Sydney's El Jannah to quadruple in size and target Middle East expansion
El Jannah has secured close to $1 billion from global investor General Atlantic to quadruple its restaurants and challenge fast food giants such as KFC.
From the Middle East, to Western Sydney, and back again. Australian Lebanese cuisine chain El Jannah is planning to expand in the Middle East.
The news comes as the brand, which started in Granville in 1998 by Lebanese migrant couple Andre and Carole Estephan, secured a financial investment from global investor General Atlantic, which the Financial Review has reported to worth close to $1 billion.
The deal will see El Jannah quadruple the number of restaurants from 50 to 200 in the next five years to see themselves rival fast food giants like KFC and Red Rooster.
In the next 12 months alone, the charcoal chicken business plans to open 25 restaurants, 11 of which are in Sydney and include areas like Cronulla, Maroubra, the Sydney CBD and Warringah Mall. The rest are in Victoria and ACT.
As well as conquering the Australian market, there are plans to take the brand global. The first stop, back home.
“The founders are from Lebanon. They came to Australia and brought their cuisine here and they have a strong belief that this product and brand will do well in key markets in the Middle East,” said EL Jannah CEO Brett Houldin.
While the team researches their global options, they are simultaneously working on also expanding into Queensland and South Australia.
“Our main priority is to touch as many Australians as possible over the years,” Houldin said.
In December 2024, El Jannah launched a breakfast menu to take on fast food big guns McDonalds.
Houldin believed the secret to El Jannah’s cult-like popularity was its Lebanese heritage.
“It’s based on authentic Lebanese culture, we do things differently. We bring everything in fresh, not frozen. We bring in chickpeas to turn it into hummus. From the food, to the hospitality, it’s about abundance and generosity which differentiate it from typical fast food brands.”
General Atlantic has invested in a wide range of companies including Joe & The Juice and Australian fashion brand Zimmermann.
