After a year and a half at that original location, Naf Naf Grill moved to a larger location in Naperville. The new location was nearly double the size, with 75 seats and air conditioning.
“The original restaurant was fun,” says Sander. “The facility was old, crappy and small, but it was all about the food, and we gave a lot of love and good service, and people kept coming back. And they followed us to the new location.”
Sander says Sloan put operational procedures in place and built a company culture that allowed the concept to grow. Naf Naf Grill locations sprang up in the Chicago suburbs and then in the downtown Loop area. In 2015, Naf Naf Grill expanded beyond Chicago to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“A lot of people can make good food, but it’s very difficult to put together a team that is passionate about what they do,” says Sander. “That’s what David did. It was a good partnership from the start.”
Naf Naf Grill originally offered a wide variety of Middle Eastern dishes. When the brand began looking to expand in the Loop after opening its third location, it pared egypt data down the menu and went to an assembly-line operation. The first three locations offered kebabs and schnitzels, but Sander says they cut back to focus more on items like shawarma and falafel.
Naf Naf Grill
Co-CEOs: David Sloan and Sahar Sander
HQ: Chicago
START YEAR: 2009
ANNUAL SALES: Not disclosed
TOTAL UNITS: 17
FRANCHISE UNITS: 0
“We’d rather be known for doing what we do really well than for having a huge menu,” Sander says.