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Restaurants & cafés

Shawarma restaurant feasibility study

Latest regulatory change: 2026 · reviewed 2026-10-10

A fast-food meal served dine-in, takeaway and by delivery.

  • 124 millionDelivery orders in Q4 2025[4]
  • 60%Year-on-year growth in delivery orders[4]
  • 63%of Saudis are under 30[5]

Latest regulatory and market changes

  1. 2025The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MoMAH) issued updated restaurant requirements, the municipal framework that a shawarma restaurant falls under.[1]
  2. 2025The press reported the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) requirements for preparing shawarma: limits on skewer size and temperatures, and a ban on hand-made mayonnaise.[2]
  3. 2026Eastern Province Municipality tightened health requirements for shawarma sauces and their handling, with ongoing inspection rounds.[3]

Why now

  • 63% of Saudis are under 30, the group most drawn to fast food.[5]
  • Growth in delivery orders extends a restaurant's reach beyond its own neighbourhood.[4]

124 millionDelivery orders in Q4 2025 in Saudi Arabia, up 60% year on year, according to the Transport General Authority (TGA).[4]

The idea and business model

A fast-food restaurant specialising in shawarma and its side dishes, serving dine-in, takeaway and delivery. Revenue depends on high sales volume at mid-range prices, with fast service and consistent quality.

Model: Fast food

Project economics

Revenue formula

Daily orders×Average bill×Operating days

Sales channels

  • Dine-in
  • Takeaway
  • Delivery

Largest cost items

  • Meat, chicken and bread
  • Salaries and shifts
  • Rent
  • Delivery commissions

Decisive indicators we measure

  • Meal cost as a share of its price
  • Daily waste
  • Orders at peak hour
  • Delivery margin versus dine-in

Relevant authorities

  • Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MoMAH): licence and restaurant requirements
  • Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA): shawarma preparation requirements
  • Civil Defence

What needs your attention

  • Food safety is the highest risk in this activity.
  • Ongoing municipal inspection of sauces and raw-material sources.
  • Intense competition from established chains.

What a Shawarma restaurant study calculates for you

  • Full meal cost at real supplier prices
  • Competitor prices for the same meal and size
  • Waste and daily preparation requirements
  • Daily meals to break even
  • Equipment and fit-out that meet the requirements

Every one of these figures appears in your study with its source and date, built on your location and capital, with a clear line between documented facts and assumptions.

Sources

Most sources are Saudi government and press pages in Arabic; titles are kept in their original language so you can find them.

  1. اشتراطات المطاعموزارة البلديات والإسكان · 2025-04
  2. أسياخ الشاورما العملاقة: استعراض أم مخاطر صحية؟الوطن · 2025-12
  3. أمانة الشرقية: الالتزام بالاشتراطات الصحية للصلصاتالمدينة · 2026-06
  4. 124 مليون عملية لنشاط توصيل الطلبات خلال الربع الرابععكاظ (عن الهيئة العامة للنقل) · 2026-01
  5. Saudi Arabia population hits 32.2 mln in 2022أرقام (عن الهيئة العامة للإحصاء) · 2023-05

Last reviewed: 4 November 2026. This page introduces the activity; detailed figures belong in the study.