Bedaya Hosts “Start-up Show and Tell” for Cafés and Restaurants

Many local entrepreneurs are taking a dive into the Food and Beverage Industry, and as with any business venture, it helps to take guidance from experienced entrepreneurs before going forward with your F&B business idea.
During this month’s “Start-up Show and Tell” networking event, we invited a selection of the most successful Qatari restaurateurs and franchisees to share their experiences and industry knowledge with our attendees— our guest speakers included Mr. Mohamed Abdulmalik, Owner of local restaurant Hala Yummah, Ms. Meaad Al-Emadi, Owner of The Breakfast Club franchise, and last but not least, the talented “We” restaurant team were also present to offer their two cents!
During Mr. Abdulmalik’s presentation, he mentioned that before starting his business, he had heard of an intimidating statistic which states that the average lifespan of a restaurant or café business in Qatar is around 18 months. Using this information, Mr. Abdulmalik worked diligently to define his restaurant’s differentiative factor to avoid closing and to curb disinterest— as he also advised our attendees to do the same. He also advised that aspiring restaurateurs should get into collaborative networking, co-branding and to “always change it up”!
Ms. Al-Amadi, on her part, stressed that for those who want to open a franchise business, they need to choose a “strong” brand which suits the demands of the local market. Also, aspiring franchisees need to be aware of the Royalty Fee— a fee paid on a regular basis, usually a percentage of sales; sometimes it’s a flat fee. Ms. Al-Amadi advised to negotiate for a royalty fee based on percentage of sales to avoid losing money.
And finally, the “We” team discussed the basic outlines of a successful restaurant. Two of these points being that your business needs to have a clear identity, and that simplicity beats complexity. The “We” team also advised not to “think about quick profit” when it comes to this business, and enjoy the journey instead!
We thank our speakers for taking the time out to share their valuable experiences with the Bedaya community – you left us with much to digest!