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Chris Khalifa Tells Us How He’s Transplanting His Restaurant Empire From Cairo To New York

They say New York has a little of everything. But when you look a little closer, that’s not always the case. And one thing New York is sorely missing is authentic Egyptian street food. Chris Khalifa aims to change that. After opening eight Zooba restaurants in Egypt, he’s bringing his special blend of street eats and fresh gourmet ingredients to NYC. And local foodies couldn’t be happier. Chris was kind enough to host us last week at the space that will soon become Zooba, where we asked him about his restaurant empire and what’s it’s been like to bring it over to the Big Apple. 

So Chris, you’ve opened a number of your Zooba restaurants in Egypt. What was it about New York that made you want to come open a Zooba here too?

It’s always been our dream to take Zooba out of Egypt. Our mission is to “represent our fresh taste of contemporary Egyptian street food and culture, neighborhood by neighborhood” and there isn’t a more impactful way to do that than to open Zooba outside of our home country. It wasn’t a difficult decision for us to decide where. New York is one of the culinary capitals of the world, it’s a city where people aren’t afraid of trying new things and where the average restaurant goer has a level of food knowledge and appreciation that probably rivals many chefs around the world. New York is also a second home for me, my mother was born and raised in New York and her entire family lives here. We spent all our summers here growing up, so when we began to consider taking Zooba out of Egypt, New York felt like the natural choice. We tried to ignore the fact that it’s also probably the most competitive restaurant city in the world in order to keep what’s left of our sanity.

Having opened so many restaurants in Egypt, you must be a real pro. But at the same time, I’m sure building out and launching a place in New York presents unique challenges. What are some of the new things you’ve had to face and overcome here to get Zooba off the ground?

I’m not sure there’s such a thing as a pro when it comes to opening restaurants. If there is, I definitely don’t qualify. Every restaurant is its own new rollercoaster of unplanned surprises and endless delays. I’ve been in the business for seven years now and I’ve still never been able to open a restaurant on time. I think what you become a pro at is dealing with the stress and coming to terms with the fact that it’s going to be an imperfect process. New York isn’t very different in that sense. What’s great about New York for me is that there are clear guidelines to follow, whether for construction or any kind of licensing, It’s easy to get the information I need and know what the steps are that I need to follow. I think what I’m still getting used to is how expensive everything here is. Our New York location will cost us about five times more to build than what it would cost in Egypt. To be fair, the average check is also about five times higher.

Zooba is known for updating classic Egyptian street foods with ultra-fresh ingredients and gourmet flourishes. That’s something we don’t really have in New York. I know the restaurant doesn’t open for a couple more months, but what’s it been like to already hear so much excited anticipation from New York foodies and media about this new addition to our city’s list of cuisines?

It’s a little unbelievable. Like I said before, New York is a dream for us and we have so much respect and admiration for so many restaurants and chefs here and for the food scene here in general that we almost can’t believe we’re being given this opportunity or even being noticed at all. I think our concept is unique and I think it has helped us that we are already successful in our home country. We’re taking it all with a grain of salt for now. The important thing is that people are as excited about us coming to New York after they’ve tried our food.

We really like your clean, classic, simple style. Is that important to you as a restauranteur, having something almost like a uniform that you can just throw on and go out the door in?

I think my style has gotten simpler over time. I’m still very particular though and even the simplest pieces can come in a thousand cuts and fits, so I wouldn’t say that it’s really like a uniform for me. It takes me a very long time to find the perfect T-shirt [smiles]. I still enjoy getting creative with my clothes even if the general theme is simple.

Once Zooba New York is open, what’s next for you and your restaurant empire?

One step at a time for us. Our focus is on that first New York location [on Kenmare] for now. I think the opportunities are endless after that but we’re in no rush and we want to make sure we’re bringing something truly special for now with this first location.

If you liked this story, check out more from our Urban Transplants issue.


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