Zaid Ayoub is the founder and CEO of the Bay Area-headquartered, rapidly expanding fast-casual concept SAJJ Mediterranean. While studying engineering in college, Ayoub frequented a local falafel shop that often had a line out the door. He realized that if Mediterranean food could blend great flavors with streamlined operations, there was a strong market (full of hungry people) eager to eat it! After a few years in tech startups, a friend of his mentioned his Mediterranean fast-casual concept idea, and Ayoub and four partners took the plunge, opening the first SAJJ location in Menlo Park in 2012. At the opening, Ayoub was approached and asked “How long have you been open?” Ayoub’s cheerful response of “45 minutes!” was met with disbelief, then, “Can I invest?”
As SAJJ has grown in the last 9 years, Ayoub never took his eyes off the product: high-quality, fresh food that was also approachable and transparent. He realized that people want convenience and speed without sacrificing a culinary experience, which is why SAJJ uses a customize-your-own service model. Ayoub knew that “Mediterranean food” covers a wide variety of geographic regions, and the cuisine is often adjusted to meet the local palate. In Paris’ Latin Quarter, for example, falafel and shawarma sandwiches are paired with french fries, which SAJJ offers. Keeping in the spirit of this culinary localization, ingredients like kale and avocado adapt Mediterranean food to the California palate. Ayoub also understood that customers want to know what they’re eating, and where their food comes from. Early on, SAJJ adopted a policy of transparency and formed partnerships with local farmers and bakers to source fresh produce and bread. In fact, each SAJJ restaurant proudly and prominently displays a large map of California that shows exactly where that location gets their produce. This customizability, localization, and transparency of SAJJ’s offerings makes Mediterranean food convenient and approachable.
Under Ayoub’s strategic leadership, SAJJ Mediterranean has grown from that single brick-and-mortar location into a growing network of 15 restaurants and additional food trucks offering catering and event services. Ayoub plans to use his background in entrepreneurship, and his longtime love of Mediterranean food, to continue expanding SAJJ Mediterranean into a trusted restaurant brand that brings fresh, healthy Middle Eastern eats to those around the globe.
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