Mamoun’s Falafel, the fast growing Middle Eastern fast-casual restaurant, is bringing their iconic falafel to Chicago. The popular Middle Eastern concept has announced the sale of a multi-unit franchise deal with franchisee Sagar Patel to bring five Mamoun’s Falafel stores to the Chicago area over the next five years.
Patel is an experienced franchisee with a long career in operating coffee and breakfast fast-casual concepts. At one point in his career, he managed 20 different retail locations simultaneously. His experience and success in the restaurant industry, coupled with his passion for the Mamoun’s concept, encouraged his decision to bring the beloved Middle Eastern concept to Chicago.
“My family and I are long-time fans of Mamoun’s and would always visit when we traveled to New York City,” says Patel. “I developed a real affinity and passion for the brand, and was immediately interested in joining the Mamoun’s Falafel legacy when I heard they were franchising.”
Mamoun’s Falafel was established in 1971 in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village by founder Mamoun Chater. The flagship location has been serving up authentic Middle Eastern cuisine ever since. Mamoun created the menu using traditional Syrian recipes, ingredients, and spices in order to deliver the most authentic Middle Eastern cuisine possible. The menu offers a variety of meat and vegetarian entreés, including falafel and shawarma sandwiches, chicken kebobs, lentil soup, and grape leaves, as well as traditional Middle Eastern pastries like baklava.
Mamoun’s is the ‘oldest falafel restaurant in New York City’ and has gathered numerous accolades in its 46-year run, including ‘Best Falafel’ by New York Press, one of ‘NYC’s Most Iconic Sandwiches’ by Eater NY, and has been featured in the book “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” and on the Food Network and Travel Guide Channel. The concept has also garnered praises from numerous actors, musicians, comedians, and other celebrities throughout the years.
Mamoun’s currently operates 6 locations in New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut, with stores coming soon to Dallas and Chicago. In an effort to ensure the high-quality freshness of the menu, Mamoun’s uses a commissary that adheres to strict production system standards, and has also partnered with Cuisine Solutions, pioneers in the sous-vide cooking method, to ensure quality production of all of Mamoun’s authentic menu items. The concept has also partnered with U.S. Foods for distribution so that the menu can be properly duplicated all over the country, no matter the location.
The concept has teamed up with Fransmart, the industry leading franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers and Fries, The Halal Guys, and Qdoba Mexican Grill, as their exclusive franchise development partner to grow the brand . Mamoun’s Falafel is currently looking for franchise partners to help introduce its menu to customers in major media markets across the country.
