REPOST: Latitude 360 Signs Franchising Agreement to Bring its "360 Experience" Restaurant Brand to Qatar and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

State-of-the-art restaurant Latitude 360 is going global. An accord with Al Sedriyah to expand the franchise into the Arab World has been inked. Potential locations include Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey. For more details about the agreement, read the press release below:

Image source: latitude360.com

NEW YORK, March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Latitude 360 (OTCQB:LATX) (http://latitude360.com) today announced that it has entered into a Franchise Agreement with Al Sedriyah, a restaurant and hospitality company based in Doha, Qatar. The deal enables Latitude 360, an upscale casual restaurant with a multi-dimensional entertainment platform to be able to expand its dynamic and unique Restaurant Brand into the Middle East. The initial agreement enables Al Sedriyah to franchise the Latitude 360 brand into the State of Qatar, which according to the World Bank is ranked as the highest GDP (PPP) per capita and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ranked by the World Bank as the 9th highest GDP (PPP) per capita. Al Sedriyah also retains first right of refusal into Egypt and Turkey for potential future locations. Latitude 360 plans to continue its Franchising into the Middle East, which has an approximate population of almost 300 million with certain expansion plans already in the pipeline in the United Arab Emirates in order to create the "360 Experience"™ for many cities and cultures around the globe.

Latitude 360's "360 Experience"™ provides a dining and entertainment experience unlike any concept done in the market. Key on premise offerings at each Latitude 360 location include but are not limited to:

• Latitude 360 Grill, a full service upscale casual restaurant and bar
• Latitude Live, a private live entertainment theatre
• Axis Bar & Stage for musicians and/or DJ's
• Luxury Bowling, a state of the art lounge for boutique bowling lanes
• Cinegrille, a full service dining movie experience
• Sports Theatre, for state-of-the art HD viewing with full service dining
• Latitude Lit, a luxury Cigar Lounge

The multi-dimensional concept and flexibility with the 360 Grille Menu allows Latitude 360 to create a unique, City or Regional customer experience. This is a significant advantage over other Brands.

Latitude 360 Founder and CEO Brent Brown commented on the agreement, "We are very excited to partner with Al Sedriyah. They have a great vision for the Middle East and how to maximize the Latitude 360 Brand by customizing the experience to give the customers what they desire in both dining and entertainment. This Franchising Agreement, coming at an early stage of our development here in the U.S, is a testament to the potential growth of the Brand and the dedication and vision of the entire Latitude Team."

Regarding the announcement, Al Sedriyah Managing Director Mark Boreham stated, "Latitude 360's restaurant and entertainment platform will be a huge success in the Middle East. We look forward to a long successful relationship and are excited to participate in the growth of this young concept." Mark Boreham, with a Michelin star and 5 star background from UK as a chef and GM, was brought into Al Sedriyah to develop and manage their new Food and Beverage Division. At Qatar Luxury Group he founded and operated The Anvil Room and La Varenne Restaurants while operating Guy Savoy's Doha, Qatar restaurant location.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Latitude 360 is the next evolution in dining and entertainment destinations. For bookings and reservations, click here.

Keeping them laughing and then some: The art of stand-up

As part of an art form intended primarily to make people laugh, stand-up comedy is peculiar in that it also brings awareness, and sometimes to an extent, pathos. But even then, stand-up comedy aims for a laugh.

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Stand-up comedy is very observational, with comedians getting their material from what's happening around them. Their stories can be about their personal experiences as "rednecks," like the ones Jeff Foxworthy and his cohorts in the Blue Collar Comedy Group tell, or "fish-out-of-water" whoppers like Russell Peters and Jo Koy, both children of immigrants, narrate. Jim Gaffigan, as another example, has made a career out of his insights on fatherhood and yes, Hot Pockets.

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Others, like George Carlin, Louis C.K., and Janeane Garofalo have used the stage to give their biting commentary on important issues like the sociopolitical state of the world. Topics like women's rights, race, world leaders, religion, fast food diets, and celebrities are fair game to comedians, who can come from either side of the coin.

Medical conditions have also been referenced by stand-up comedians. Maria Bamford, for instance, has talked about her bipolar disorder in a documentary series, while Tig Notaro notably spoke of her breast cancer and double mastectomy in a now-legendary set. These are difficult themes, for sure, but the shows have been critically-lauded and beloved by audiences.

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But stand-up comedy isn't always just a comedian standing onstage with a microphone. Some comics use props and music to enrich their acts like Steve Martin, who's been known to wear a fake arrow through the head and play the banjo. Demetri Martin gets musical too, with a harmonica and guitar combo at times, but he also switches it out with a giant notepad and pen to illustrate his off-kilter ideas.

The great thing about well-executed stand-up comedy is that audience will find something to relate to or think about, regardless if it's about "little world" or "big world" issues, to borrow George Carlin's categories, or even just about silly wordplay.  

Sample some of the funniest and freshest stand-up comedy acts around at Latitude 360's Latitude Live stage. Visit this website for show schedules and updates.