Al Farooj Fresh is an international chain of fast food restaurants based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).[1] Al Farooj Fresh was the first fast-casual restaurant chain in UAE that offered foods such as shawarma sandwiches and chicken meals.[2][clarification needed]

Al Farooj Fresh
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFast food
Founded1994; 30 years ago (1994)
HeadquartersUnited Arab Emirates
ParentAl Islami Foods

Al Farooj Fresh is a wholly owned subsidiary of Al Islami Foods, a company that provides halal food products, and has 18 branches worldwide including 14 in the UAE, 1 in Oman and 2 in Lebanon.[3]

History

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Al-Farooj Fresh was founded by a Lebanese family in 1994, with the first branch opening at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates that year. By 2006, the chain had expanded to a total of eight branches.[4]

On February 25, 2006, at the Gulfood Exhibition held at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, it was announced that Al Farooj was acquired by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders,[citation needed] an organisation launched in 2002 to encourage and facilitate the development of business and entrepreneurial activity among UAE nationals.[5] The Establishment worked jointly with Al Islami to introduce the concept to UAE entrepreneurs after final approval of Al Islami on the franchisee selection.[citation needed]

In February 2008, Al Islami acquired majority shares of the Al Farooj restaurant chain, relaunching the franchise later that month with plans to expand operations to serve the Middle Eastern market.[6] Coinciding with the relaunch of Al Farooj Fresh, Al Islami announced plans to unveil their hospitality arm, of which Al Farooj Fresh was a major part of the portfolio – along with Al Islami Cart, Al Islami Meat Shops and a number of food products.[7] The company's expansion continued into 2009, with Al Islami revealing that they would be expanding the Al Farooj chain to 17 branches with an investment of DHS 8 million (appx $2.2 million), providing them with 17 branches worldwide consisting of 14 in the UAE, 1 in Oman and 2 in Lebanon.,[3] and Kuwait.

References

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  1. ^ "Al Farooj Fresh". businessweek.com. Business Week. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  2. ^ Fenton, Suzanne (February 25, 2008). "New restaurant chain promotes halal fast-food". gulfnews.com. Gulf News. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Al Farooj Restaurant invests Dhs8 million into UAE expansion". albawaba.com. Al Bawaba. March 17, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "History and Expansion". alfarooj.com. Al Farooj. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  5. ^ "Mohammed Bin Rashid awards". smeawards.ae. SME Awards. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  6. ^ "What's new in your industry: Food, beverages and tobacco: UAE". Business Middle East. 16 (6): 7. March 16, 2008.
  7. ^ "Al Islami Foods set to unveil hospitality arm". khaleejtimes.com. Khaleej Times. February 23, 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
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