Big Smoke Burger Goes Global

The combination of boutique burgers and the Middle East's fascination with Western culture has turned Toronto-based Big Smoke Burger into somewhat of an international sensation. In the past few months, Mustafa Yusuf, the founder and CEO of the burger chain, and Dan Rowe, CEO at FranSmart, have opened locations in Kuwait, Riyadh, and soon will expand to Bahrain and Dubai. But going global has its challenges: "Non-Arabs can't own businesses in the Middle East, Yusu explains to The Globe and Mail. Rowe adds: "… All your employees are imported… which means you need to house them and sort out how to get them to your restaurants to work every day." Closer to home, Big Smoke Burger opened in Denver last summer, and will soon have locations in Detroit and Manhattan where they, most probably, will not be driving their employees to work.
· Big Smoke Burger expands to the Middle East [The Globe And Mail]