Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Concepts We Like

Pitas and bowls and chickpeas and chicken. Add them up, and they equal growth for most of the “new wave” of fast-casual Mediterranean and Middle Eastern mashups.

Zoe’s Kitchen has led the segment from the start, and it’s the only publicly traded company on our chart. The chain added 100 stores in the last three years and sits on approximately 260 today, but it has struggled in recent quarters, and executives announced earlier in the year that they would pull back on expansion, limiting themselves to 25 new stores in 2018.

A company with a much greater projected growth trajectory is Halal Guys, a concept Chain Store Guide has liked for a number of years now. With 400+ units under contract and California sold off to franchisees in its entirety, we can expect to see significant growth in the years to come.

With $100+ million in private equity funds raised in the last 5 years, Cava Group also looks poised to continue it high rate of growth in the near to mid-term, while Taziki’s takes a slight breather this year according to CSG projections. Naf Naf picked up some steam in the last 18 months or so while, Luna Grill continues to expand at a measured pace.

Dropping off the back of the pack, for now at least, are two chains that were in the mix as recently as last year. Verts changed its name to Noon Mediterranean in late 2017 after closing a dozen or so stores (it has 20 today). Explanations about the upheaval from the company have cited necessary growing pains and re-positioning ahead of national expansion. At Roti, which grew from 25 to 34 units in 2017, there’s no overarching story that we can see, just a pause after a big year. The company added 1 net new unit to date in 2018.

If it’s in your business’s interest to contact growing restaurant concepts and chains of any size, Chain Store Guide can help. Our sales leads databases contain more than 19,000 foodservice companies and 58,000 contacts.