What Al Tazaj does

Al Tazaj is a privately held Saudi Arabian restaurant chain founded in 1989 by Sheik Abdulrahman Fakieh in Makkah Al-Mukarramah. The chain specializes in charcoal-grilled chicken (farouj al-Tazaj / فروج الطازج), sourcing 21-23 day old fresh chicks from Fagikh Poultry Farms and marinating them with a disclosed blend of garlic, tomato, lemon, ginger, and spices before grilling on charcoal. The company positions itself around natural ingredients and an openly disclosed recipe — explicitly stating it has no "secret sauce" — and has grown from a single Makkah location to over 100 (some sources cite 130+) restaurants across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East, with headquarters in Jeddah and 1,001-5,000 employees.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer restaurant model with revenue generated through dine-in, takeaway, and delivery orders. Geographic coverage spans major Saudi cities including Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Taif, Yanbu, the Eastern Province (Dammam, Al-Jubail, Al-Khobar, Qatif, Hufuf), the Northern Region (Tabuk, Hail, Buraydah) and the Southern Region (Abha, Jazan, Najran, Baha). Technology infrastructure is minimal: a standard Shopify-hosted e-commerce website (www.taza.com.sa / altazaj.sa), a company-operated mobile app on iOS and Android, and integration with the third-party delivery platform OrderNosh. The company has no disclosed proprietary technology platform, no patents, no public funding history, and no external investors — appearing to be founder/family-owned.

Pricing is not publicly disclosed; menu-level pricing is not visible in the available source material. The customer base is broadly individual consumers (families and individuals) seeking fresh, naturally prepared grilled chicken in Saudi Arabia — a horizontal consumer segment with no enterprise or B2B customers identified. Strategic posture is that of a multi-decade regional QSR brand relying on physical distribution density, supply chain control via Fagikh, and brand recognition rather than digital differentiation.

Name

Al Tazaj

Legal name

Al Tazaj

Website

https://taza.com.sa

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Al Tazaj is a Saudi-founded QSR chain (est. 1989) operating 100+ charcoal-grilled chicken restaurants across Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, serving individual consumers through dine-in, takeaway, mobile app, and delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quick-Service Restaurants

akta.pro primary industry

Chicken Concepts (Fried/Grilled/Hot Chicken) (THAFABAI)

Keywords

• Grilled chicken restaurants
• Charcoal grilled chicken
• Quick service restaurants
• Restaurant dining services
• Food delivery services

Headquarters

HQ city

Jeddah

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining and Takeaway Sales: Al Tazaj generates revenue through the sale of grilled chicken meals and complementary food items at their restaurant locations. The restaurants serve fresh chicken marinated with natural ingredients (garlic, tomato, lemon, ginger, spices) grilled on charcoal, along with various sauces and appetizers. Revenue is earned through dine-in, takeaway, and delivery orders placed via the mobile app or third-party ordering platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Al Tazaj operates a chain of quick-service restaurants specializing in charcoal-grilled chicken. The core product is fresh young chicken (21–23 days old) sourced from Fagikh poultry farms, marinated with a natural blend of garlic, tomato, lemon, ginger, and spices, and grilled on charcoal. The chain sells dine-in meals, takeaway, and delivery orders of grilled chicken with complementary sauces and appetizers across 100+ branches in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

Product overview

Al Tazaj is a Saudi restaurant chain specializing in fresh charcoal-grilled chicken (froj). The core product is Tazaj Chicken — fresh young chicken marinated with natural spices and grilled on charcoal. The company operates over 100 restaurants across Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, with online ordering via website and mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tazaj Chicken (فروج الطازج) Fresh young chicken (21–23 days old) sourced from Fagikh poultry farms, marinated with a natural blend of garlic, tomato, lemon, ginger, and spices, and charcoal-grilled; sold across dine-in, takeaway, and delivery channels to consumers in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fagikh Poultry FarmscoreOthersAl Tazaj sources its chicken from Fagikh poultry farms. The company uses 21-23 day old fresh chicks from these farms, which are then marinated with natural ingredients and grilled on charcoal.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Al Baik: Al Baik is Saudi Arabia's most iconic chicken QSR chain, best known for its broasted chicken. It directly competes with Al Tazaj in the Saudi grilled/fried chicken segment and serves the same mass-market consumer base with comparable dine-in and takeaway formats.
• Herfy Food Services: Herfy is a major Saudi QSR and processed-food company with hundreds of restaurants across Saudi Arabia. It is a direct peer because it competes head-to-head with Al Tazaj in the fast-food/chicken segment and operates comparable dine-in and drive-thru formats.
• Kudu (Saudi Arabia): Kudu is a Saudi fast-food chain with widespread locations selling chicken sandwiches, burgers, and meals. It is a direct regional competitor to Al Tazaj in the dine-in/takeaway Saudi fast-food segment, often co-located in similar trade areas.

Broad incumbents

• KFC (Yum! Brands): KFC is a global chicken QSR leader with a strong Saudi Arabia presence operated through franchisees. It competes with Al Tazaj in the same product category and customer segment but on a vastly larger scale with established digital loyalty and supply chains.
• Popeyes (Restaurant Brands International): Popeyes is a global chicken QSR chain that competes with Al Tazaj around fried chicken sandwiches and bone-in chicken meals. It is a broader incumbent expanding aggressively in the Middle East with strong delivery and digital infrastructure.
• McDonald's Saudi Arabia (Riyadh International Catering Corp.): McDonald's is a global QSR incumbent with deep Saudi market penetration and a broad menu that competes for category share with Al Tazaj on family dining occasions. While not chicken-only, it competes for the same family/fried-chicken meal occasions in the same geographies.

Others

• Al Tazaj Fagikh (Fagikh Poultry / Fakieh Poultry): Fagikh Poultry Farms is the vertically integrated supplier of fresh chicken to Al Tazaj. It is comparable as a strategic supply-chain partner and sibling entity under the founder's family, providing the differentiated fresh-chicken input that anchors Al Tazaj's value proposition.
• Chick-fil-A: Chick-fil-A is a US-based chicken-focused QSR leader known for its grilled and breaded chicken sandwiches and strong brand loyalty. While geographically absent in Saudi Arabia, it is thematically comparable to Al Tazaj as a chicken-centric brand differentiating on quality and service.

Emerging players

• Nando's: Nando's is a peri-peri grilled chicken concept with a growing Middle East footprint. It is comparable to Al Tazaj as a charcoal/grilled chicken-focused casual brand selling flame-grilled meals with proprietary marinades, though it operates in a slightly more premium positioning.

Regional players

• Hardee's (Saudi Arabia): Hardee's operates a franchise network in Saudi Arabia serving burgers and chicken meals. It is a regional peer competing for the same family fast-food occasions as Al Tazaj, with a similar dine-in and drive-thru footprint in Saudi cities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Altazaj_Fakieh
• Facebookfacebook.com/altazaj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/altazaj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Al Tazaj