Zooba Eats Inc.

What Zooba Eats Inc. does

Zooba Eats Inc. is a Cairo-headquartered fast-casual restaurant operator founded in March 2012 by Chris Khalifa, focused on authentic Egyptian street food with modernized presentations. Its core product is the dine-in restaurant experience built around signature dishes including award-winning Taameya (fava bean falafel), Hawawshi burger, Koshari, and 12-spice dukka fries, prepared fresh from locally sourced ingredients without additives or preservatives. The menu is approximately half vegan and is led culinarily by Chef Moustafa, who has been with the brand for 13 years and holds multiple industry recognitions including the Estrella Damm Chef's Choice Awards (2023). Core technology is not publicly disclosed; the company's primary digital surface is a marketing/brand website plus integrations with eight regional food delivery aggregators (Talabat, InstaShop, Mrsool, Botit, El Menus, Hunger Station, JAHEZ, TO YOU) that provide last-mile delivery in each operating market. There is no proprietary mobile app, no API surface, and no disclosed data or AI assets.

Zooba makes money through three streams: (1) direct restaurant food sales from owned and operated physical locations, (2) per-order commissions via third-party delivery platforms, and (3) franchise/license fees from an international franchise program designed to extend the brand into new cities and countries. The company reports 501-1,000 employees and operates across three continents: Egypt (Cairo, Giza at the Grand Egyptian Museum), the Gulf (Riyadh, Kuwait City, Manama), and the United States (Manhattan, opened 2019 at 100 Kenmare Street). Customer segments are mass-market general consumers and international food enthusiasts, with franchisees as a secondary business-to-business segment. The company has raised $4M in disclosed equity funding (December 2018, Series 2) and is privately held with no disclosed VC or PE sponsor beyond that round.

Name

Zooba Eats Inc.

Legal name

Zooba Eats Inc.

Website

https://zoobaeats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Zooba Eats Inc. is a Cairo-founded fast-casual restaurant chain (est. 2012) serving authentic Egyptian street food across owned locations in Egypt, the Gulf, and New York City, with revenue from dine-in sales, third-party delivery platforms, and an international franchise program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo

HQ country

Egypt

HQ region

Africa

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food Sales: Direct food sales from physical restaurant locations across Egypt, KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain, and NYC
2. Franchise Fees: Zooba offers franchise opportunities for expanding into new markets and cities, with contact options available for franchise inquiries
3. Delivery Platform Commissions: Orders placed through third-party delivery platforms including Talabat, InstaShop, Mrsool, Botit, El Menus, Hunger Station, JAHEZ, and TO YOU

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zooba Eats Inc. operates a fast-casual Egyptian street food restaurant brand serving signature dishes such as Taameya (fava bean falafel), Hawawshi burger, Koshari, and 12-spice dukka fries, prepared fresh with locally sourced ingredients and no additives or preservatives. The company runs physical restaurants across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and New York City, distributes through third-party delivery aggregators, sells branded merchandise via Zooba Wares, and licenses its concept internationally through a franchise program.

Product overview

Zooba Eats Inc. is an Egyptian street food restaurant brand offering a unified dining experience centered on authentic Egyptian cuisine. The core product is the restaurant itself, serving signature dishes including award-winning Taameya (fava bean falafel), Hawawshi burger in homemade Baladi bread, Koshari (Egypt's national dish), and 12-spice dukka fries. The menu is authentically Egyptian while being 'Zoobafied' with modern creative touches, prepared fresh with locally-sourced ingredients. The brand also includes a merchandise line called Zooba Wares (sold at zoobawares.com) and an international franchise program for expansion. Zooba operates across Egypt, New York City, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain through both owned locations and delivery platform partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zooba Restaurant (Egyptian street food dining) Fast-casual Egyptian street food restaurant serving authentic dishes (Taameya, Hawawshi, Koshari, dukka fries) with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and no additives or preservatives. For urban diners across Egypt, KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain, and NYC.
• Taameya (Egyptian Fava Bean Falafel) Signature Egyptian-style fava bean falafel, distinguished from the chickpea falafel common elsewhere. Considered a hallmark dish of the brand and winner of the 2016 Best Falafel title.
• Hawawshi Burger Hot-pressed meat sandwich served in homemade Baladi bread — a modern Zooba interpretation of traditional Egyptian street food.
• Koshari Egypt's national dish featuring rice, lentils, pasta, and tomato sauce, prepared fresh with Zooba's signature approach.
• 12 Spice Dukka Fries Signature fries seasoned with a proprietary 12-spice dukka blend, originating from the Zamalek location and central to the brand's identity.
• Zooba Wares (branded merchandise) Branded merchandise line featuring Zooba products, including upcycled blue doors from Cairo locations shipped internationally to represent the brand's fresh-out-of-Cairo identity.
• Zooba Franchise Program International franchise opportunity that allows operators in new cities and countries to license the Zooba brand, recipes, and operating model. Franchise inquiries are directed through a contact form on the Zooba website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won Best Falafel trophy at London's first Falafel Festival in 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Wagamama: Wagamama is a pan-Asian fast-casual chain with strong international presence across multiple continents. Directly comparable to Zooba as an ethnic-cuisine brand that modernized traditional street food for casual dining at global scale.
• Nando's: Nando's is a Portuguese/Mozambican peri-peri chicken chain with extensive international footprint and franchise-heavy model. Comparable to Zooba as an ethnic-cuisine brand that built a strong global identity and scaled internationally from a regional base.
• CAVA: CAVA is a Mediterranean fast-casual chain with rapid multi-unit expansion and growing omnichannel delivery presence. Highly comparable to Zooba in concept: ethnic fast-casual cuisine with strong brand identity, fresh ingredient positioning, and aggressive unit growth.
• The Halal Guys: The Halal Guys is an American halal street food chain that scaled from a NYC food cart to international brick-and-mortar. Comparable to Zooba as a street-food-heritage ethnic cuisine brand with Egyptian/Middle Eastern culinary roots and NYC expansion as proof point.

Regional players

• Americana Group: Americana Group is one of the largest MENA food operators, running KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, and other franchises across the region. Directly comparable as a multi-country MENA restaurant operator with overlapping geographic footprint to Zooba.
• Al Tazaj: Al Tazaj is a Saudi Arabian grilled chicken chain with a regional MENA footprint. Comparable as a MENA-headquartered ethnic-cuisine restaurant brand that scaled within the region, providing a regional benchmark for unit economics and brand building.
• Alamar Foods: Alamar Foods is the master franchisee for Domino's Pizza across multiple MENA markets. Comparable as a MENA-based multi-country restaurant operator with an asset-light franchise-led growth model that Zooba is also pursuing.

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen is a US fast-casual chain with strong digital and delivery integration and brand-led growth. Comparable to Zooba as a benchmark for fast-casual unit economics, delivery platform strategy, and digitally-driven customer acquisition.
• Panera Bread: Panera Bread is a US fast-casual chain built around fresh, clean-ingredient positioning with strong bakery/café elements. Comparable to Zooba as a benchmark fast-casual operator with overlapping 'no additives' and 'fresh ingredient' value propositions.
• Jollibee: Jollibee is a Filipino fast-food chain with significant international presence across MENA, US, and Asia. Comparable as a broader incumbent that successfully exported regional ethnic cuisine to global markets, providing a benchmark for international expansion economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ZoobaEats
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zooba
• Instagraminstagram.com/zooba
• Xx.com/ZoobaEats

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zooba Eats Inc.