Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe

What Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe does

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe is a privately held fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 1997 by Keith and Amy Richards in Birmingham, Alabama, after the founders were inspired by small-table Mediterranean cafes during a trip to Greece. The company serves health-conscious consumers seeking freshly prepared Mediterranean cuisine across dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering, and gift card channels, with a primary customer base of individual consumers and secondary segments in corporate and social event catering plus franchise ownership. Operations span the southeastern United States with active expansion into Colorado, Texas, South Carolina, and Virginia, supported by a mix of company-owned and franchise locations (the company has been ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 in 2024 and 2025 and Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers in 2024 and 2025).

The core product is a made-to-order Mediterranean menu featuring fire-grilled proteins (chicken, beef, lamb, salmon, shrimp, falafel, Turkish meatballs) served via gyros and pita sandwiches, customizable Kýpelos bowls (rice, pasta, or quinoa bases), build-your-own Feasts, salads and soups, family feasts, and a kids menu (Kid'Zikis), complemented by homemade dips, sides, and desserts. The technology stack is built around Square for point-of-sale, gift cards, and the Taziki's Rewards loyalty program (1 star per $6 spent, 25 stars redeemable for $10 off), a proprietary mobile app on iOS and Android for ordering and rewards, an internal QUEST training platform for team development, and the Ovation guest satisfaction platform for feedback tracking.

The business model is fundamentally transaction-based restaurant sales augmented by catering (minimum 10 guests, with a 2% cash-back Catering Rewards program), gift cards sold through Square, and franchise royalties from the multi-state franchise system. Go-to-market relies on a direct-to-consumer mix of dine-in, mobile app and website ordering, third-party delivery, and a dedicated franchise acquisition motion, supported by email, SMS, organic social, PR, and community event sponsorships (e.g., TIRRC's InterNASHional Night Market) plus a partnership with The Giving Kitchen.

Name

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe

Legal name

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe

Website

https://tazikis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe is a privately held fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 1997 in Birmingham, Alabama, serving made-to-order Mediterranean cuisine (gyros, bowls, salads, feasts) via company-owned and franchise locations across the southeastern US with active expansion into Colorado, Texas, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-Casual Mediterranean Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (72232)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Fast Casual (THAFABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regional/Ethnic Specialty Fast Casual (e.g., Indian, Caribbean, African, Eastern European) (THAFABAM), Specialty & Dietary Catering (Halal, Kosher, Vegan, Allergen-Free, Medical) (THAHAKAK)

Keywords

• Fast casual dining
• Mediterranean restaurant
• Event catering services
• Restaurant franchise
• Healthy quick service

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in and Takeout Restaurant Sales: Core revenue from food and beverage sales at restaurant locations for dine-in and takeout orders. Customers order through in-store POS (Square), website, or mobile app.
2. Catering Services: Catering orders for events including boxed lunches, buffets, party dips, and beverages. Minimum 10 guests required. Orders placed online or through call centers. Catering Rewards program offers 2% cash back.
3. Gift Card Sales: Digital and physical gift cards sold through Square gift card platform and in-restaurant. Gift cards do not earn rewards points.
4. Loyalty Program: Stars earned on purchases through app/website (excluding tax, fees, gift cards, and 3rd party delivery). 25 stars = $10 reward. Stars and rewards expire 12 months after earned.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe is a fast-casual restaurant chain that prepares made-from-scratch Mediterranean meals daily, featuring fire-grilled proteins (chicken, beef, lamb, salmon, shrimp, falafel, Turkish meatballs) served in customizable Kýpelos bowls, salads, gyros, pitas, Family Feasts, Homemade Dips, and Sides & Sweets. The company sells directly to consumers through dine-in, takeout, delivery, online/app ordering, catering for events of 10+ guests, and gift cards, and grows its footprint through franchise partnerships.

Product overview

Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe is a fast-casual restaurant chain offering Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. The core offering is made-from-scratch food prepared daily, featuring proteins (grilled chicken, beef, lamb, salmon, shrimp, falafel, Turkish meatballs) served with rice, quinoa, or pasta bowls (Kýpelos), salads, gyros, and pita sandwiches. The product portfolio includes a full dine-in menu of Homemade Dips, Salads & Soups, Feasts, Kýpelos Bowls, Gyros & Pitas, Family Feasts, Kid'Zikis meals, and Sides & Sweets. Supporting services include a Mobile App for online ordering, Taziki's Rewards loyalty program (powered by Square), Catering Services for events of 10+ guests, and Gift Cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catering Services Full-service Mediterranean catering for events of 10+ guests, including buffet packages, boxed lunches, party dips, beverages, and desserts. Orders placed online or through call centers, available at locations open 1+ year, with the Catering Rewards program offering 2% cash back on direct orders.
• Gift Cards Digital and physical Taziki's gift cards sold through the Square gift card platform and in-restaurant, available for any occasion.
• Taziki's Mobile App iOS and Android mobile application for online ordering, rewards tracking, and account management. Available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
• Taziki's Rewards Loyalty Program Star-based customer loyalty program powered by Square. Earn 1 star per $6 spent; 25 stars redeemable for $10 off the next order. Works seamlessly in the Taziki's app and through Square register in-store. Stars and rewards expire 12 months after earned.
• Taziki's Franchise Program Franchise opportunity enabling entrepreneurs and investors to own and operate Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe restaurant locations under the established brand, with company-provided training, operations support, real estate/site selection assistance, and brand standards. Recognized in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 (2024, 2025) and the Franchise Business Review Top Franchises Satisfaction Award (2024).
• Taziki's Mediterranean Restaurant Menu (Dine-In, Takeout, Delivery) Full Mediterranean menu featuring Homemade Dips (Hummus, Taziki Dip, Spicy Harissa Hummus, Whipped Feta, Falafel), Salads & Soups (Greek Salad, Mediterranean Salad, Caesar, Greek Lemon Chicken Soup), Kýpelos Bowls (Rice, Pasta, Quinoa with grilled proteins), Gyros & Pitas (Grilled Chicken, Beef, Street, Lamb, Falafel Gyros, Chicken Basil-Pesto Pita), Feasts, Family Feasts (serving 4 or 6), Kid'Zikis kids menu, and Sides & Sweets including Baklava.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mediterranean Diet ranked #1 Best Diet Overall by U.S. News & World Report

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationTaziki's has partnered with Square to power their rewards program, enabling seamless loyalty integration both in the Taziki's app and through Square registers in restaurants. Square also processes gift card transactions.
• The Giving KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaziki's partners with The Giving Kitchen, a food service community organization that provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and community resources.
• TIRRC (Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTaziki's sponsored TIRRC's InterNASHional Night Market, a community event celebrating diverse cultures in the Nashville area. CEO Dan Simpson and team members attended to represent the brand.
• Hellas BakerycoreOthersTrusted ingredient partner providing authentic Mediterranean baked goods. One of Taziki's long-standing domestic suppliers.
• Mediterranean Bread CompanycoreOthersTrusted bread supplier providing authentic Mediterranean breads since 1984.
• Grecian DelightcoreOthersNational partner providing Greek food products and ingredients to Taziki's locations.
• Kalimera ImportscoreOthersInternational ingredient importer supplying authentic Mediterranean products to Taziki's.
• Xion Greek Sea SaltminorOthersInternational supplier of Greek sea salt, one of the quality imported ingredients sourced from Greece.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CAVA Group: CAVA is the largest U.S. Mediterranean fast-casual chain (>300 locations, public NYSE: CAVA). It directly competes with Taziki's on Mediterranean bowls, pitas, and dine-in/takeout/delivery model, and serves as the benchmark for the category Taziki's is competing in.
• Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh: Garbanzo is a U.S. Mediterranean fast-casual chain offering fresh, made-to-order bowls, pitas, and salads. It overlaps with Taziki's on core menu architecture, target customer (health-conscious diners), and franchise growth model.
• Naya Mediterranean: Naya Mediterranean is a fast-casual concept serving build-your-own Mediterranean bowls, pitas, and salads. It competes with Taziki's in similar U.S. markets with the same counter-service, customizable, made-to-order positioning.
• Pita Mediterranean Street Food: Pita Mediterranean Street Food is a fast-casual chain offering customizable Mediterranean bowls, pitas, and salads with a strong franchise program. It competes directly with Taziki's for franchisees, real estate, and the same health-conscious lunch/dinner customer.
• Zoës Kitchen: Zoës Kitchen (acquired by CAVA in 2018, with most locations converted to CAVA) was a foundational Mediterranean fast-casual peer to Taziki's. It is included as a historical direct comparable for menu, price point, and customer base.

Emerging players

• Eat Greek Kouzina: Eat Greek Kouzina is a smaller fast-casual Greek concept offering build-your-own bowls and pitas. It targets a similar customer segment as Taziki's and is relevant as an emerging competitor in the Greek/Mediterranean sub-segment.
• Bartaco: Bartaco is an upscale fast-casual Mexican/inspired street-food concept with a similar coastal-community, patio-driven brand identity. While cuisine differs, it competes with Taziki's in the same 'elevated fast-casual experiential' positioning and demographic.
• Mediterranean Snack Bar: Mediterranean Snack Bar is a smaller, franchise-oriented Mediterranean fast-casual concept. It is an emerging competitor in the same niche, competing for the same franchisee pool and target consumer that Taziki's targets in non-coastal U.S. markets.

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen is a publicly traded healthy fast-casual salad/bowl chain. While not Mediterranean, it competes with Taziki's for the same health-conscious, mobile-ordering, loyalty-program-engaged urban/suburban lunch customer and price point.
• Qdoba Mexican Eats: Qdoba is a national fast-casual chain (PE-owned by Apollo) competing with Taziki's for the customizable, made-to-order lunch customer. It is a broad incumbent in the same fast-casual category and overlapping real estate pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Tazikis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe