GOLDEN, Colo., May 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Market®, the rotisserie chicken and contemporary home style cooking experts, today announced that its first Middle East restaurant opened this week in Kuwait. As previously announced in June 2016, Boston Market IP Company, Ltd., an affiliate of Boston Market Corporation, signed an area development agreement with Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. Ltd. that will open dozens of Boston Market restaurants in the Middle East. Under the terms of the agreement, Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. will develop Boston Market restaurants in Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Jordan. The agreement is part of a plan by Boston Market to open 25 – 30 restaurants across the Middle East over the next few years. The first Boston Market restaurant to open in the Middle East is located in Jabriya of the Hawalli Governorate in Kuwait. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor patio seating, and also offers delivery to homes and catering for events. A second Boston Market restaurant is in the final stages of preparing to open in Kuwait. The second restaurant will open in Sabah Al Salem of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Governorate in Kuwait. "We are thrilled to officially launch the Boston Market brand in the Middle East with our first restaurant opening in Kuwait," said George Michel, Chief Executive Officer of Boston Market, also known as 'The Big Chicken'. "Rotisserie chicken is a very popular food in the Middle East and as the leading restaurant offering high quality, all natural rotisserie chicken, rotisserie ribs and turkey, we see a significant opportunity to delight consumers and grow our brand in this region of the world." Michel continued, "We have a top flight partner in Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. and we are confident that with their local market experience and expertise, we will successfully enter and grow our presence in the Middle East." Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. Ltd. has vast experience developing and operating casual dining restaurants in the Middle East and South Asia. The multinational casual dining restaurant company owns and operates a variety of brands including Chili's®, Johnny Carino's Italian Grill®, The Pizzeria, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf®, Cinnamonster®, and Which Wich®. Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. was named one of the top companies making an impact in Kuwait by Forbes Middle East at a ceremony held in Kuwait on May 31, 2016. "We anticipate a strong consumer response to the Boston Market concept as the clear leader in rotisserie chicken and American home style cooking," said Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. CEO Abdulghani Al-Ghunaim. "Boston Market brings a unique restaurant concept to the Middle East and its high quality food and diverse menu options will result in customer loyalty. We look forward to our continued partnership as we open the first restaurant in Kuwait, followed by expansion into additional countries throughout the Middle East." About Boston Market Boston Market Corporation, headquartered in Golden, Colorado, has given time back to busy families and individuals for 30 years with quality, home style meals at a convenient value in more than 450 U.S. locations. The expert in rotisserie cooking, Boston Market prepares its fresh chicken and all natural turkey in signature rotisserie ovens and features an extensive selection of home style sides and made-from-scratch cornbread. As one of the country's largest providers of catering services, Boston Market offers convenient, same-day orders and delivery for corporate and personal events of all sizes. In January 2017, Boston Market officially launched its "Quality Guarantee," which acts as a continued commitment to all guests that Boston Market will serve all-natural and fresh, never frozen, gluten-free, whole chicken with no added hormones, steroids, antibiotics or MSG. For more information, visit the company's website at www.bostonmarket.com. For the latest news and deals, follow @bostonmarket on Twitter or join us on Facebook. Media Contact Seth Grugle, ICR 646-277-1200 BostonMarketPR@icrinc.com SOURCE Boston Market Related Links https://www.bostonmarket.com

Johannesburg - Ocean Basket said on Monday that it had signed an agreement with Kuwait-based food distributor to roll out five new stores in as many years, bringing the number to 17 countries in which the South African seafood restaurant operates. Kuwait joins the Ocean Basket ranks alongside Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Malta, Kazakhstan and Cyprus, with expansion plans firmly in place for further stores, many breaking into new markets like Oman and Qatar. Ocean Basket chief executive, Grace Harding, said she met the Kuwait team from Al-Ghunaim Trading Company in Cape Town last week to complete the licensing agreement. Harding welcomed Kuwait to the Ocean Basket family, saying that they were looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership. "We need to ensure the success of our partners by creating a globally relevant and meaningful brand and systems and infrastructure that supports them," Harding said. Read also: Gold Brands lands ex Ocean Basket boss "That is our primary responsibility, so everything we do is about sustainability and making sure that our brand succeeds in the future." Al-Ghunaim chief executive, Abdulghani Al-Ghunaim, said it was the third largest restaurant company in Kuwait. "We learnt about Ocean Basket when one of our senior managers was working in Egypt and decided it would be perfect to enhance the group basket of flavours that we currently offer our customers," Al-Ghunaim said. "Fish is a very popular dish in Kuwait and we found that Ocean Basket has a unique flavour, which we are looking to add to our other offerings." AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY

Johannesburg - Ocean Basket said on Monday that it had signed an agreement with Kuwait-based food distributor to roll out five new stores in as many years, bringing the number to 17 countries in which the South African seafood restaurant operates. Kuwait joins the Ocean Basket ranks alongside Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Malta, Kazakhstan and Cyprus, with expansion plans firmly in place for further stores, many breaking into new markets like Oman and Qatar. Ocean Basket chief executive, Grace Harding, said she met the Kuwait team from Al-Ghunaim Trading Company in Cape Town last week to complete the licensing agreement. Harding welcomed Kuwait to the Ocean Basket family, saying that they were looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership. "We need to ensure the success of our partners by creating a globally relevant and meaningful brand and systems and infrastructure that supports them," Harding said. Read also: Gold Brands lands ex Ocean Basket boss "That is our primary responsibility, so everything we do is about sustainability and making sure that our brand succeeds in the future." Al-Ghunaim chief executive, Abdulghani Al-Ghunaim, said it was the third largest restaurant company in Kuwait. "We learnt about Ocean Basket when one of our senior managers was working in Egypt and decided it would be perfect to enhance the group basket of flavours that we currently offer our customers," Al-Ghunaim said. "Fish is a very popular dish in Kuwait and we found that Ocean Basket has a unique flavour, which we are looking to add to our other offerings." AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY

Boston Market CEO George Michel has signed a deal with Kuwait’s Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. Ltd. to bring the US-based fast casual dining concept to the Middle East. Up to 30 branches are planned initially for Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan - with the first due to open in Kuwait by early next year. This will be the first Boston Market outisde of the US in a decade, since former owner McDonald's sold the company and closed outlets in Canada and Australia, reports Associated Press. The company, which was initially called Boston Chicken when it launched 30 years ago, is best known for serving hormone-free rotisserie chicken. Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. already operates restaurants such as Chili’s and Johnny Carino’s Italian Grill, and Michel commented that he is working with the developer party due to its "credibility and the strong track record". Michel previously worked in the Middle East for Burger King and Brinker International, overseeing Chili’s and Macaroni Grills in the region.

Boston Market CEO George Michel has signed a deal with Kuwait’s Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. Ltd. to bring the US-based fast casual dining concept to the Middle East. Up to 30 branches are planned initially for Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan - with the first due to open in Kuwait by early next year. This will be the first Boston Market outisde of the US in a decade, since former owner McDonald's sold the company and closed outlets in Canada and Australia, reports Associated Press. The company, which was initially called Boston Chicken when it launched 30 years ago, is best known for serving hormone-free rotisserie chicken. Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. already operates restaurants such as Chili’s and Johnny Carino’s Italian Grill, and Michel commented that he is working with the developer party due to its "credibility and the strong track record". Michel previously worked in the Middle East for Burger King and Brinker International, overseeing Chili’s and Macaroni Grills in the region.

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sun Capital Partners, Inc. (“Sun Capital”), a leading private investment firm specializing in leveraged buyouts and investments in market-leading companies, today announced that one of its affiliates has acquired Boston Market Corporation (“Boston Market”), a non-core business unit of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD). Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Effective immediately, Richard K. "Rick" Arras has been appointed president and CEO of Boston Market replacing Michael Andres who will be leaving the Company to return to McDonald's Corporation. Mr. Arras most recently served as president, CEO, and partner of Wi-Tenn Restaurants, L.L.C., a franchise developer and operator of O'Charley's Restaurants. Prior to Wi-Tenn Restaurants, he has held a number of senior leadership roles including president and CEO of Shoney's Restaurants and president and COO of Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores (NASDAQ - GS:CRBL). He began his career as a management trainee with Perkins Family Restaurants in 1979, and from 1988 to 1998, he served as Perkins’ president and COO. Arras received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for six years. While at Perkins, he received a Masters of Business Administration from Memphis State University. Gary M. Talarico, Managing Director, said, “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Rick Arras as Boston Market’s new president and CEO. Rick brings the right mix of leadership skills and experience to Boston Market given his 28-years of service in executive management in the family dining segment of the restaurant industry.” Talarico, added, “We are excited about Boston Market’s growth opportunities in its unique niche as a healthy meal replacement alternative for active and working families. Leveraging its strong brand name and reputation for quality food, we also see significant growth potential in frozen foods through the Company’s relationship with H.J. Heinz Company (NYSE:HNZ) and prepared foods sold through grocery stores, two business segments that have enjoyed double digit growth in the past several years." Rick Arras, newly-appointed President and CEO of Boston Market Corporation, commented, “I am very pleased to have joined Boston Market at this exciting point in its evolution and to partner with Sun Capital Partners, a financial sponsor with deep operating experience in the restaurant industry. As a stand-alone entity, Boston Market will be able to pursue its own strategic objectives and focus on expanding its national network of stores, while maintaining superlative customer service, and new product offerings. I am looking forward to the challenge and to working with our management team as we move Boston Market to the next level of performance.” About Boston Market Corporation Headquartered in Golden, Colorado, Boston Market Corporation, which operates approximately 600 restaurants in 28 states, is a leader in the fast-casual restaurant category, providing time-pressed consumers with great-tasting, convenient meals. Boston Market serves rotisserie chicken, ham, meat loaf, and turkey, as well as side dishes such as mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and stuffing. The chain utilizes a cafeteria-style serving line and seating for dining in, as well as drive-through and carry-out service. Partnering with leading supermarket chains, Boston Market offers restaurant-quality, branded meals to shoppers that enjoy the one-stop convenience of purchasing ready-to-heat meals at the same time they do their grocery shopping. For more information, please visit www.bostonmarket.com. About Sun Capital Partners, Inc. Sun Capital Partners, Inc. is a leading private investment firm focused on leveraged buyouts, equity, debt, and other investments in market-leading companies that can benefit from its in-house operating professionals and experience. Sun Capital affiliates have invested in and managed more than 165 companies worldwide with combined sales in excess of $35.0 billion since Sun Capital’s inception in 1995. Sun Capital has offices in Boca Raton, Los Angeles, and New York, as well as affiliates with offices in London, Tokyo, and Shenzhen. For more information, please visit www.SunCapPart.com. Contacts Sun Capital Partners, Inc., Boca Raton Michael B. Fieldstone, Principal, 212-588-9156 www.SunCapPart.com