Operation Falafel

Dubai's Operation: Falafel to expand to New York, London and Paris

You don’t have to settle for mediocre falafel again as Dubai brand Operation: Falafel is set to expand to New York, London and Paris, with the first brand in the Big Apple expected to open in Q2 of 2020, according AWJ Investments, which runs eight F&B concepts across 24 outlets in the Middle East. Operation: Falafel, which is known for its modern twist on casual Middle Eastern street food, will roll out 400 shops around the world with selected franchise partnerships by 2022. Manhal Naser, CEO and Co-Founder of AWJ Investments, said the homegrown UAE brand plans to take international markets by storm. “We’re incredibly proud of the regional success of Operation: Falafel and we know that the time is right to take the brand into unchartered international markets. Being a UAE homegrown brand and moving into the western market is almost unheard of and we’re excited to be one of the first. “In the region we see many global F&B concepts coming into Dubai but rarely see the opposite, a local brand taking international markets by storm. We’re proud to mark this change,” he said. Naser said the brand’s challenge was to find the right investors and operators to work with to ensure the quality of their products. “We have taken the time to get everything in the right place as we will never compromise on quality and consistency – when someone enjoys one of our falafels in New York, London or Paris it must be just as good as in Dubai,” he said.

Dubai · United Arab Emirates · 8 Feb 2020

New Store Opening

Today marks another day of success for Awj Investments with the signing of the Franchise Development Agreement for Operation: Falafel in France 🇫🇷 Manhal Naser, Group CEO of Awj Investments and Andrew Wagner have signed the development of 20 units for Operation: Falafel in France. The first two units are expected to open by the end of 2019.

United Arab Emirates · 20 Jul 2019

Operation Falafel to open 50 units in KSA

Awj Investments CEO Manhal Naser and ETE Group CEO Morhaf Bu Khamseen signed the agreement on January 31. “We’re very excited to enter the Saudi market. The F&B sector in KSA is the largest and strongest in the GCC. "We look forward to expanding Operation Falafel and being one of the key leaders in the Middle Eastern street food market in KSA and MENA region,” commented Naser. The first Operation Falafel will open in Q3 2017, and development is underway for 50 units in the central and eastern regions of the Kingdom. The concept was created by Awj Investments and in an interview last year with Caterer Middle East, Naser revealed that his ambition is to take Operation Falafel global.

Saudi Arabia · 1 Feb 2017

Dubai-founded Operation Falafel to go global

Open 24 hours for dine-in and takeaway, the new outlet on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard can accommodate 80 people. Its opening is part of the brand's ongoing expansion "to exceed 400 units in a couple of years across the world”, according to AWJ Investments CEO Manhal Naser, who founded the concept. During a recent interview with Caterer Middle East, he said: “Operation Falafel is a scalable concept and franchising is an important area that we are focusing on in 2016." Naser, whose UAE-based company also founded Arwani, Bahria, Filicori Zecchini, Smoky Beach, Surf Bite, and the soon-to-open Lulu & Murjan, added that he "will make every effort to make Operation Falafel a world-renowned brand". AWJ is on track to operate a total of nine Operation Falafels in Dubai alone by the end of 2016 and Naser revealed that regional expansion is imminent, with Europe and the US in his sights following this.

United Arab Emirates · 30 Mar 2016