Given that Lebanon’s restaurant market is notoriously fraught with high costs, cutthroat competition and seemingly inane bureaucratic hurdles, it is of little surprise that some of the country’s best known franchises have struck out across the region, in what they say is an effort to not only grow, but to survive. However, with a much improved restaurant draft law moving forward, and with Lebanon still being seen as a vital area to base operations, the country could just be on the brink of experiencing some homemade growth in a sector that has already seen over $1 billion in investment since the hey-days of 1996. “If we were not franchising in the region, or elsewhere, I would not see a long-term healthy business for Casper and Gambini’s in Lebanon,” said Anthony Maalouf, the director of franchise operations for Casper & Gambini’s (C&G), who, along with Kabab-Ji and Crepaway, is at the
