RAYA RESTAURANTS

SUCCESS STORIES, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER

Established in 2013, Raya Restaurants, a subsidiary of Raya Holding for Financial Investments, has become a market leader within Egypt’s F&B sector. Karim Nayef Khalife, Raya Restaurants’ CEO, talks about the firm’s evolution and its exciting plans for the future

Tell us about the mission of Raya Restaurants.

Our aim was to build internationally competitive restaurant chains, offering superior dining experiences that could be franchised both regionally and globally. Currently, our brand portfolio comprises five in-house brands: our star brand, Ovio; Little Ovio; Lorenzo’s Pizzeria; Liquid; and Espresso Bar.

Founded in 2014, Ovio, our European restaurant/café, is driven by a desire to provide quality Artisan food to our customers. The unique selection of fresh bread, delicious pastries and flavorsome dishes is inspired by our European heritage and leads the way in our aim to satisfy everyone who appreciates great food.

Our mission at Raya Restaurants is to create value through the development of our brands and management know-how, and anticipating trends. We aim to increase the company’s competitiveness locally and regionally, ensuring we satisfy our customers and colleagues.

How successful has Ovio been?

Over the past five years, Ovio has established a footprint in Cairo and created a true success story by strongly positioning itself in the Egyptian market as a premium European, all-day venue. Today, we have four branches in Cairo and two branches on the North Coast. Ovio will continue to expand in Egypt and we will also explore potential opportunities for it outside of the country. We believe that our brand will provide added value to international restaurant groups looking to serve premium customers.

What's in the pipeline?

In the coming three years, Raya Restaurants will continue to expand its in-house concepts, especially Ovio. We are also planning to increase our brand portfolio through franchising or various partnership models. Indeed, we believe that Raya Restaurants and its well-established management platform offers an ideal gateway for international brands looking to enter or expand in the Egyptian market.

In January 2020, we signed a master franchise agreement with Jones the Grocer, the Australian specialty gourmet food retail and award-winning café, and will be opening two flagship stores this year. We have also signed a franchise agreement with The Lebanese Bakery, a growing neighborhood bakery in the Middle East and Europe, which has paved the way for the opening of two new stores this year. For more information about Raya Holding for Financial Investments, visit rayacorp.com