One of Germany’s top doner kebab restaurants is finally getting ready to begin their expansion into Manhattan.
German Doner Kebab is an international chain of fast-casual restaurants that specializes in (you guessed it) German doner kebabs. The brand was established in Berlin in 1989 by founder Farshad Abbaszadeh, who developed the brand in Germany for over a decade before launching its first franchised location in Dubai in 2013. In 2017, a majority share of the company was purchased by Hero Brands, who moved the company’s headquarters to Glasgow and initiated a massive expansion into the UK Market. Now, after years of success in the international market, German Doner Kebabs has finally begun its growth push for North America.
GDK’s first U.S Store opened up in New Jersey’s American Dream Mall in 2020, but 2023 will see the company opening up one new restaurant location every month. Their first New York location is currently scheduled to open up at 31-75 Steinway Street in Astoria sometime in February, and plans are in place to open up a multitude of new stores across Manhattan and Brooklyn throughout the year. Their Manhattan location will be arriving at 1001 Sixth Avenue, and two more Brooklyn locations are planned for Columbus Park and Bay Ridge.
GDK currently has a development pipeline of 65 units throughout North America and plans to open over 500 locations across the country over the next ten years. GDK Managing Director Nigel Belton stated in a press release that the company has “big plans for the USA and Canada” and that the team is “extremely happy to announce our growth plans to open 12 new restaurants in 2023.” He also stated that “the next 12 months will prove to be a landmark in our story. We aim to expand our footprint and bring the unique GDK experience to more consumers in the USA and Canada, as we build the fast-casual brand of the future.
Beyond New York, additional plans for locations are currently in place for Boston, Houston, Frisco, and even Vancouver. For regular updates on all of their newest locations, you can follow German Doner Kebab on Instagram.
