“Going into a new market requires humility. You don’t know the market well, and you have to accept that.”

In this year-in-review episode, Hashem looks back on 2025 and what it actually took to open two restaurants in Riyadh in one year.​

It’s a conversation about going up the learning curve fast, staying humble, and why consistency always outlasts hype.​​

Chapters:

0:00 Coming up...

6:13 Navigating Expansion into Saudi Arabia

10:01 Understanding Local Market Differences

13:44 The Impact of Social Media

21:19 The Role of Technology in F&B

25:12 Seeking Balance in a Digital World

35:43 What comes next? 

39:19 Keith McNally's book