Interview: Cloud kitchen Kitopi is now investing in bricks-and-mortar restaurants

Interview: Cloud kitchen Kitopi is now investing in bricks-and-mortar restaurants

The company hinted at expansion outside the region earlier this year, but Sabine El Najjar, Managing Director, KSA, said while international markets are part of the company’s long-term plan, current focus is on its existing markets.

According to El Najjar, Kitopi is now seeing the demand for dining in returning. “While Kitopi’s early focus had been on delivery, with our investments in brands recently, we’ve expanded our offering to enable customers to engage in new ways beyond online ordering and delivery,” she said.

It now operates on what it refers to as an “omnichannel” basis, with dine-in restaurants, cloud kitchens and food halls in one venue.

The implication is that Kitopi will follow the direction of greatest demand going forward: “Our multi-brand vision will take us towards a future where we will be bringing customers a food experience through multiple channels, be it dine-in, delivery or pick up,” said El Najjar. “We will continue to grow all aspects of our cloud kitchen and dine-in business as we innovate and optimise our kitchens to be able to cater to all these experiences.”

Kitopi is not simply changing from online to brick and mortar but providing a combination of both, said El Najjar: “The future demand