Introduction
The name Al Tazaj is an Arabic one which means ‘fresh’. Al Tazaj opened its first restaurant in 1989. The restaurant was started by the owner of a poultry farm. The most common meal served in these restaurants is a meal prepared out of traditional recipes that Shaikh Abdul Rahman’s wife used to prepare for him.
The restaurant has over 100 outlets making it the largest fast food chains in the entire region. This shows a positive trend in the efforts to expand the restaurants. Al Tazaj has managed to not only open restaurants in the Middle East but also in other countries such as the United States.
The chain of restaurants has a branch in Chicago, which is doing very well. Apart from focusing on expanding his chain of restaurants, the owner of Al Tazaj has also ventured into other entrepreneurial activities such as opening of a scientific research center.
The demand for healthy fast food in Saudi Arabia has given the owner of Al Tazaj a competitive advantage over the rest of competitors in the fast food market. This is because the restaurant prepares roasted chicken, fresh from his poultry farm.
It is expected that the sale of fast food is going to increase due to the rising demand for ready meals as more people, including women, are now working away from their homes. This paper shall discuss Al Tazaj restaurant.
Background
The first Al Tazaj restaurant came into existence in 1989. The first branch of this restaurant was opened in the holy city of Makkah. The idea of starting this restaurant was conceived by Sheik Abdulrahman Fakieh. Sheik Abdulrahman Fakieh is a poultry farmer in Saudi Arabia.
He has practiced poultry farming for over 50 years. The idea to open the restaurant was motivated by his love for chicken prepared using traditional Arabian recipe. The chicken prepared by Al Tazaj is very delicious and is prepared using traditional Saudi Arabian recipe.
Since its launch, Al Tajaz has continued to satisfy its customers through excellent customer service and preparation of fresh chicken. The poultry prepared in this restaurant is got from Fakieh poultry farm.
With the constant supply of chicken from this farm, Al Tazaj is able to sell its barbequed chicken over 100 destinations. This makes it the leading fast food chain stores nationally and also in the entire Middle East.
Unlike fast the fast food sold in other stores, the chicken served in Al Tazaj is healthy and fresh. The restaurant gets fresh chicken direct from the farm which is barbequed using healthy recipes. Chicken is slaughtered and barbequed on the same day while still fresh.
The chicken is marinated using a sauce that is commonly referred to as the ‘secret sauce’. It is then grilled using charcoal as the source of heat. Most of the times, the meal is served with a garden salad. It is also possible for the meal to be served together with French fries or Taza rice.
The two are greasy and are some of the best accompaniments to be served together with the barbequed chicken. Some of the sauces that go well with this chicken include garlic and Tahina sauces. For desserts, Basbousa is used. This has placed the restaurant ahead of its competitors since many restaurants are not able to get chicken and cook it while fresh.
The barbequed chicken from Al Tazaj tastes very natural. This is because the chicken is marinated using only natural ingredients. This ensures that the final product tastes natural and there are no artificial additives which may be harmful to people’s health.
Al Tazaj has invested a lot of resources in promotion of its products. One of the methods of advertising that it has invested in is television advertisement. There are numerous television adverts that promote Al Tazaj’s products hence making them popular among the people who love to eat out but in a healthy manner.
This mode of advertisement has been very effective and has given the restaurant a competitive advantage over its rivals in the fast food market in the Middle East.
Meals and services
The restaurant does not serve a lot of meals. Some of the meals served in Al Tazaj include Barbequed chicken combo meal, Al Tazaj kabsa, maglouba, Al Tazaj braost meal, barbequed chicken mandi, chicken nuggets meal, kebab with rice meal and barbequed chicken, among others.
Locations
Since the restaurant was started, it has opened other branches in many countries. Most of the restaurants are located in Saudi Arabia. However, there are other Al Tazaj restaurants in other parts of the world such as in Kuwait, Egypt and Malaysia. Other branches include Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan as well as Lebanon.
Apart from these branches in the Middle East, Al Tazaj has branches in Chicago. The restaurant there is simply called Taza. Like in the rest of Al Tazaj restaurants, this restaurant in the United States prepares Al Tazaj barbequed chicken. Chicken is the most common meal in these restaurants. It is prepared as per the Islamic standards so that it is halal.
Products and market share
The restaurant has expended swiftly to other Middle East countries since its inception. The restaurant competes against renowned fast food restaurants globally such as the McDonalds, Burger King and Pizza Hut in the Saudi Arabian fast food market which is estimated to be worth over $220 million.
The restaurant has branches in most of the Middle East countries. However, its first non-Arab owned restaurant was opened in Chicago, United States in August 1997. The name ‘Tazer’ was adopted for the Chicago based restaurant for easier pronunciation by the local residents since Al Tazaj would be hard for them.
Business for Al Tazaj restaurants is boosted by Muslim pilgrims whenever they visit the holy city of Mecca. During this period, the fast food chain increases its sales drastically due the presence of the vast number of pilgrims in the region. Moreover, they attract customers because they are known to sell halal products.
Arabian cuisine is characterized by strong spices which give the food a strong flavor. Restaurants in Saudi Arabia offer a rich combination of deliciously prepared food. Spices are a major component of their dishes. Eating in Saudi Arabian restaurants is a bit different from eating in Western restaurants.
In Saudi Arabia, there are some restrictions such as prohibition in eating raw meats. Therefore, it is not possible to find meals such as sushi or steak tartar, which are common in the western restaurants. However, the restaurants do not only prepare Arabic dishes but also have others such as Italian, Indian and Pakistani cuisines.
Price competition
The cost of food in Saudi Arabia depends with the restaurant that one visits. A typical meal costs around $5.00 USD in an average restaurant. However, fancy restaurants charge an average of $13.00 USD for the cheapest meal. Most of the foods served in fast food restaurants cost between 6 and 20 SAR.
Another difference between Saudi Arabian restaurants and other restaurants is that most of the Saudi Arabian restaurants are divided into compartments that do not allow free mixing of men and women.
However, there are restaurants that have a family section, or restaurants that are entirely family restaurants. This means that members of a family can freely sit together and share a meal without any restrictions.
Sales and region coverage
The fast food market in Saudi Arabia is expected to hit the $4.5 billion mark by the year 2015. Some of the factors that are likely to contribute to the rising demand of fast food market in Saudi Arabia include high demand for these foods among the young people as well as the rich in the country.
Most of the young people have been influenced by the western way of life, including their tendencies to indulge in fast foods. Moreover, there are more people with higher disposable incomes who are able to afford foods sold in the fast food outlets.
Additionally, trend out eating out is becoming very popular among the Saudi Arabians from all age groups. This creates an opportunity for sales, particularly for restaurants such as Al Tazaj, which prepare delicious local cuisines.
Restaurants, such as Al Tazaj, which serve fast foods, are expected to experience massive sales of their products in the coming three years or less. Sales from fast food restaurants are expected to account for 20 percent of the total food service transactions in Saudi Arabia.
Outlets that major in fast foods have become a major attraction for the young people in Saudi Arabia. Restaurants, such as Al Tazaj, which offer delicious meals and comfort to their clients are likely to experience high volumes of sales in the near future.
Saudi Arabia has witnessed the mushrooming of fast food outlets in the recent past. This has increased the competition for such foods locally and some restaurants, such as Al Tazaj have even opted to go beyond the regional barriers and open branches in other countries abroad.
Al-Zahrani & Hasan (25) observe that at the end of the year 2011, there was an increase in lunchtime fast food sales in Saudi Arabia in most of the fast food stalls. Al Tazaj restaurant is among the fast food restaurants that registered these high sales.
This was especially because the restaurant prepares healthy meals, fresh and in a healthy environment. Due to the rising demand for fast foods, people employed in these restaurants and stalls are working for long hours in order to meet with the demand.
The year also marked a significant shift away from the conventional extended lunches. Workers eating away from their homes opted for fast foods, with quality and swift service being the most important qualities that were being looked at by consumers before choosing where to have their meals.
Domestic demand for fast food in Saudi Arabia
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the largest developing countries. It covers an estimated 2.25 square kilometers. It is also estimated that there are over 24 million people. Most of the people live in urban areas. These people in urban areas are mostly found in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
As a result of the great population of people living in these cities, they have experienced drastic growth over the past twenty years. Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia. It is cosmopolitan in nature. The city is located near the red sea. Pilgrims going to Makkah and Medina pass through this city.
There is also a port where most of the imports to Saudi Arabia get into the country. Due to the vast population that is cosmopolitan in nature, there are numerous fast food outlets that have been opened in the past two decades. Among them is the Al Tazaj restaurant, which is famous for its barbequed chicken fresh from Fakieh Poultry Farms.
The concept of fast food outlets and restaurants is relatively new in Saudi Arabia. The typical lifestyle of someone in Saudi Arabia is very different from that of a person in western countries such as the United States. However, this is slowly changing and there is a lot of transfer of culture from one part of the world to another.
This probably explains why more Saudi Arabians are embracing the concept of fast food restaurants. More entrepreneurs are also venturing into this business since it is one of the businesses that are doing very well in Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Qadir Fakieh is not only a successful businessman in the area of fast food but has also ventured into other entrepreneurial projects. One of the projects is the Fakieh Research & Development Centre. This is one of the scientific foundations established by an individual.
The center, just like Al Tazaj restaurant, has been a success. He was also the first entrepreneur in Saudi Arabia to venture into poultry industry. When he established Al Tazaj chain of restaurants, it was termed as the first food restaurant chain in the world that offered fresh roast chicken.
As it is the case with other countries, especially those in the developed world, many people in Saudi Arabia are opting to have fast foods instead of foods prepared from their kitchens. This happens especially during lunch time due to their busy schedules thus lacking enough time to prepare meals from their homes.
Fast food stalls have benefited from this tendency because they are able to meet with the rising demand for more fast food hence increasing their profits (Al-Zahrani & Hasan 26). Customers are therefore presented with various alternatives for their lunch while away from their homes.
Over the past few years, franchising has been on the increase in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabian businessmen have continued to be attracted by the success of franchises in western countries as well as locally. Borrowing from such ideas has proved to be a successful venture for most business people in the Saudi market.
This is particularly true for Al Tazaj restaurants. The fast food franchises in Saudi Arabia are estimated to account for 60 percent of all the franchises in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Consumers in the Saudi market have also become more demanding. They demand to have quality and value for what they are paying for.
It is expected that franchising in the Middle East is going to increase drastically in the near future. The annual growth in franchising is expected to be 27 percent. Most people consider Saudi Arabia as a kingdom whose predominant activity is related to oil.
Interestingly, the kingdom has also ventured into other activities that are doing very oil. One such diverse activity is the fast food market, where restaurants such as Al Tazaj have a large share. Most of the fast food outlets have shown numerous signs of positive growth. It is expected that the import of foodstuffs in Saudi Arabia will exceed $ 7 billion every year.
Fast food industry in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia has continued to grow drastically in the recent years. The growth has been fuelled by factors such as a change in lifestyle due to influence from the western countries. This has led to a desire for instant gratification, something which fast food outlets offer.
This has led to a change in the lifestyle of the people in Saudi Arabia. There is also a great exposure to the outside world through modern technological devices such as computers that enable people to know what is happening globally through the internet.
There is also an increase in the number of Saudi Arabian women who are working away from their homes. This reduces the time that women have to prepare meals for their families at home. Therefore, most of them opt for meals prepared at the fast food outlets.
Moreover, fast food outlets offer to deliver food to people’s home free of charge. This makes it convenient for many people, particularly at a time when most women are working outside their homes. These things make the fast food industry one of the fastest growing industries in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia.
Future challenges for Al Tazaj
Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest growing food markets in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is ranked as the largest importer of food. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is run using strict Sharia laws that affect all areas of life, including the food industry. Before embarking on opening fast food outlets, it is important for one to understand the culture of the Arabs as well as the Islam religion.
This will help in minimizing any conflicts that may arise if one is not well versed with the two. The two have a profound influence on the people’s way of life as well as their commercial practices.
There are major events in the Islamic calendar that may significantly affect some businesses such as the fast food industry. For instance, events such as Ramadan would affect the sale of fast food in various restaurants and fast food outlets.
Moreover, the kingdom requires that only halal food is sold in various eating joints. Fast food restaurants are expected to prepare their meals following halal guidelines so that everything that is sold to the people complies with the set regulations.
Although the regulations for what is considered as halal are universal, there are some slight variations from one state to another. Therefore, it is important for a fast food restaurant in Saudi Arabia to find out the requirements of the country for what is halal.
Marketing
According to AME Info Services (1), getting a fast food restaurant that offers healthy cuisines is very rare. Healthy eating is a concern for many people, especially now that cases of people being overweight or obese are on the rise.
People are also concerned about healthy eating because of the ever increasing cases of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Therefore, the importance of healthy eating can not be over emphasized. Different restaurants prepare different meals.
The type of meals prepared depends on factors such as the consumer’s preferences. Al Tazaj is a restaurant that is top in the list of the restaurants that prepare healthy meals for its consumers. The restaurant follows the set international safety standards regarding preparation of food.
The restaurant also follows safety practices to ensure that the practices and procedures it uses in its operations result to a healthy environment during preparation of their healthy meals. Fresh charcoal is used for preparation of its barbeques. The restaurant operates after receiving a certificate from the Saudi Council of healthy and safe food.
It is not possible for any restaurant to be operational in Saudi Arabia without first receiving this certificate. This shows that the restaurant has met the safety and health standards set by the Saudi government. This ensures that consumers buy food that has been prepared in a healthy environment.
Al Tazaj restaurant in Chicago
According to Walkup (1), the opening of Al Tazaj restaurant in Chicago was estimated to cost the owner between 3.5 and 4 million dollars. The Chicago restaurant has a capacity of 250. The location of the restaurant is expected to be a major attraction to many people hence leading to massive sales. Immediately after its launch, an average of 1500 meals was served every day.
The most meals were served between 11.30 a.m and 1.30 p.m. business is good during the weekends as more people flock the restaurant over the weekends than during week days.
Like in all its other branches, the Chicago restaurant emphasizes freshness and healthy preparation of meals. The restaurant aims at becoming a global village restaurant through preparation of cuisines from different parts of the world.
Conclusion
Saudi Arabia is one on the developing countries that is swiftly adopting the concept of eating out in fast food restaurants. Most of the Saudi Arabian people live in urban areas, with the majority living in Jeddah. The large population of people in Jeddah is an advantage to Al Tazaj restaurant since the restaurant is located in this city.
Although there are numerous fast food outlets that are being opened nowadays, Al Tazaj restaurant was among the first fast food restaurant to be opened in Saudi Arabia. Shaikh Abdul Rahman Fakieh was the founder of the first Al Tazaj restaurant.
The restaurant was opened in 1989. The first restaurant was opened in Mecca. Shiakh Fakieh ran a poultry farm that supplied the restaurant with the chicken that was used to make barbeque chicken. The owner of Al Tazaj conceived the idea of opening a fast food restaurant which prepares healthy barbequed chicken.
Since its opening, the restaurant has continued to out do its competitors in the fast food industry. It has also managed to expand its operations into other countries in the Middle East as well as in the European countries such as the United States.
It is expected that the fast food industry in Saudi Arabia is going to continue growing because of the high demand for fast food for the working population.
Works Cited
AME Info Services. Al-Tazaj Restaurants secures health and safety certificate from Saudi Council. (2009). Web.
Al-Zahrani, Abdulrahem & Hasan, Tanwer. Trip Generation at Fast Food restaurants in Saudi Arabia. ITE Journal. (2008): 24-29. Web.
Walkup, Carolyn. Taza ‘global’ chicken restaurant opens in Chicago. (1997). Web.