Pizza Hut the first American restaurant chain, opened in Addis Ababa on the road to CMC on Tuesday and Bole Medhanealem near Edna Mall Saturday.
Yum Brands partnered with local Belayab Foods to open the first Pizza Hut restaurant at a building owned by national Oil Company around CMC area on Tuesday. The ceremony was attended by US Ambassador to Ethiopia, Michael Raynor and other government officials and businesspeople.
“We’re very excited about this milestone event,” said Belayab Foods CEO and shareholder Michael Ghebru. “While there are a few regional franchise restaurants in Ethiopia, Pizza Hut is the first global international restaurant franchise to enter the Ethiopian market.”
Pizza Hut says their restaurants feature a contemporary feel with modern furniture and fixtures, as well as imported branding materials. “Additionally, the restaurants include Pizza Hut’s most popular pizzas, meals, and desserts – which are all imported in an effort to keep the original taste and standard,” the statement added.
Depending on what kind of toppings and sides you order eating at Pizza Hut will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 to 400 birr.
In the United States, restaurant franchises employ 3.8 million individuals of whom 85% are under the age of 25 years. According to the company’s statement, Belayab Foods aims to follow this trend by focusing on hiring youth straight out of school. In preparation for the Ethiopian opening, the company sent several of their young employees to trainings abroad to become familiar with the Pizza Hut brand.
The US restaurant chain formed in 1958 concentrated in traditional big markets, but recently it has been aggressively expanding its market in Africa. 
The Ethiopian partner is expects to expand to 10 branches in the city. Some in the tourism industry feel more chain type restaurants or more variety in the type of cuisine featured at eateries would attract more tourists to Ethiopia. Because Addis Ababa is a major diplomatic center, hopes were that it would attract more international brands in the hospitality and food industry, so far however this has been slow to occur.
In the past decade the number of standard hotels and international chains has been growing, while the international restaurant business remains limited. Recently the South African restaurant chain, Spur Steak Ranches, has commenced its business around Bole, one of the luxury locations in the capital.
Pizza Hut’s parent company, Yum! Brands, also owns KFC and Taco Bell restaurant chains. It is investing heavily in Africa and working with franchises to expand its presence across the continent. With more than one billion people, 53 countries and consumer spending predicted to reach USD 2.5 trillion by 2020, the company sees an opportunity for growth in Africa.
In the near future it plans to open a KFC with another local partner in Addis Ababa.
Pizza Hut opens for business
Castel Group takes majority ownership of Zebidar Beer
Castel Group has taken a 58 percent stake of the budding brewery Zebidar as part of a deal with Belgian brewery Unibra S.A.
The brewery is located about 166km south west of Addis Ababa at Gubre Woreda around Welkite town of Gurage Zone, SNNP. It began making beer on January 5, 2017. So far shares have been purchased by Jemar, an Ethiopian Company with over 1,000 Ethiopian Shareholders, and Unibra, the major shareholder.
Last March Castel Group, the owner of BGI Ethiopia, the biggest brewery in the country, and Unibra announced that the Belgian firm would transfer its 58 percent share at Zebidar Brewery to the French company.
Zebidar was established 15 months ago with an investment of 1.2 billion birr and an initial capacity of producing 350,000 hectoliters per year. It featured a unique pull-off cap bottle.
According to a statement from Castel Group, Zebidar has now joined, effective March 28, Castle Group’s four other breweries in Ethiopia. This transfer will enable Zebidar to reinforce the presence of the Castel Group in Ethiopia and to consolidate its activities in the south and south west regions.
Currently GBI has diversified its breweries, including; south Ethiopia at Hawassa, 275km of south of Addis Ababa, in north Ethiopia at Kombolcha, 376km of Addis Ababa in Amhara region in addition to its factory in the heart of Addis Ababa city around Mexico Square.
Recently, BGI took complete ownership of Raya Brewery located at Maychew town, 667km north of Addis in Tigray region. Initially BGI was the major shareholder at Raya by taking 42 percent, while it has now taken the remaining 58 percent of the share by investing 2.5 billion birr.
In its statement the French beverage giant said “the Castel Group presence in Ethiopia for the last 20 years confirms its strategy to bring growth and to develop its activities in the country.”
It is not yet been disclosed whether Castel Group will negotiate with the remaining 1,100 Ethiopian shareholders that have a minor share in Zebidar.
Local elections postponed to next year.
Local elections postponed to next year.
Endalkachew Mekonnen’s Biography out on a CD
Tewodaj Media’s 8th edition of a published biography focuses on Endelkachew Mekonnen, who was Ethiopia’s Prime Minister under Emperor Haile Selassie. The CD that is out for sale currently focuses on the personal and professional life stories of Endelkachew Mekonnen who was a member of the aristocratic Addisge clan that were very influential in the later part of the Ethiopian monarchy.
The Oxford-educated Endelkachew served as Prime Minister from February 28 to July 22, 1974. During this period, the Imperial government was under assault by protesting students and striking workers who demanded investigation of corruption in the highest levels of government, reforms in land tenure, and political reforms.
Endalkachew Mekonnen attempted to address these demands by presenting reforms that began to change the very nature of the Ethiopian monarchy. The Emperor also agreed to some of these proposals, which included the drafting of a new constitution to replace the one adopted in 1955, and having the Prime Minister be responsible to the elected Lower House of Parliament rather than to the Emperor. “If this latter measure were to go into effect, it would result in a real diminution in the power and authority of the Crown”, remarked Edmund J. Keller.
All of these actions were made to restore order and help reestablish the legitimacy of the regime in the eyes of the general population. However, as Keller notes, this would have been difficult even in the best of times. Although he had support amongst the older, well-connected members of the military, younger radical elements in the armed forces began to work against him from the moment he took office.
Some believe this was Endelkachew’s motivation for seeking alliances with moderate military officers with bases of support, such as Alem Zewde Tessema, the commander of the paratrooper battalion, and who became chair of the Armed Forces Coordinated Committee (AFCC) on 23 March. Two days later, Alem Zewde ordered the arrest of 30 radical airmen at the Ethiopian Air Force base at Debre Zeyit.
On 30 April Endelkachew moved to placate his opponents on the left by authorizing the arrest of the former ministers—and his former colleagues—in the Aklilu government for corruption. Despite these efforts, radicalism grew unchecked both in civil society and in the military. Alem Zewde was tainted due to his support for Endelkachew and on 22 June lost control of his own battalion, and fled to Gojjam seeking refuge.
That same month, 12 or 16 members of the AFCC under the leadership of Colonel Atnafu Abate left that body and called for a meeting of representatives from all of the military units in Ethiopia at the headquarters of the Fourth Division, which was convened 28 June. This new committee became what was to be known as the Derg.
Note: In last week’s edition of CAPITAL, Arts and Culture section, we mistakenly published Mekonnen Endalkachew’s biography. We apologize for any confusion that might have been created.
