I Dream of Falafel

What I Dream of Falafel does

I Dream of Falafel (DBA IDOF) is a Chicago-based, privately held Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain operating four physical storefronts in Chicago — 1129 W. Taylor, 851 W. Belmont, 555 W. Monroe, and 600 E Grand Ave at Navy Pier — with menus centered on customizable falafel, shawarma, kebab, and gyro preparations. The company was founded in 2009 (per firmographic data) and was operationally active by 2012, when it received both Forbes "10 Great Restaurants You Haven't Heard Of" and Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers recognition, followed by a fifth store opening in Lakeview in 2013.

The product platform is dual-track: a "Create Your Own" (CYO) build-your-own meal offering at $10.25 (pita) and $12.25 (plate), and a "Chef Inspired Creations" signature menu. Catering is sold through tiered packages — Daydreamer ($145, serves 10-12), Falafelicious ($175, serves 12-14), Cloud 9 ($260, serves 15-20), and Dream ($375, serves 25-30) — plus a Genie in a Box delivery sub-brand with a $15 minimum delivery fee. The technology stack consists of a Wix-hosted marketing website and the Toast Tab third-party POS and online ordering platform; there is no proprietary AI, mobile app, or custom technology disclosed.

Commercially, IDOF generates revenue through dine-in and takeout food sales, transaction-fee-based online ordering via Toast, and corporate/social-event catering. The company markets organically through Facebook and Instagram, offers franchising (contact: Hassan Naseem, [email protected]), and serves three customer segments: health-conscious individual consumers, corporate clients, and social-event hosts. The company is founder-/closely-held with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or funding rounds.

Name

I Dream of Falafel

Legal name

I Dream of Falafel

Website

https://idreamoffalafel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

I Dream of Falafel is a privately held Chicago Mediterranean fast-casual chain operating four storefronts serving customizable falafel, shawarma, and kebab meals, plus catering and franchising, with point-of-sale handled via the Toast Tab platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast Casual Mediterranean Restaurant

NAICS

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

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Fast Casual (THAFABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual (THAFABAK)

Keywords

• Mediterranean fast casual
• Middle Eastern cuisine
• Vegetarian restaurant
• Falafel restaurant
• Catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food Sales: Dine-in and takeout sales at physical restaurant locations offering Mediterranean cuisine including falafel, shawarma, kebabs, and sides
2. Catering Services: Corporate and social event catering with pre-set packages ranging from $145-$375, serving 10-30 people
3. Online Ordering: Direct online ordering through Toast Tab platform for takeout and delivery

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

I Dream of Falafel operates a Chicago-based Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain selling customizable build-your-own meals and chef-inspired signature dishes featuring falafel, shawarma, kebabs, and gyros made with 100% organic chickpeas and no MSG or preservatives. The business generates revenue through dine-in, takeout, online ordering via Toast Tab, and tiered catering packages (Daydreamer, Falafelicious, Cloud 9, Dream) serving groups of 10–30 people.

Product overview

I Dream of Falafel is a Chicago-based Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain offering a dual-menu approach: the Create Your Own (CYO) platform allowing customers to build custom meals with their choice of base, protein, toppings, and sauce, and the Chef Inspired Creations menu featuring pre-crafted signature dishes. The portfolio extends to catering services through Genie in a Box with tiered packages (Daydreamer, Falafelicious, Cloud 9, Dream) serving groups of 10-30 people, plus supplementary extras and beverages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Create Your Own (CYO) A customizable Mediterranean build-your-own meal option where customers select their base (rice, couscous, salads), protein (falafel, chicken shawarma, chicken kebab, kefta kebab, gyro), toppings, and sauce. Pita priced at $10.25 and plate at $12.25.
• Chef Inspired Creations Pre-crafted signature Mediterranean dishes including Mediterranean Chicken Salad, All-In Platter, Falafelicious Wrap/Pita, Vegan Dream, IDOFRIES, Gyro Handheld, Kebab Plate, and Shawarmalicious Wrap, based on heritage recipes and time-tested preparation.
• Catering Packages Catering service for corporate and social events with four tiered packages: Daydreamer ($145, serves 10–12), Falafelicious ($175, serves 12–14), Cloud 9 ($260, serves 15–20), and Dream ($375, serves 25–30), each including proteins, sides, and sampler trays.
• Genie in a Box Catering delivery service with minimum $15 delivery fee and 3-hour cancellation notice requirement (50% fee otherwise).
• Extras and Sides Supplementary menu items including salads, pita chips, lentil soup, extra pita, dips, stuffed grape leaves, fries, baklava, and drinks, also available as combo meals.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Taza Mediterranean Kitchen: Fast-casual Mediterranean concept offering fresh, customizable bowls, pitas, and salads — comparable dual-menu approach with similar proteins and dietary accommodation messaging.
• Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh: Mediterranean fast-casual franchise concept centered on fresh, customizable Mediterranean items including falafel, shawarma, and hummus — directly competes for the same healthy-Med customer.
• Pita Mediterranean Street Food: Mediterranean fast-casual franchise chain with build-your-own bowls/pitas, catering, and a similar chef-crafted vs. CYO dual menu structure — closely comparable in format, scale, and franchise-led growth model.
• Naya Express: Mediterranean fast-casual chain serving customizable bowls, wraps, and salads with similar proteins and dietary positioning; competes for the same health-conscious Mediterranean lunch/dinner customer.
• CAVA Group: Largest U.S. Mediterranean fast-casual chain; same Create-Your-Own Mediterranean bowl/pita format, similar core menu (falafel, shawarma, kebabs), vegetarian/vegan positioning, and dine-in/takeout/catering model. The most directly comparable peer, operating at vastly larger scale.
• The Kebab Shop: Mediterranean/Middle Eastern fast-casual chain focused on kebabs, shawarma, and Mediterranean pitas with a similar core menu overlap (kebabs, falafel, Mediterranean proteins).
• Zoës Kitchen (CAVA-owned): Mediterranean fast-casual chain (now owned by CAVA) offering Mediterranean bowls, pitas, and kabobs with vegetarian/gluten-free friendly menus; directly comparable concept that scaled nationally before being acquired.
• Roti Modern Mediterranean: Mediterranean fast-casual concept serving customizable bowls, wraps, and salads with similar proteins (falafel, chicken shawarma, kebab); competes for the same health-conscious lunch occasion.

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: Large-scale health-forward fast casual specializing in customizable bowls and salads; broad incumbent in the healthy fast-casual space that IDOF competes with for health-conscious eaters.

Regional players

• Souvla: Greek-Mediterranean fast-casual concept in San Francisco, pitas, salads, and frozen Greek yogurt — comparable CYO/grab-and-go Mediterranean format but operates primarily on the West Coast.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IDreamofFalafel
• Instagraminstagram.com/idreamoffalafel
• Xx.com/idreamoffalafel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/i-dream-of-falafel

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 I Dream of Falafel