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The Pan-Arabia Enquirer

Man who brought already successful franchise to Middle East named Entrepreneur of the Year

business

Man who brought already successful franchise to Middle East named Entrepreneur of the Year

Business leader hailed for importing hugely popular fast food chain to region
Published on

Rami Fakked can vividly remember when he had the ‘eureka’ moment that led him down the road to winning the coveted Entrepreneur of the Year award at a glittering ceremony last night in Dubai.

“I was about mid-way through a six-month holiday in the USA, and one morning happened to visit a branch of Clucky McChickens to grab some lunch,” explains the 34-year-old Iraq-born businessman.

“I remember it tasting good, but thought nothing more of it. Then, later that night, as I lay in bed it suddenly struck me. It was like a bolt of inspirational lighting, a voice from the heavens. I knew then that I was to bring Clucky McChickens to the Middle East.”

Already a hugely successful fast-food chain across North America with over 3,000 outlets, Clucky McChickens had been serving its legendary half-pound McChuck fried chicken burgers to millions of hungry customers for almost 20 years.

But fortune was on the side of Fakked, for nobody had yet picked up the Middle East franchise rights. Having already seen others beat him to secure deals with several other well-established international brands in the past, he knew that this was the time to strike. And six months later – thanks to an interest-free loan from his father’s investment fund – Fakked was able to open the first branch of Clucky McChickens in Dubai.

“I really had to pull together all my creative juices and business acumen to make it work,” he says. “From copying the exact look and feel of the US branches to replicating their menus, it was a daunting task. Thankfully, there was a team of experts employed to help me and my dad was able to lend me just enough money to secure a prime location and launch a major advertising campaign.”

Fakked’s determination and perseverance paid off and within 18 months and following several more financing arrangements he had opened six more franchises. Fast-forward three years, and there are now no less than 32 Clucky McChickens across the GCC, with six more identical outlets due to open soon.

“Winning Entrepreneur of the Year award means the world to me,” smiles Fakked. “When you’ve constantly got your head in the clouds dreaming up new innovations or looking overseas at what’s already doing well and seeing if you can buy the idea, it’s easy to forget to appreciate one’s own hard work and achievements. Now, every time I see this award I can say to myself ‘I did that’.”

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20 Comments

20 Comments

  1. Mike

    May 5, 2013 at 7:21 am

    Copy/paste an already successful business model. Get help from industry experts to make sure it’s done right. Borrow money from dad. Interest free.

    And you guys are endorsing it as entrepreneurial success?

    Jokers.

    Reply

    • Anonymous

      May 5, 2013 at 7:22 am

      Oh wait…..

      Now I feel like a dick.

      Reply

    • Ali Jams

      May 5, 2013 at 7:45 am

      But, Mike, you must understand, Clucky’s is a really nice outlet, and they have introduced delicious additions to the menu you can only get in the Gulf!! The Clucky Chicken Pizza Burger Supreme was my favourite, it was like a pizza with lots of burgers instead of slices!! Amazing.
      I cannot wait to see what happens for this year’s Iftar (the traditional time to break ones’ fast during Ramadan) treat 🙂

      Reply

  2. zaydoun

    May 5, 2013 at 7:40 am

    Mike… did you believe every other story on this site?? It’s satire (def.: a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.)

    Reply

  3. Anonymous

    May 5, 2013 at 7:51 am

    Mike, Mike, Mike…..oh dear oh dear….. (shaking head)……

    Reply

  4. DAC

    May 5, 2013 at 7:51 am

    Clearly he didn’t get the memo.

    Reply

  5. Anonymous

    May 5, 2013 at 8:06 am

    The best part about this article, is Mike’s reply.

    Reply

  6. Quinotaur

    May 5, 2013 at 8:10 am

    This has not improved the general perception of people called Mike.

    Not that much would.

    Reply

  7. ATM

    May 5, 2013 at 9:50 am

    There’s always an outside, outside chance that the first response was meant as satire on satire. No, wait. Sorry, I just woke up.

    Reply

  8. Arsenalist

    May 5, 2013 at 10:14 am

    Have a day off Mike lol

    Reply

  9. Deb

    May 5, 2013 at 10:46 am

    Clucky McChickens is awesome! We eat there 6 times a week, except on Fridays when the maid gets a day off so that she can cook for our family!

    Reply

    • Merlin

      May 7, 2013 at 3:11 am

      That’s nice. I hope she pays for the ingredients herself?

      Reply

  10. Alan Sunlotion

    May 6, 2013 at 11:59 am

    I bet Mike’s an Aussie!

    Reply

    • I've got miles of piles

      May 24, 2013 at 6:30 am

      What’s the betting Mike has commented on the shisha article?

      Reply

  11. Dzhigit

    May 6, 2013 at 12:21 pm

    I agree with Mike. Bluddy disgrace.

    Reply

  12. booyah

    May 11, 2013 at 11:12 am

    mike is genius. bravo

    Reply

  13. Voice of Reason

    May 13, 2013 at 12:53 pm

    For a satire website, this article is really poor. What exactly is the point of this? Making fun of the franchise model? Maybe you should have fewer unemployed Fine Arts and English grads and hire someone with some knowledge of how the business world woks.

    Unless this is some meta-satire, where you satire satire…in which case, bravo.

    Reply

  14. Quinotaur

    May 15, 2013 at 6:56 am

    “Maybe you should have fewer unemployed Fine Arts and English grads and hire someone with some knowledge of how the business world woks.”

    Ah, so this was a Chinese fast food chain?

    Reply

  15. Dan

    January 23, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    His Dad probably spoke the words for him too

    Reply

  16. Some dude

    July 10, 2015 at 7:20 pm

    This is a joke right? An “entrepreneur!” Heh

    Reply

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