Big and juicy Fatburger comes to town

The team welcomed foodies to its opening at Dolmen City.

KARACHI:

In 1952, an American woman Lovie Yancey, had a dream to make the world’s greatest burgers. Today, after 60 years, her dream has carved its way from Los Angeles to Karachi — Fatburger has now made a home for itself at Dolmen City Mall.

“We are introducing healthy and juicy burgers in town keeping in mind the health-conscious lifestyle Pakistanis now have. Fatburger serves this purpose and I believe it is today’s requirement,” says Samiullah Mohabbat, CEO of Bil Foods Limited, who is behind this new venture. This is the first time the concept of lean beef is being introduced in the market and will only be provided to customers on a “freshly ground and cook-to-order” format.

“The beef comes all the way from the US and is halal — a Muslim slaughter house called Midamar is our supplier,” he asserted, in order to clarify any misconceptions people might have. He also admitted that the franchise’s first outlet was meant to open in Lahore at MM Alam Road but as fate had it, Karachi became the first destination. “We received a better offer in Karachi, so we came here first,” he says.

They plan to open a total of five outlets in three major cities of Pakistan; the entire investment adds up to Rs 500 to 700 million.

It will be the first time that this kind of meat will be offered in the country. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ EXPRESS

The launch

As foodies made their way through the colourful entrance of the mall and followed the red carpet to the second floor on Friday, they were welcomed by the utter extravagance of a red and yellow Fatburger theme — red balloons, waiters sporting red aprons and red and yellow decor. It took approximately six months to design the entire vicinity and it was done by Hong Kong based designer Robert Lee; wooden ceiling and flooring added warmth to the cosy environment.

Staying true to the traditions set by Yancey — R&B music playing in the background for her customers — the crowd in Karachi was greeted by an on-going rehearsal by Lahore-based band Chaar Paye on Bee Gees Stayin’ Alive. The band also made its debut in Karachi at the event with a few original Punjabi numbers.

Although the chain’s menu includes four different sizes of burgers internationally, in Pakistan they will only stick to three — single, double and triple. “We have to keep a market-competitive price range [affordability factor] in mind,” Mohabbat justifies the decision. On the side, home-made onion rings imported from Spain will be served along with a choice of lemonade, soda or chocolate and strawberry milkshakes.

“We’ve been making the same burgers for years and the recipe hasn’t changed,” says Andrew A Wiederhorn, Chairman and CEO of Fatburger North America Inc, who was also present at the opening. “We went global in 2006; opening outlets in Canada, then China and then in Dubai. Today, we have over 140 outlets across the globe.” He also feels that Pakistanis will be “overwhelmed with the quality stuff that we provide” and hopes it will be a tremendous success.

Amongst the crowd, was an enthusiastic teenage customer Moiz Khozema who was looking forward to the opening of Fatburger. However, he was forced to compare it to other fast food joints in the country and says, “This one looks like it’s an international food place but it’s not cheap — in fact, it’s rather expensive.” He feels most people wouldn’t be able to afford it and might just end up coming once and not every other day.

All in all, it was a day of rejoice for Mohabbat as he says, “We are truly meant for meat lovers.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2013.

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