas and one-of-a-kind family-friendly environment, Happy Joe's is an iconic brand for many across the United States," El Batran said in the press release. "The same holds true for many young adults in Egypt. My sister and I remember enjoying many meals with friends at Happy Joe's and are proud to return the brand back to Egypt and spread that same emotional connection across the region."

A University of Michigan graduate, El Batran became reacquainted with Happy Joe's during his time spent traveling the Midwest as a student. Now, with the help of his father and sister, Zeina, El Batran plans to take the brand globally with locations across Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The SODIC location is already tracking 300% higher guest traffic than a U.S. store on comparable orders over a one-week period.

"The demand for our pizza and dine-in experience has been even better than we anticipated, so there's no doubt that we're well on our way to making Happy Joe's the go-to pizza place in the region," El Batran added.

Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream has eight company and 34 franchise locations.