Sides Heads to the Middle East with 51-Restaurant Franchise Deal

Sides, the fast-growing UK hot chicken brand founded by the Sidemen, has signed a landmark master franchise agreement with Element F&B for Restaurant Management, part of the Al Kharafi Group, to launch 51 restaurants across the Middle East.

The agreement will bring Sides to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar and Oman, with the first restaurants set to open in Egypt and Kuwait later this year. The deal also includes a substantial longer-term pipeline for further expansion across the region as demand for the brand continues to grow internationally.

Element F&B is owned by Mr Eyad Al-Kharafi and forms part of the wider Al Kharafi Group, one of the founding partners of Americana, the regional foodservice powerhouse behind brands including KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Krispy Kreme and TGI Fridays. 

The partnership marks a significant milestone in Sides' international growth strategy and represents one of the brand's largest franchise agreements to date.

The deal also underlines the strength of the brand's international appeal just a few years after launching in the UK, pairing the UK's youngest hot chicken brand with one of the most experienced restaurant families in the region.

Ethan Payne (Behzinga), Sides co-founder and member of the Sidemen, said:

"Four years ago, we were arguing about how spicy is too spicy. Today we're going into six countries. I got to mark it in one of our own restaurants with a box of wings next to me, that's exactly how it should have happened.

"We've had people in the Middle East asking us for years when we're coming. Comments, DMs, every single upload. The answer is finally this year — Egypt and Kuwait first, and we're not stopping there.

"Seeing a Sides go up in a country I've only ever been to on holiday is going to be mad. I can't wait for the first person out there to try the Insane and immediately regret it."

Al Kharafi Group is a well-established Middle Eastern conglomerate founded in 1952, with operations spanning more than 25 countries, over 100,000 employees and annual revenues of approximately USD 4 billion. The Group was one of the founding partners of Americana Group, the regional powerhouse behind brands including KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Krispy Kreme and TGI Fridays, and held the largest shareholding in the company prior to its sale. With diversified operations spanning construction, aviation infrastructure, manufacturing, hospitality and tourism, and investments, the Group brings deep market knowledge and a proven track record of building and scaling major regional F&B brands.

The partnership was championed by Mr. Eyad Al-Kharafi, a member of the Al-Kharafi family and a shareholder in Al Kharafi Group, who identified the opportunity to bring Sides to the Middle East and has led the deal from its inception.

Muneera Al-Kharafi, who will oversee restaurant management and operations for the venture, said: "Our priority is to deliver Sides to the highest operational standard, fully aligned with the procedures and systems set by the franchisor, so that every restaurant we open reflects the same quality, energy and guest experience customers already love."

The agreement caps a run of international momentum. Sides made its overseas debut in Singapore in June 2025 and has since added a second Singapore site in Sentosa, with announced plans for restaurants across India, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, including upcoming locations in Kuala Lumpur and Riyadh.

Alongside its overseas growth, Sides continues to invest heavily in expanding its domestic footprint. The brand currently operates restaurants in Essex, London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Glasgow, and has recently announced further openings planned across England, Scotland, and Wales, including Coventry, Livingston, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Wandsworth. 

Sides was founded by the Sidemen, the UK's biggest YouTube collective, in 2021, with a simple ambition: own the hot chicken category by making food good enough to stand on its own. Four years, two continents and six new countries later, the ambition hasn't changed, it has just got a lot bigger.

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