How to grow a burger brand: Lessons from the UAE

Ask anyone in the UAE where to get the best burgers, and they’ll most likely say Pickl. It’s not unusual to spot someone strolling through Dubai wearing a branded t-shirt that states ‘I get my burgers from Pickl’; and a five-star rating on TripAdvisor confirms the brand’s popularity among residents and tourists. 

So what’s so good about Pickl – and what can F&B businesses learn from this brand’s journey? 

From a single concept restaurant to rapid market growth

Pickl was launched in the UAE in 2019, with just one burger restaurant – focused on food that’s fresh, fast, and delicious. Founder Stephen Flawith, who established an umbrella company called Yolk Brands in 2023 which now operates Pickl (along with a growing portfolio of other F&B brands), has leveraged a fast-paced franchise strategy to take the brand from standalone concept restaurant to region-wide success in just a few years. 

At the beginning of this year, there were 13 Pickl locations in operation in the Middle East. And in May 2024 Yolk Brands signed a franchise deal with Sky Restaurants to open an additional 30 branches across the region – including Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia (the InFlavour team is particularly happy about that last one). 

Flawith told Caterer Middle East: 

“As a brand that’s proud to be from the Middle East, we’re delighted that more people throughout the region will be able to enjoy Pickl’s award-winning burgers and fried chicken. Sky Restaurants has exciting plans to take the brand to three countries in a short period of time and we’re looking forward to going on this journey together.”

The franchise model is front-and-centre in Pickl’s strategy. Interested parties can express their interest directly via the brand’s website, and making it easy for franchise locations to launch is key to growth. But it’s not just about the business model – it’s also very much about the food.  

The power of doing one thing – and doing it well 

OK, so Pickl doesn’t only do one thing. It does burgers, plant-based burgers, fried chicken, and a range of side dishes. But essentially it’s a burger brand. And it’s a strong example of the power of doing one thing well: burgers aren’t complicated, but Pickl executes them to a deliciously high standard that wins over pretty much every single customer, every single time. 

Many F&B businesses that operate on a franchise model struggle with quality control. Each restaurant is a reflection of the brand, but when the restaurants are run by different operators, it’s difficult to maintain consistency of food and brand experience across all locations. 

Pickl puts quality first, and uses a focus on fresh ingredients and food that’s always made in-house to enable quality and consistency. Sauces, spice blends and pickles are prepared fresh every single day, and all restaurants work to the same menu. 

Although we recognise the power of doing one thing well from a food perspective, Simon Ritchie (Comms Director at Yolk Brands) pointed out that there are several factors that make Pickl stand out – and its team are at the heart of its success.

“There's definitely not just one thing that makes Pickl special,” he said. “From the vibe inside our restaurants to the community of amazing fans who bombard us on social media daily with their love for the brand, there's so much to choose from.

“But for me, the one thing that sets us apart is our team—there's a reason we call them Legends. The effort and passion they show every day to make every burger they serve better than the one before it is incredible. I've worked in the kitchen at Pickl and know how hard they work, they are absolute Legends and we wouldn't have Pickl if it weren't for them.”

Simplicity and focus enable an F&B brand to grow

A small, finely tuned menu and a focus on quality is key to growing a brand quickly across any region. Complex menus that require specialist knowledge from chefs and kitchen teams are very hard to scale – so if your goal is growth, you have to keep your food business simple. 

That requires clarity, consistency, and a keen eye on the future. You can’t just understand your food; you have to understand the people who will have to create your food going forwards, and make sure you’re making it as easy as possible for them to do an outstanding job.