Tahini’s Restaurants, renowned for its Mediterranean fusion cuisine and recognized as one of Canada’s fastest-growing restaurant chains, has unveiled a major expansion plan after hitting a milestone 50th store opening in the country.
“We are thrilled to bring the unique flavours of Tahini’s to more communities across Canada and the United States,” said Omar Hamam, Founder and CEO of Tahini’s Restaurants. “Our 50th store opening is just the beginning of what’s to come. We are poised for double-digit growth in 2025 as we continue our rapid expansion and bring our beloved dishes to new regions.”
What began as a single, small restaurant in London, Ontario, has evolved into a thriving franchise celebrated nationwide. The opening of Tahini’s 50th store marks a significant milestone in the brand’s rapid growth and unwavering dedication to delivering exceptional dining experiences across North America, said the company. Building on this momentum, Tahini’s is set to launch 10 new locations by the end of 2024, including a second location in Ottawa, an expansion into Edmonton and new stores in North Vancouver and the Mainland region set for early 2025. Hamam said another 50 are expected to open next year.
The brand is in BC, Alberta and Ontario. It is talking with people in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the East Coast.
Hamam said the brand is set to debut in the United States with several East Coast locations on the way, marking a bold step forward in its vision to become a leading brand in the North American restaurant market. Within the next year, he hopes to open six locations within the next year – New Jersey, Washington, Alabama, Orlando, Austin.
“I think the States is a very exciting market. It’s where all the magic happens as well.”
“We sell Mediterranean fusion cuisine. It’s not just Mediterranean food as in shawarma but it’s also infused with Indian cuisine. For example, a butter chicken shawarma or the Jamaican cuisine like the Jamaican jerk chicken shawarma,” said Hamam.
The company’s first franchisee opened in 2020 during COVID. Today, of the 50 locations, all of them, but two, are operated as franchises.
The 50th store opened recently in Edmonton, debuting in the Alberta city.
“Our offerings are very unique. We don’t sell just shawarma’s. Our food is very delicious and good. Canada is a very diverse culture and this is how the idea came first. So you always look at your customer and say okay what does the customer want, not what do you want to sell,” explained Hamam. “I thought Canada was a meltiing pot for all cultures. So I thought why don’t we make the concept a melting pot for all cultures. That’s when we came up with the flavours, different cuisines, infused with the Mediterranean concept.
“I think it was a great success because it proved that people loved these flavours. They loved the butter chicken shawarma. They loved the Jamaican jerk. And we’ve also gone and done things that were completely outside the box.”
Tahini’s is set to amplify its presence across Canada and the United States with ambitious plans for global expansion. The brand is projected to double its footprint, aiming for a total of 100 restaurants by 2025.
Hamam said today’s consumer wants to eat healthy and flavourful food.
The company also operates Tahini’s Kitchen within select FreshCo locations, a Sobey’s banner, and offering a selection of Tahini’s retail packaged products through select grocers. The brand has been fueled by nearly two billion views across all of its social media channels.
“Our social media is explosive. We have YouTube and TikTok followers more than almost any chain out there. We connect with the customers through our videos and our food,” said Hamam, adding there’s a combined five million followers of the brand on social media.
He attributed the success of the social media videos to the fact they are funny and the brand is having some fun with them as opposed to just sharing photos of food.
“People want to see funny things. So we just try to be as funny as possible and we try to give consumers an emotional connection with the brand.”
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