What Yafa Cafe does

Yafa Café Arabic Street Food Ltd. is a single-location, family-owned fast-casual restaurant in Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded in 2018 by co-owners Rana Abdulla and Sarah Abdulla. The restaurant operates from 1785 Portage Avenue in a renovated 1911 heritage building, serving authentic Palestinian and broader Arabic street food including hummus, shawarma, falafel, manakeesh baked in a stone oven, kabobs, knafeh, and baklava, alongside a coffee and specialty-drink program. The business employs approximately 6 people and uses a from-scratch preparation model with locally-sourced Manitoba halal meat, house-dried spices, and 25+ vegetarian sharing plates on the winter menu. There is no proprietary technology platform; the restaurant relies on a website, a third-party online ordering portal (tbdine.com), and standard social media for digital presence.

The revenue model is multi-stream: dine-in service (open 7 days/week, 11am–11pm with live Arabic music Friday and Saturday evenings), takeout, delivery through third-party aggregators (Skip the Dishes, DoorDash, Uber Eats), catering for corporate events, weddings, and graduations priced at $35 per person (with a 24-hour advance notice requirement), gift cards, and a small handmade embroidery product line sold online with in-store pickup. Customer segments include Winnipeg general consumers seeking Arabic cuisine, corporate and event planners, Arabic and multicultural community groups, and health-conscious diners with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free requirements. Catering operates on a per-person pricing model, dine-in on unit pricing, and a 10% daily senior discount is offered to customers aged 60+.

Distribution channels combine a single physical storefront, the cafe's own online ordering portal, three third-party delivery platforms, direct phone ordering, and a direct catering sales motion. The cafe is also heavily embedded in community programming — refugee sponsorship with the Mennonite Church, a Pay It Forward meal program, embroidery artisan partnerships with refugee and low-income women, and humanitarian fundraisers for the Lebanese Red Cross and UNRWA — which functions as a brand and customer-acquisition asset rather than a separate revenue line. The business is privately held with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no franchising or multi-unit footprint.

Name

Yafa Cafe

Legal name

Yafa Café Arabic Street Food Ltd.

Website

https://yafacafe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yafa Café is a family-owned, single-location Arabic street food restaurant and coffee shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded in 2018 by Rana and Sarah Abdulla. It serves authentic Palestinian homestyle cuisine, coffee, and catering to Winnipeg consumers, event planners, and multicultural community groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining / Arabic Street Food Restaurant

NAICS

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Dessert Cafes (Coffee + Desserts) (THAFADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty & Dietary Catering (Vegan, Kosher, Halal, Allergy-Friendly) (HSACAGAH)

Keywords

• Arabic street food
• Palestinian cuisine restaurant
• Fast casual dining
• Specialty coffee shop
• Event catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food and beverage sales (dine-in, takeout, delivery): The primary revenue stream is the sale of Arabic street food dishes, coffee, tea, and specialty drinks. Revenue is generated through dine-in service, walk-in takeout, and third-party delivery orders placed via Skip the Dishes, Door Dash, and Uber Eats. The restaurant also maintains its own online ordering portal for pickup.
2. Catering services: Yafa Cafe offers catering for special occasions including corporate events, graduations, weddings, birthday parties, and holiday gatherings. A minimum of 24 hours advance notice is required. Catering orders are priced per person (e.g., $35 per person for party events with live Arabic music), with special holiday catering menus available.
3. Gift cards: Yafa Cafe sells gift cards in various denominations, available for purchase in-store. Gift cards are marketed for occasions such as Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, and as year-end teacher gifts.
4. Handmade embroidery products: Yafa Cafe sells hand-embroidered crafts including jewelry, purses, cushion covers, and wall hangings, created by refugee and low-income artisans across Canada. Products are available for online purchase with in-store pickup and payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Yafa Cafe operates a single-location, family-run Arabic street food restaurant and coffee shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, serving from-scratch Palestinian homestyle cuisine (appetizers, wraps, kabobs, mains, desserts), specialty coffee and tea, and a weekend brunch buffet. The cafe also provides full-service catering for corporate and private events and sells handmade embroidery crafts produced by refugee and low-income artisans, with dine-in service, takeout, and third-party delivery (Skip the Dishes, Door Dash, Uber Eats).

Product overview

Yafa Cafe is a fast-casual Arabic street food restaurant and coffee shop operated by Rana and Sarah Abdulla in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The company operates as a single-location establishment offering a from-scratch approach to traditional Arabic fare that would normally only be available in Arabic homes. The core product is the restaurant itself, featuring Palestinian homestyle cuisine including appetizers (hummus, falafel), wraps (shawarma, msakhan), main dishes (kabobs, shish barak, bamya), and desserts (knafeh, baklava, basbousa). Complementing the food service is a coffee bar serving specialty drinks including lattes, chai karak, and honey cardamom latte. Additional offerings include catering services for events, a weekend brunch buffet, and handmade embroidery products sold both online and in-store. The restaurant sources ingredients locally, using Manitoba-sourced halal meat and in-house dried spices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arabic Street Food Restaurant Family-run Arabic street food restaurant in Winnipeg offering homestyle Palestinian cuisine including appetizers (hummus, falafel), wraps (shawarma, msakhan), main dishes (kabobs, shish barak, bamya), and desserts (knafeh, baklava, basbousa), with dine-in service and an immersive Arabic cultural atmosphere in a renovated 1911 heritage building.
• Coffee and Specialty Drinks Specialty coffee bar serving freshly roasted coffee (beans supplied by local roaster Headingley Roasters), specialty lattes such as the honey cardamom latte, chai karak, Turkish coffee, fresh mint tea, hot chocolates, and blended drinks.
• Weekend Brunch Buffet Weekend brunch buffet featuring traditional Arabic dishes including Tunisian Shakshuka, Lebanese Batinjen, vegan options, and gluten-free selections, served until 3pm on weekends.
• Catering Services Full-service catering for corporate events, graduations, weddings, birthday parties, and holiday celebrations, featuring Arabic cuisine with small plates, dips, grilled kabobs, and desserts. Party events with live Arabic music are priced at $35 per person and accommodate all dietary restrictions.
• Handmade Embroidery Products Hand-embroidered cultural products including jewelry, purses, cushion covers, and wall hangings, made by refugee and low-income artisans across Canada and available via online shopping with in-store pickup and payment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25 vegetarian sharing plates on the winter menu
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Uber Eats is a third-party food delivery partnership providing an additional delivery channel for Yafa Cafe. This partnership was established around 2020 as part of the restaurant's strategy to enhance delivery and pick-up services during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Alpha Technologies Inc.minorOthers · 1 January 2020Alpha Technologies Inc. is a neighboring business that captured security camera footage of patio thieves on video and posted it to YouTube, helping the community and Yafa Cafe recover stolen patio furniture and decor.
• Lebanese Red CrossminorOthers · 1 January 2020Following the devastating Beirut explosion in August 2020, Yafa Cafe launched a fundraiser donating 50% of one week's sales to the Lebanese Red Cross. The campaign raised $5,000 for relief efforts.
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)minorOthers · 1 January 2020Yafa Cafe launched a month-long fundraiser in November 2020 donating 10% of monthly sales to UNRWA, which provides assistance to Palestinian refugees. The campaign coincided with UN Solidarity with the Palestinian People Day.
• Mennonite ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Yafa Cafe partnered with the Mennonite Church to co-sponsor a refugee family (Maria and her family) for resettlement in Winnipeg. The partnership aimed to raise $12,800 to cover sponsorship costs including rent, food, clothing, medical aid, and living expenses for one year.
• Blady Middle Eastern FoodsminorOthers · 1 January 2019Blady Middle Eastern Foods, located at 1325 Portage Avenue near Yafa Cafe, stocks groceries from Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey, Syria, and other Middle Eastern countries. Yafa Cafe sourced products from Blady for its customer giveaway baskets.
• University of ManitobaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Yafa Cafe sponsored the 3rd annual Arab Cultural Exhibition at the University of Manitoba in March 2018, featuring food, dress, music, art, and cultural displays from multiple Arab countries.
• Skip the DishescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSkip the Dishes is a third-party food delivery platform providing delivery service for Yafa Cafe to customers throughout Winnipeg. Orders are placed through the Skip the Dishes app or website, with delivery handled by the platform's drivers.
• Door DashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoor Dash is a third-party food delivery platform enabling Yafa Cafe to reach customers who prefer delivery over dine-in or takeout. The partnership allows Yafa Cafe to expand its geographic reach across Winnipeg.
• Headingley RoastersminorOthersHeadingley Roasters is a local Winnipeg-area coffee roaster that supplies Yafa Cafe with freshly roasted coffee beans for its specialty coffee drinks.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tim Hortons: Tim Hortons is Canada's largest quick-service coffee and baked goods chain with widespread dine-in and drive-thru presence. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Yafa Cafe on the cafe-and-beverage retail experience in the Canadian market.
• A&W Canada: A&W Canada is one of Canada's largest quick-service restaurant chains with dine-in, takeout, and delivery across the country. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Yafa Cafe on the fast-casual service format and multi-channel distribution (dine-in, takeout, delivery aggregators).
• Second Cup: Second Cup is a Canadian specialty coffee chain offering espresso-based drinks and cafe food. It is comparable to Yafa Cafe on the specialty coffee and cafe retail format in Canada, though with a more standardized coffeehouse menu.
• Starbucks: Starbucks is a global coffeehouse chain with strong Canadian presence and a beverage-led menu including specialty lattes. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Yafa Cafe on specialty coffee drinks and cafe atmosphere, though with vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Pita Pit: Pita Pit is a Canadian fast-casual chain specializing in Mediterranean pitas, salads, and wraps. It is comparable to Yafa Cafe on quick-service Mediterranean/Middle Eastern flavor profile, dine-in plus delivery model, and Canadian market focus.
• Osmow's Shawarma: Osmow's Shawarma is Canada's largest Middle Eastern fast-casual chain, offering shawarma, wraps, and Mediterranean-inspired plates. It is directly comparable to Yafa Cafe as a Canadian Middle Eastern quick-service concept, though operating at significantly larger chain scale.
• Freshii: Freshii is a Canadian health-focused fast-casual chain emphasizing salads, wraps, bowls, and dietary-restricted options (vegan, gluten-free). It compares to Yafa Cafe on the health-conscious menu positioning and the broad vegetarian/vegan offering that drives traffic.
• Byblos Restaurant: Byblos is a Canadian Lebanese restaurant brand offering upscale traditional Lebanese cuisine and catering. It compares to Yafa Cafe on cuisine category (Levantine/Arabic), catering focus, and cultural brand positioning, though at a higher price tier.
• Mezza Lebanese Kitchen: Mezza Lebanese Kitchen is a Canadian Lebanese fast-casual concept serving traditional small plates, shawarma, and grilled meats. It overlaps with Yafa Cafe on Lebanese/Arabic menu, shareable small-plate format, and dine-in plus takeout service model.
• Paramount Fine Foods: Paramount Fine Foods is a Canadian Middle Eastern restaurant chain serving shawarma, hummus, and Lebanese-style plates with dine-in and catering services. It overlaps with Yafa Cafe on menu category, halal positioning, catering offerings, and Canadian market footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Yafa_Cafe
• Facebookfacebook.com/YafaCafeWpg
• Instagraminstagram.com/yafacafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yafa-cafe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Yafa Cafe