Denver's own Park Burger dropping some flavor on the Middle East.

AuthorGarvey, John
PositionSTATEOFTHESTATE

Park Burger, originally a divey burger place on Denver's South Pearl Street, has opened its second restaurant in the Middle East.

The chain now has a restaurant in Muscat, Oman along with its other international franchise in Kuwait City. It also has four other locations around Denver (counting Park & Co. in Uptown).

Park Burger's proximity to the University of Denver helped make it a popular spot for international business student Fahad Alsebaie and several of his colleagues, who wanted to bring their go-to burger place back to Kuwait. Their proposal to founder Jean-Philippe Failyau and Peter Newlin, who began as a server and is now president, was met with enthusiasm.

"I never thought I'd have an opportunity to oversee and try to figure out how to source jalapenos in the Middle East," Newlin says. "I just remember going up and down in local markets trying to find all the ingredients to open."

The culture of hospitality in the Middle East is outstanding, Newlin says, and there's a strong market demand for American cuisine. The business challenges of setting up shop and training a team abroad have brought cultural benefits, including leadership training, humility, hospitality...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT