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The Restrocast Library
Founders, CEOs, and operators from leading restaurant brands share candid conversations on the decisions, trade-offs, and discipline required to scale.
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Luma Makhlouf
Co-Founder, HL Food
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian speaks with Luma Makhlouf about her journey from tech startups to founding HL Food in Dubai, building Maiz, Good Burger, Luma's Cakes, and more. They discuss bootstrapping, business karma, the discipline of consistency, catering as a growth engine, and why drowning out the noise is the most underrated skill in F&B.
Katerina Borodich
CEO, DrinkIt
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian speaks with Katerina Borodich, CEO of DrinkIt, about launching a fully digitalized specialty coffee chain in the UAE from scratch, navigating a hyper-competitive market, and why 97% of her customers order without ever speaking to a barista. They discuss consumer research, franchise growth, the journey from electrical engineering to F&B, and the discipline behind building a brand people trust.
Mona Al Sayah
CEO & Co-Founder, Hostmind
In this episode, Mona Al Sayah, CEO and co-founder of HostMind, shares her journey from a family-run kitchen to building a scalable cloud kitchen business in Dubai. She discusses the realities of the industry, the importance of structure and long-term vision, and how to stand out in a crowded market.
Chef Khaled Albaker
Co-Founder, Ventri Group
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian speaks with Chef Khaled Albaker about his journey from finance to food, building Ventri Group in Kuwait, and the discipline behind great restaurants. They discuss craft, credibility, dining vs delivery, visible leadership, adapting through COVID, and why cash flow, detail, and human hospitality still matter most in restaurant growth.
Hattan Bakor
Former CEO, Dhahia Juice
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian and Hattan Bakor unpack the gap between how restaurants look from the outside and how they feel to run. From margin realities to franchising foundations, Hattan shares lessons on standardization, brand risk, and building systems that make growth predictable.
Silvena Rowe
Founder & Executive Chef, The Dose by Silvena
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian speaks with chef and longevity educator Silvena Rowe on building Dose by Silvena around ingredient integrity, what “biohacking food” means in practice, and why food is a daily decision. They also cover restaurant realities like cost control and food waste reduction, plus Silvena’s longevity non-negotiables: movement, stress management, and data-led discipline.
Samer Nasrallah
F&B Country Manager, Patchi
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian speaks with Samer Nasrallah, F&B Country Manager for Patchi Café in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, on what it takes to grow in hospitality from the ground up. Samer shares lessons from running in-house delivery in Egypt before aggregators, launching Ladurée during COVID with a central kitchen, and building a café experience within a chocolate-led brand.
Sudhin Siva
Chief Asset Management Officer, Shamal Holding
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian speaks with Sudhin Siva, Chief Asset Management Officer at Shamal Holding, on how Shamal scales a diversified F&B portfolio including Five Guys, Sushi Samba, Duck & Waffle, Espresso Lab, and Zero Gravity. Sudhin shares lessons from Jumeirah, why fundamentals and culture matter, and how to align owners and operators to grow brands without dilution.
Joseph Chartouni
CEO of Al Sayer Franchising (Caribou Coffee, Five Guys)
In this episode, Joseph Chartouni, CEO of Al Sayer Franchising (Caribou Coffee, Five Guys), shares what it takes to scale restaurant brands. He unpacks the link between marketing and operations and why execution is what makes the brand real. A practical roadmap for restaurant leaders to turn strategy into results.
Mubarak Jaffar
Co-Founder & CEO, KLC Virtual Restaurants
In this episode, Mubarak Jaffar recalls how he scaled KLC across the GCC with a delivery-first “virtual food hall” model. Mubarak breaks down the unit economics behind 24-hour kitchens, why one kitchen per zone matters, and how standardizing menus and packaging keeps operations lean. He also shares his approach to building brands for demand, naming for search, and sustaining growth without relying on one brand.
Kamran Khan
CEO, Arabian Entertainment Co. Ltd.
In this episode, Kamran Khan joins Ashish Tulsian to share the operator journey behind building restaurant brands that scale. From campaign planning to stocking errors, he explains why restaurants are a daily execution game, why store #2 and #3 reveal truth, and how SOPs plus local market insight create predictable guest experiences. A sharp look at thin margins, cash cycles, and leadership rooted in floor-level empathy.
Khaled Naga
CEO, Al-Thiqa Group Holding
In this episode, Khaled Naga, CEO of Al-Thiqa Group Division, shares operator-level lessons on scaling restaurant brands in Kuwait and the GCC. He breaks down the shift from running global franchises to building local brands, how market shocks can reshape costs and demand overnight, and why Gen Z is changing both guest expectations and hiring.
Nasser Al Massabi
CEO, Low Calories
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian speaks with Nasser Al Massabi, CEO of Low Calories, a fast-growing healthy restaurant brand from the UAE. Nasser shares his leap from 18 years in the UAE Police to launching a health-food concept, the failures and land deals that shaped him, resigning seven years before a secure pension, scaling through franchising, tackling trends like Ozempic and Mounjaro, and leading with a family-first culture.
Mohammad Al Madani
Chairman & CEO, Al Madani Group
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian speaks with Mohammad Al Madani about his journey from a 1940s tailoring shop serving Dubai’s royal families to leading a 50+ store restaurant franchise portfolio in the GCC. He shares lessons on franchising, choosing the right locations, avoiding common mistakes, staying relevant with Gen Z, and more.
Pauline Ibrahim
CEO, Global Catering Services
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian talks to CEO Pauline Ibrahim about her journey from finance in Lebanon to leading F&B brands in Dubai. She unpacks real restaurant P&L benchmarks, why pure cloud kitchens struggle, hard truths about opening a restaurant in Dubai, and what it really takes to lead people in hospitality.
Abdulrhman Khalid Almobarak
CEO & Founder, Maqloba
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian talks to Abdulrhman Almobarak, founder and chairman of Maqloba, a Saudi QSR rice brand. Abdulrhman shares how he left a stable IT role to build Maqloba, why he refuses to rush into franchising, how the brand cracked basmati at scale, adapts to Gen Z, and its role in shaping Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 food future.
Jil Assaf
Chief Operations Officer, Shawarmer
In this episode of Restrocast, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Jil Assaf, COO at Shawarmer, to trace his journey from running a snack counter in Beirut to leading Shawarmer. Jil shares lessons from consulting, operating across the Middle East, tripling profits at Shawarmer, and why Saudi Arabia is an exciting market for restaurant growth today.
Alexandre Bachir
Managing Director, Bachir Ice Cream Middle East
In this episode of Restrocast, Ashish Tulsian talks with Alexandre Bachir, the third-generation leader of Bachir Ice Cream Middle East, a 90-year-old Lebanese family brand. Alexandre shares how he’s modernizing the legacy through franchising, innovation, and global expansion while preserving its deep-rooted family values.
Filippo Sgattoni
Group CEO, Alamar Foods Company
In this episode of Restrocast, Filippo Sgattoni joins Ashish Tulsian to share his incredible journey from finance to food leadership as the CEO of Alamar Group, the master franchisee of Domino’s and Dunkin’ across the Middle East. Filippo talks about adapting global brands for local markets, leading Alamar through its IPO, and reinventing customer engagement for Gen Z.
Sherif M. El Sherif
Managing Director, Olayan Group
In this episode, Ashish Tulsian sits down with Sherif M., MD at Olayan Group, to explore his three-decade journey building iconic brands like KFC, Wimpy, and Burger King. Sherif shares powerful lessons on people-first leadership, scaling culture across 40,000+ employees, and staying relevant to Gen Z and Gen Alpha through gaming, delivery, and local innovation.
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