Kitch is the GCC’s first ever “hybrid, delivery-focused, cloud kitchen and premium store front operator,” and has just launched in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The new food tech startup is owned by Walid Hajj, a well-known name within the food and beverage (F&B) sector, and founder of Cravia, along with Fahad Alhokair, a Saudi businessman and founder of Veda Holding, which focuses on F&B, real estate, logistics, retail and tech related startups.
Having already raised $15 million in privately raised capital, Kitch enters the F&B industry well-equipped. The concept of Kitch and its tech-integrated, virtual restaurants and brick-and-mortar facilities aim to offer a platform to restaurants and food franchises, to discover new markets and an opportunity to diversify and increase their food delivery and customer engagement without having to invest too much.
Kitch is launching first in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and will open four delivery kitchens in Riyadh within the first quarter of 2021, and fifteen more across the GCC in the coming year, with each one spread over 450sqm to 500sqm and fully equipped to house 10 food concepts.
Co-founder of Kitch, Walid Hajj, said in a statement, “We are thrilled to launch the region’s first hybrid cloud-kitchen and premium store-front operator Kitch. Saudi Arabia and the UAE offer huge potential for this concept, and we are looking to be a part of an industry valued at over $3 billion,” he said.
The Kitch founders Fahad Alhokair & Walid Hajj
Hajj also added, “I believe it is important to adapt and transform the offerings and services to be relevant and meet future demands. Our operational value-chain model and carefully curated portfolio of brands will reimagine the restaurant experience, allowing consumers to enjoy high-quality food from the comfort and convenience of their homes, and provide food concept owners a platform to explore the market and increase their customer base beyond their physical locations. If a brand is part of our portfolio, we will make sure there is a scalable market ready for it.”
