United Restaurant Development (URD), a subsidiary of Saudi-based family-owned company United Group, has been rebranded as Cravia, and is set to boost its presence in the Middle East with the opening of 19 stores across the region.

Formally known as Cravia is the parent company of much loved franchises: Cinnabon, Seattle’s Best Coffee,  Zaatar W Zeit and the soon to be launched, Roadster diner.

Cravia CEO Walid Hajj said the decision to re-brand URD as Cravia was part of the company expansion strategy for maintaing continued growth and a desire to be associated with the success of Cravia’s current company portfolio.

“We felt our franchises would benefit from a common name as a way for our customers to relate to our brands as quality restaurants under the Cravia umbrella,” Hajj said.

“As Cravia’s portfolio is set to increase with a further 19 stores projected to open in 2008, it has become a name to be associated with good food and experiences.”

Last year saw Cravia, under its former guise as URD, reach a total of 28 stores across the UAE, including 15 Cinnabon; eight Seattle’s Best Coffee and five Zaatar W Zeit outlets.

This year alone, Cravia has already opened four Cinnabon locations, as well as one Seattle’s Best Coffee, and are projecting a further 15 locations from the three established brands.

“We have also announced the launch of new brand, Roadster diner, which will initially open in two locations - Jumeirah Beach Road and Dubai Mall,” Hajj added.

Roadster diner is the American style restaurant selling dishes ranging from mouth watering burgers to homemade desserts.

“This year alone will see us almost double our presence in the UAE,” Hajj said, “The future continues to look bright, with ambitions which could see us being made public or aligning with a strategic partner.”

“Between now and mid 2009, we will be looking for a new franchise to bring into the UAE,” he said. “However we will be extremely picky as we only want to be associated with world class brands,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service