Midlevel U.S. Chains Move Into Fast-Food Hungry Gulf - NYTimes.com

After twelve years of running two small, organic tea shops in the New York borough of Brooklyn, Jonathan Spiel had to close one down when his landlord increased the rent in 2009. Facing that setback, Mr. Spiel decided to look into selling Tea Lounge franchises to expand into new markets and keep his business going.

The Tea Lounge’s first franchise opened this year, in Kuwait.

“When I and my family and friends first heard ‘Kuwait,’ it seemed a little out of the blue,” Mr. Spiel, the Tea Lounge’s founder, said.

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