Happy Joe’s is again expanding in Egypt, now with two locations open, including this one in Giza.
Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream no longer has its boat-shaped restaurant on the Nile River, but since the brand’s return to Egypt, franchisee Ahmed El Batran said he’s heard from plenty of customers who recall their meals at that location from decades ago.
“We’ve had quite a few people coming in and saying, ‘Oh, I remember it from the ‘80s and ‘90s,’” said El Batran, who is now introducing the Midwestern pizza brand to a new generation of Egyptian consumers and drawing on his personal ties to the company.
It was El Batran’s father, Mohamed Magdy El Batran, along with two uncles, who first brought Happy Joe’s to Egypt in the early 1980s, eventually operating seven restaurants in Cairo, Alexandria and along the country’s northern coast. When their 20-year franchise agreement was up, the group decided not to renew and the brand eventually exited the market.
“My father, he has always loved Happy Joe’s … and has always wanted to bring them back,” said El Batran, who did just that in July 2022 when he, along with his father and sister, Zeina El Batran, opened their first Happy Joe’s in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis. They added a second unit this summer in the Sodic shopping district of Giza as part of a 25-unit master franchise agreement to develop the concept in the Middle East and North Africa.
El Batran, who with his family also runs a network of private vocational and K-12 schools in Egypt, said Happy Joe’s stands out in the region for its focus on family dining and its creative array of specialty and Mexican-inspired pizzas, such as the Taco Joe. The breakfast pizzas, along with a selection of dessert options, likewise separate it from the likes of Pizza Hut and Domino’s, which each have dozens of locations primarily clustered around Cairo.
Happy Joe’s CEO Tom Sacco says the family dining atmosphere appeals to customers in the region.
“I love the concept of combining two of my favorite things. We all love pizza and we all love ice cream, but there aren’t really many restaurants that do this combination,” said El Batran. “Happy Joe’s is different. The pizzas are heavy loaded with ingredients … it’s really a nice, rich menu.”
El Batran, who studied architecture and then earned his master’s degree in educational leadership and policy from the University of Michigan, described pizza restaurants in Egypt as falling into one of two categories: “American-style pizza, mostly franchises like Papa Johns, followed by Pizza Hut and Domino’s;” and “Italian-style pizza, Neapolitan pizza,” which he said is quite common but usually in a higher-end setting. Happy Joe’s, meanwhile, is neither, making it attractive to bring back to the market.
“I would say Happy Joe’s is in between both categories. We’re not a super high-end restaurant, but we’re not a common fast-food pizza place,” he said. “Our pizzas are more rich with ingredients. Our dine-in experience is a nice place to be.”
With its rapid population growth and the density of its major cities—95 percent of Egypt’s nearly 110 million people live within a narrow strip along the Nile River—El Batran noted real estate is expensive and they’ve been selective in finding condensed, two-story sites that can accommodate a game room on the second level. Four more restaurants are slated to open over the next year, with sites in malls and one within a Chillout retail and gas station.
After developing several of its own restaurants, El Batran said the family will then begin working with sub-franchisees to take Happy Joe’s to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and other markets in the region.
Based in Davenport, Iowa, Happy Joe’s has 39 locations open in the United States. It’s again pushing franchise expansion after coming out of what CEO Tom Sacco earlier this year described as a “rapid-fire bankruptcy.” Happy Joe’s filed for bankruptcy protection in September 2022 under Subchapter V of Chapter 11; it needed to reorganize and address high rents and real estate that was no longer viable, Sacco said.
Happy Joe’s touts its specialty pizzas loaded with ingredients, and its restaurants also serve a selection of ice cream desserts, both of which help it stand out in Egypt, says franchisee Ahmed El Batran.
Founded by Lawrence Joseph “Happy Joe” Whitty in 1972, Happy Joe’s was acquired by Dynamic Restaurant Holdings in 2017. The new ownership group, said Sacco, “got stuck with all these really high rents,” and in October 2020 brought him in to modernize the Midwestern brand and refresh the business model.
Sacco previously led the image refresh and revitalization at Ponderosa Steakhouse & Buffet and Bonanza Family Restaurants. He also helped lead national expansion at Red Robin, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shoppes.
“This investment group bought and paid for the company because they’re Iowa people. They want to do what is right for the brand long term,” said Sacco when reached in August. The company has made numerous investments to position it for growth, he said, including the introduction in 2022 of a new image and brand design created with consulting firm Harrison. It also rolled out a mobile app using Punchh, upgraded the point-of-sale system and integrated guest feedback platform Tattle.
This summer, it bolstered its leadership team, adding Josh Spiller as director of marketing, Jenny Culp as director of purchasing and supply chain, and Ashley Balluf as director of training and culinary, among other new support roles.
From left, Happy Joe’s franchisee siblings Ahmed and Zeina El Batran are expanding the concept in Egypt, with support from parents Abeer Elkabbany and Mohamed Magdy El Batran.
Sacco, who noted he turns 70 in October, said he came out of retirement to join the Happy Joe’s team because he felt a “passionate connection” to the brand and its mission to spread happiness.
“We create magical memories for children—that’s what sets us apart,” he said of the brand’s focus on a family-friendly, celebratory environment. “We have a different way of looking at the business.”
Of its expansion efforts, Sacco said it’s “not in our DNA to be the size of a Domino’s or a Pizza Hut,” and the company is being intentional about growth. It has new franchisees developing restaurants in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and is targeting Orlando, Florida, Nashville, Tennessee, and Phoenix as it looks to widen the footprint beyond the Midwest.
