Franchise interview: Man'oushe Street

El Eit is launching his franchising programme in March 2014 [Photo: Efraim Evidor/ITP Images].

UAE-based brand Man’oushe Street’s founder Jihad El Eit will launch its franchising options this month, with his eye fixed on expanding across the Levant, GCC, Europe and the USA

You have worked in the technology industry for a while; why did you decide to enter the F&B sector?
I have always had this dream of launching a street food concept that focused on specially prepared meals from Lebanon. I wanted to offer something I grew up with, for others to enjoy and love. I want to be able to unite a diverse target market over a nice cheese man’oushe. The man’oushe will be what the pizza is to the world — everyone’s favourite.

The brand you launched was initially called Man2ooshe and Company; you changed it to Man’oushe Street recently. What triggered the move?
We decided to use Man’oushe Street as a rebrand to Man2ooshe & Co. because we were trying to sell mana’eesh, which is a famous street food in Lebanon. We wanted to combine our love for the dish with its traditions. Using the new name helped us with this association. This will serve as a strong brand recall and positioning as we plan for future expansion outside the UAE.

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Tell us about your franchising plans for Man’oushe Street.
We will launch our franchising programme in March 2014 and aim to leverage the Man’oushe Street concept across various target segments. We plan to expand our reach, starting from the Levant region, followed by the GCC and eventually make our way to Europe and the US.

What are the ingredients required by a home-grown QSR brand to succeed?
Key factors such as location, the professionalism of your staff and how they adapt to certain processes and the consistency of quality play a major role in the drive to success. These three factors are also essential for our planned international expansion.

In a region where a lot of places sell Levant food, what makes your brand’s food offering stand out from the rest?
Man’oushe Street takes pride in the world-class quality of its menu offerings and the commitment to excellence that is reflected in how we prepare the food to the way we deliver it to your doorstep — true value for money.

Do you have plans for any additional F&B concepts to be launched in the region?
For the time being, our main focus is on the Man’oushe Street brand. Our strategy is to increase brand awareness to improve the position our brand as a preferred meal of choice, not just in the UAE but in the entire region as well.