Tahini’s unique take on Middle Eastern cuisine leaves everyone wanting more
Beloved across Canada, Tahini’s prides itself on offering a combination of delicious, authentic and healthy Middle Eastern foods with fast, friendly and reliable customer service. Every dish and salad is prepared daily, using only the freshest ingredients to make every visit a memorable one. The owners of Tahini’s have worked day in and day out to provide the local population with the best food in London, Canada, and their hard work has paid off. After winning first place for Middle Eastern restaurants in London on Trip Advisor, Tahini’s started the Tahini’s Franchising Corporation to be closer to customers all over the world. Chief Executive Officer Omar Hamam retraces the company’s evolution from a single venue into a national franchise.
“In 2011, I bought my first Middle Eastern restaurant, where we mainly sold shawarmas, kebabs, and similar offerings. For around seven years, I was the owner and
operator of that business, which was very successful with lines out the door almost all day. People always asked me about franchising, and I began to see it as a viable idea. To learn more about franchising, I read ‘Grinding It Out’ by Ray Kroc, a book about how he franchised McDonald’s. Inspired by his story, I realized franchising was something I could pursue. After researching what I needed to do to start, I began developing a franchise agreement and an operations manual.
“Recognizing that I would need a few stores to prove that my concept worked, I opened another restaurant in 2018, which I named Tahini’s. My original restaurant had a different name, but I wanted something 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
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.
“My passion for food is what drove me to experiment and discover these innovative menu options. Canada is an incredibly diverse country, filled with people from all over the globe. As a foodie myself, I love dining out as it is when I am eating at different restaurants that menu ideas come into my mind. Take the butter chicken shawarma for example. I am a huge fan of butter chicken, and I thought that infusing butter chicken flavors with chicken shawarma could be very tasty, leading to the creation of one of our most beloved dishes.
Likewise, after spending a week in Jamaica and falling in love with the local jerk chicken, I came back to Canada and imagined a fusion with our chicken shawarma. That idea turned out to be a hit as well. Two months ago, we launched a Korean BBQ chicken shawarma, and we will be introducing another exciting fusion soon. Unfortunately, I can’t reveal what it is just yet, as we have noticed that many restaurants have started to copy our concepts,” Omar highlights.
The future looks promising for Tahini’s, as the company prepares for exciting expansion opportunities in the US. “Three stores are underway in the US: the first store has recently opened outside Chicago, the second will be in New Jersey, and the last in Alabama. We were fortunate to attract franchisees in these regions, as they are great markets in which to open stores, and we will see where they take us. Expanding into the US has always been my dream, because if we succeed in such a vast market, we can thrive anywhere,” Omar ends.