The only thing more American than apple pie is apple pie served at a fast-food restaurant, and as Western commercial culture spreads across the globe, even the Arabs are learning to have it our way. About ten years ago the Fakieh family of Saudi Arabia, whose poultry business is the largest in the Middle East, wanted to expand into fast food, so they turned to Chicagoan Joel Steinwold. A graduate of the MBA program at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Steinworld managed a local Burger King before opening Muskie’s, the hamburger and hot dog stand that’s become a fixture in Lakeview. To win Steinwold’s services, the Fakiehs offered to buy Muskie’s. But Steinwold sold it to another party before joining the Fakiehs in Mecca.
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They came up with a fast-food concept that made freshness a marketing hook: chickens would be delivered to the restaurant, grilled, and served to customers within four hours of processing. At Taza (Arabic for “fresh”) any chickens not bought within ten minutes of cooking would be given to charity. Taza has been a hit with Saudis; since 1990 the chain has grown to 22 restaurants in Egypt, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia.
When not involved in day-to-day operations, Steinwold has been analyzing his sales data and customer traffic patterns. He estimates first-year sales at more than $2 million. The basic $3.99 chicken plate accounts for 46 percent of total sales, but a juice bar hasn’t succeeded. “We’re doing 50 or 60 juice orders a day, when we need to be doing 150 to 200 to make it work,” says Steinwold.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo of Joel Steinwold by Alexander Newberry.
