TMR and Kitopi sign deal to bring Catch22 and Awani restaurants to Egypt for the first time
Talaat Moustafa Retail (TMR) and Dubai-founded restaurant group Kitopi signed a franchise agreement on 2 November 2026 to bring the Catch22 and Awani restaurant brands to Egypt for the first time, with Awani's first Egyptian branch planned for Street 12 Mall in New Cairo.
What the agreement covers
The agreement was signed on 2 November 2026 by Omar Hisham Talaat of TMR and Mohamad Ballout, Kitopi’s chief executive and co-founder, alongside senior executives from both companies. Under it, TMR will introduce Catch22 and Awani to the Egyptian market through the opening of their first branches. Awani’s first branch is planned for Street 12 Mall in New Cairo, followed by further openings in strategic locations across Egypt. The sources checked for this article do not state a first location for Catch22, and neither company has announced an opening date for either first branch.
The two brands coming to Egypt
Awani is a contemporary Levantine eatery serving Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian and Palestinian dishes. Catch22 is a modern social dining concept serving international cuisine. Both brands already operate in the Gulf, including in Dubai, Riyadh and Bahrain, and the Egypt deal marks their first entry into the Egyptian market.
Who the two companies are
TMR is the retail arm of property and hospitality developer Talaat Moustafa Group, and it develops, manages and operates brands across fashion, beauty, entertainment and food and beverage. Kitopi, founded in Dubai in 2018, operates more than 200 restaurants and delivery-only locations across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Kitopi acquired the group behind Catch22 and Awani in 2023, giving it a foothold in dine-in restaurants alongside its delivery business.
Why the deal matters for New Cairo diners
Talaat said the two restaurants would mark the first step in a wider collaboration with Kitopi to introduce more brands to Egypt, and the partnership forms part of TMR’s strategy to expand its retail and food-and-beverage portfolio by bringing international concepts to the Egyptian market. Ballout called the partnership an important milestone in Kitopi’s expansion and a strategic step towards strengthening its brands’ presence in Egypt through collaboration with a market leader like TMR. For New Cairo, the first concrete result is the planned Awani branch at Street 12 Mall — the first time either brand will trade in Egypt — with more openings to follow, though their locations and dates are still to be announced.
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