Man Discovers Running 44 Fast-Casual Restaurants Is Harder Than Fine Dining
KEY POINTS
- •In 2008, Hady Kfoury launched Naya after training with top chefs, quickly gaining New York Times praise.
- •He expanded to 44 fast-casual Lebanese locations by 2026, aiming for 200 by 2030, emphasizing quality over shortcuts.
- •Partnering with private equity in 2020, Kfoury focused on solid business fundamentals to maintain consistency and growth.
Hady Kfoury, hospitality graduate from Switzerland and protégé of fine-dining giants Daniel Boulud and François Payard, shockingly found that fast-casual Lebanese food isn’t served on a silver platter. Launching Naya in 2008 with a New York Times review that kept the doors open, he scaled to 44 East Coast spots with dreams of 200 nationwide by 2030. Kfoury battles the paradox of assembly-line freshness, partners nervously with PE firms only after 12 years, and refuses to cheap out—even bringing in legendary butcher Pat LaFrieda for quality meat. Turns out, customer loyalty rides on vegetables delivered 3-4 times a week—not just hummus and charm.
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Fast-casual restaurant work is basically synchronized food juggling at scale—except everyone’s judging if you drop the falafel.
Opening a bowl-line restaurant isn’t fast or casual—it’s like running a kitchen marathon wearing a suit.
Scaling to 44 locations means 44 times the headaches for Hady, who quickly learned fast-casual ain’t fast or casual.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 1/19/2026 | Author: Kelsey Vlamis
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