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How Amjad Barakat Built Brunch & Cake Into a Global Lifestyle Café Brand
In this episode of Restrocast, Amjad joins Ashish Tulsian to share how he went from reviving his family business in debt to launching Dubai’s favorite lifestyle café brand, Brunch & Cake, now spanning 28 stores across six countries. He discusses building through failures, mastering franchising, learning from Japan’s culture of perfection, and why wisdom, discipline, and the right team define lasting success.
Amjad Barakat
Co-founder & CEO, Brunch’n’Cake
Amjad Barakat is the Co-founder and CEO of Brunch’n’Cake, a globally loved lifestyle café brand with 28 stores across six countries. A serial entrepreneur, he has built ventures across fashion, real estate, hospitality, and modular construction. Known for his resilience and creativity, Amjad’s journey reflects relentless reinvention and a passion for turning ideas into thriving global brands.
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Amjad Barakat, CEO, Brunch & Cake. He went from being $3 million in debt at age 18 to building one of the region’s most popular café brands. He started by helping out in his family’s luxury fashion business on weekends, eventually saving it by the time he was 24. By 27, he had launched a real estate company and then moved to Dubai to explore new opportunities.
After gaining experience through consulting and partnerships in Saudi Arabia (including Shaziz), a failed food truck venture pushed him to start over again. This led to Bespoke Trailers and, during COVID, a bold move to acquire 51% of a modular construction company called BMS, which now has a large factory and around 500 employees.
The idea for Brunch & Cake came from a trip to Barcelona, where Amjad was inspired by the creative food presentation. A quick handshake deal with the founder brought the brand to Dubai, where it became an instant hit with long queues and fast table turnover. During COVID, Amjad took a big step and acquired the brand globally in 2021.
Today, Brunch & Cake has 28 stores open and 32 more signed. The brand runs on a strong franchise model with weekly mystery diners and a unique “Grandma Score” to measure quality. He’s also launched a new counter-service brand called Olas. Amjad talks about becoming more thoughtful and less emotional in business, the importance of adapting to local cultures, and how Japan taught him to “do it right the first time.”