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catchier and more suitable for franchising, complemented by a nice logo. Although the inaugural Tahini’ s started a bit slowly, it quickly gained traction and, within the first year, was almost doing the same numbers as my original store, which I interpreted as a positive sign. Following this success, I connected with many people who were interested in becoming franchisees. I found my first franchisee, secured a location for him, and by the time we opened in 2020, shortly after the pandemic, it was thriving. Fast forward to today: we opened about 26 venues in 2024, and we expect to achieve similar growth this year, bringing our total to 62 restaurants,” he elaborates.
Organic growth
During the early years of franchising Tahini’ s, Omar established his own food distribution company, Alex Food Service.“ Once I had
opened three stores, I recognized the need for a commissary to support them. The Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant sectors were underdeveloped in terms of supply chain infrastructure in Canada, prompting me to build a commissary that could serve not just Tahini’ s but also other Middle Eastern and independent restaurants. Indeed, because my first franchise was two hours away, I realized that delivering to just that one restaurant would not be financially viable. Instead, I focused on finding other restaurants in the same city and along the route to make the drive worthwhile. I began reaching out to potential clients for Alex Food Service, and within the first year, we were servicing about 20 restaurants in addition to the Tahini’ s locations. Our warehouse quickly filled up, we acquired two trucks, and soon enough, we needed to expand into another warehouse,” he explains.
Flavor fusion
Handling the supply and preparation of its food allows Tahini’ s to provide its customers with fresh, high-quality options. We learn more about Tahini’ s menu from Omar, who shares insights into his menu creation process.“ Our menu is truly unique. After visiting numerous Middle Eastern restaurants, I noticed that the industry is quite saturated, with many places offering similar shawarma options. This realization inspired me to carve out a different niche by embracing fusion cuisine within Middle Eastern food. For example, we offer a habanero chicken shawarma, a Jamaican jerk chicken shawarma bowl, as well as butter chicken shawarma bowls and wraps. We offer various fusions that are unique to us and completely outside the box, all while remaining delicious. I believe this creativity is what truly sets us apart.
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