Dubai, September 14, 2010: Cravia the parent company of Cinnabon, Seattle's Best Coffee, Zaatar W Zeit and Roadster diner franchises - has encouraged staff to embrace differentiation and recognition at its annual Walid Hajj Awards ceremony at the Grand Hyatt, Dubai.

The elaborate awards ceremony - which saw 500 Cravia employees from the company's various restaurants attending - took place recently and recognised employee contributions, loyalty and service.

Speaking about the event, Cravia's General Manager, Louay Ghandour said: "At Cravia we encourage our employees to be different and we recognise and reward them for having the courage to step out of the box. Recognition and differentiation are two of the most vital aspects of Cravia's culture and we believe that by awarding our employees for their valuable contributions, we are fostering all of our future successes."

Ghandour added: "A company is nothing without those who work there and we are fortunate to have very talented and dedicated people working for Cravia. We saw a good increase in sales and growth during 2010 and look forward to taking both the company and its employees to new heights in 2011."

The event saw 60 employees being awarded the 'Five Years of Service Award', and senior PRO of Cravia, Mr. Mustafa Sunjaq being honoured with the  'Employee of the Year Award'.

-Ends-

About Cravia
Cravia is the parent company of much loved franchises: Cinnabon, Seattle's Best Coffee, Zaatar W Zeit and Roadster diner. Cravia is a name to be associated with good food and experiences.

After continued growth in popularity and locations, Cravia's future continues to look bright, with ambitions that could see the company being made public or even aligning with a strategic partner.

Cravia is a wholly owned subsidiary of the leading Saudi based United Group (UG), founded in 1972 by Khalid Y. Hajj. Taking Mr. Hajj's vision further, his son, Walid Hajj, took over the reins in 2000 implementing an aggressive plan of quality and expansion, which has seen the number of stores increase rapidly. His experience at Procter & Gamble and management skills honed at Harvard University have turned Cravia into one of the most successful and fastest growing companies in the region. Cravia is formally known as United Restaurant Development "URD".

For more information please contact:
Khalil Majdalawi
Cicero & Bernay Public Relations                              
Tel: +971 4 334 2966
Fax: +971 4 334 2977
Mobile: +971 50 7322410
Email: khalil@cbpr.ae
Web: www.cbpr.ae

© Press Release 2010