Cloud kitchen platform Kitopi acquires Dubai F&B operator AWJ

Cloud kitchen platform Kitopi acquires Dubai F&B operator AWJ

Dubai: One of the biggest names in the cloud kitchen space, Kitopi has bought out Dubai-based F&B business AWJ, and the name behind delivery and dine-in brands such as Operation Falafel, Catch 22, Awani, and Sushi Do. The latter opened its first outlet in Dubai in 2014 and since expanded the line up to more than 10 brands and 32 plus outlets in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Operation Falafel has more than 2 million customers globally per year. AWJ also has franchises running in New York and London. It employs more than 1,300. Cloud kitchen and virtual-only restaurant brands have had three record years of growth and the trend is set to continue as the concept expands in the core UAE and Saudi markets and starts seeing itself in others. Kitopi itself has raised a significant funding corpus to fire its expansion and deals. Last year in March, it announced a $415 million funding round that saw Japanese investment heavyweight Softbank come into the picture. Kitopi now has over 100 brands, operating in more than 200 locations across five markets. The deal – the value is undisclosed - will see the AWJ brands ‘eye expansion in new markets where