It’s not only falafel

The expansion of a popular fast-food franchise offers a lesson for all would-be entrepreneurs

Just Felafel is taking on what may be its biggest challenge: selling affordable, healthy Arabian street food in India. Stephen Lock for The National

From Central Station in Sydney to Covent Garden in London, consumers are enjoying a taste of the UAE. As The National ­reported yesterday, Just Falafel – the brainchild of entrepreneur Mohamad Bitar – has become a major force in the world of fast food. From just one outlet in Abu Dhabi's Hamdan Street in 2007, the chain now has 52 restaurants in 18 countries.

Now, the company is taking on what may be its biggest challenge: selling affordable, healthy Arabian street food in India, a country that already has an abundant supply and range of cheap, delicious street food.

India is a huge market and the UAE chain has an advantage in that its products are vegetarian. But, as the Just Falafel managers undoubtedly know, making it big in any market isn’t only a matter of having a good product; it’s in marketing that product. The power won’t only be in the falafel itself but in the brand too.

If consumers associate a brand name with a product type – in the same way that, for example, Coca-Cola has become synonymous with soft drinks in many parts of the world – then the sky is the limit.

No matter what you are selling, the secret to success often lies with the intangible intellectual property of a catchy name and the clever marketing of that brand so that consumers will seek it out.