The first Kabab-ji restaurant was opened in Lebanon, on Zouk Highway, in 1993. However the true beginnings of Kabab-ji go back to when founder Toufic Khoueiri was five years old and would watch with great interest as his mother cooked wonderful Lebanese dishes with very little resources. This stirred a deep desire in Toufic to join the culinary arts and brought him to view cooking as a creative outlet. From that young age until now, Toufic still loves to invent wonderful dishes. Today, Kababji's menu reflects this desire and his talent for doing so.

Toufic believed there was great potential in taking Lebanese cuisine into the quick-service restaurant (“QSR”) sector. He began researching the potential for this concept in the late 1980s. The QSR sector was found to be economically sound and offered tremendous room for growth. Because people were putting an increasing premium on their time and wanted to treat themselves to good-tasting and healthier foods, this way the fastest-growing sector of the restaurant industry.

Add to this Toufic saw that the QSR sector did not have anything like Kabab-ji concept.

Toufic's vision for providing irresistible, made-to-order Lebanese cuisine in a “fast” manner, giving individualized attention to the customer, and providing a chic, warm, and elegant environment to dine within became a reality in 1993 when the first Kabab-ji opened. The restaurant was a huge success. People were the first Kabab-ji opened. The restaurant was a huge success. People were extremely impressed with the “high style”, brick and stainless steel design, the incredibly fresh and tasty food, the quick and personal service, and the great value.

This success led to a demand for more Kabab-ji outlets, a total of four locations were opened in Lebanon . Also in 2002, the company's first expansion outside of Lebanon took place when a restaurant was opened in Kuwait. Further International expansion is taking place with location in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates opening in 2004.

Kabab-ji's success has been strongly impacted by the company's ability to retain a number of key long-term employees. Many of Kabab-ji's key staff members have been with the company since its inception. Kabab-ji's commitment and concern for its employees--and now franchisees--will bring many long-term benefits to the company as it continues to expand both within Lebanon and internationally.

Although Kabab-ji has only been in existence since 1994, it has developed strong brand awareness and customer loyalty throughout Lebanon. There are several factors that have been most instrumental to the success and development of Kabab-ji's brand image:

Perhaps the key factor to Kabab-ji's success is its commitment to providing a quality product to its customer on a consistent basis. Through a system of frequent deliveries and quality control programs, Kabab-ji's operation systems are built around a core commitment to product quality. Kabab-ji's most loyal customers know that they will receive a quality product each and every time they visit a Kabab-ji location.

The majority of product preparation within each Kabab-ji restaurant takes place within only a few meters of the front counter, with the various smoked and barbecued medleys being prepared before the customers' eyes. Customers can see almost every step in the production process, reassuring them of the quality in the preparation of their orders.

In addition to maintaining product focus, Kabab-ji has dedicated significant resources toward the marketing of its brand within Lebanon. Rather than focusing the majority of its consumer marketing on product specials and price discounting, Kabab-ji has adopted a top-line approach to its marketing that has focused on brand imaging and awareness. Kabab-ji's ability to maximize its brand equity within Lebanon has positioned the company as a premium brand that is differentiated from local competitors within the marketplace. It is this differentiation that has given Kabab-ji the foundation to successfully introduce and market its brand internationally through franchising. Having built a strong reputation over the years in Lebanon, Kabab-ji is now ready to enlist the help of its franchisees as it sets out to expand this strong reputation into other countries.

Using the ingredients of a value-oriented menu, chic surroundings, individualized attention, and irresistible Lebanese cuisine, Toufic has created another wonderful and unique item…the Kabab-ji concept.

We shall:

• Strive to make Kabab-ji brand household symbols of excellence and to cater to and reach the future generation to ensure that they grow on healthy and delicious food.

• Offer unmatched quality and hygiene standards, to form healthy, lasting partnerships, and grow lucrative business opportunities all over the world.

• Convey value to consumers far exceeding their expectations and to fill the untapped niche of delicious, nutritious food that is served fast as opposed to fast food.

• Employ and retain motivated, hospitable, and professional staff.
  
  
• Achieve growth.

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