Shaikha Eissa Lutfi, Founder, She Burger
From an on-demand service to dine-in venues Emirati home-grown brand She Burger has come a long way. Brainchild of Shaikha Eissa Lutfi, She Burger started from her kitchen and went on to become a rage on Instagram, also named as the Top 10 Best Burgers in Dubai.
Five years on She Burger has expanded to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and has started a central cloud kitchen operation to serve more areas in the UAE. It has also launched a pop-up concept for winter called Kuro with a Japanese twist.
In an exclusive interview with RetailME Lutfi shared how the brand has evolved despite challenges.
What inspired you to start a burger brand?
I love to eat burgers. I love making them too. So, I started making burgers at home for family and friends. After researching a lot, trying out new sauces and making family and friends go through rounds of tasting, I started posting photos of the burgers Instagram. That’s when it started getting attention, gaining popularity. Eventually it pushed me to start a brand and She Burger was born.
What kind of challenges have you navigated?
I’ve faced a lot of challenges especially while I was operating the kitchen from home and even during the initial phase of launching the first restaurant. Things like choosing high quality beef and chicken was very challenging until I started receiving calls from big suppliers. I also got criticised but that didn’t stop me from proceeding; in fact, every time I was criticised it made me want to do better. Financially I was doing well but again we always have our ups and downs. But as I said I learnt a lot from my mistakes.
What is the latest twist you’ve added to She Burger?
I did a unique Wagyu Indomie noodle with Wagyu strips with Indomie noodles rich in Korean flavours, topped with a sunny side up egg and crunchy garlic. I like to say we’re not just about burgers but more than that. We like to explore unique appetizers and sharables.