Middle East / Europe
A leading Middle Eastern fast-casual restaurant group with more than 90 stores across the GCC, India and North America engaged Think Hospitality to assess the feasibility of entering the European market. The client needed a rigorous, evidence-based study to determine whether the brand, proposition and unit economics could translate successfully into a new and highly competitive landscape.
We designed and delivered a comprehensive multi-phase feasibility programme spanning primary research, extensive desk research and in-market immersion. This included site visits to the client’s operations across global markets to understand the brand, formats, kitchen workflows and guest experience first-hand, followed by structured market visits and study tours across European target cities.
A bespoke consumer survey was commissioned to test brand positioning, cuisine familiarity, occasion fit and willingness to pay among European consumers. Alongside this, we undertook large-scale market data scraping and competitor benchmarking across the fast-casual, QSR, bakery and grab-and-go sectors, mapping more than 40 comparable concepts by format, pricing, location strategy and performance.
The programme also covered detailed localisation requirements—from menu adaptation and supply chain considerations to regulatory, labour and operational differences—as well as full P&L modelling, potential market sizing, investment appraisal and capital expenditure requirements for multiple entry scenarios.
The study concluded that, while there was clear long-term consumer appetite for the cuisine category and the brand held strong fundamentals, it was not an opportune time to enter the market. Rising input costs, post-pandemic shifts in the food-to-go sector, and specific product-fit challenges meant the risk-reward balance did not support immediate entry. The recommendation was to revisit the opportunity in a future cycle when market conditions and the brand’s European readiness were better aligned.
