The UAE’s GrubTech, a platform that digitises the back-end operations of restaurants and cloud kitchens, has expanded to Egypt, further diversifying its regional operations.
GrubTech plans to invest $5 million in the Arab world's third largest economy and most populous county over the coming 12 to 18 months, as it seeks to make Egypt its springboard for Africa expansion, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
“I am so pleased for launching our operations in Egypt, which is one of the most important markets in the region,” said Mohamed Al Fayed, GrubTech’s co-founder and chief executive.
“There is a huge number of restaurants in the local market serving a large segment of the country’s population, which is a great opportunity for GrubTech to serve its clients through availing an easy-to-use integrated system,” he added.
With a population of 103 million and a median age of 25 years, Egypt has enormous potential. Egypt’s restaurants have experienced robust growth, with an estimated size of $17 billion annually, according to Egyptian cloud kitchen services operator The Food Lab.
Cloud kitchens, or ghost kitchens, are commercial establishments built to prepare food specifically for delivery and they have benefitted from the shift to online services during the coronavirus crisis. They have no physical presence as a restaurant, and offer delivery-only services from centralised premises through a mobile app.
The global cloud kitchen market is forecast to grow to $71.4bn by 2027 from about $43.1bn in 2019, according to Allied Market Research.
Founded in 2019 by Mr Al Fayed, Mohamed Hamedi and Omar Rifai, GrubTech enables its clients to digitise operations and management of online food orders and provides them with data to help streamline expenses.
Companies such as GrubTech have seen business pick up as the Covid-19 pandemic pushed the food industry online and established new habits.
GrubTech partners with food delivery aggregators, such as Talabat and Delivery Hero, and serves delivery-centric restaurants and delivery-only cloud kitchens, also known as dark or ghost kitchens.
GrubTech has raised a total of $18.4m, including $2m in a seed round in 2020, $3.4m in a pre-series A round in March of last year and $13m in a series A in December.
Proceeds from its latest funding, which was led by US-based Addition with participation from Mena-focused venture capital firms BY Ventures and Hambro Perks Oryx Fund, were earmarked for expansion to new markets.
The start-up now has offices in Egypt, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the UAE with 140 employees, and serves clients in 17 countries.
The Cairo office plans to double from 20 people to 40 in the short term, GrubTech Egypt country manager Osama Harfoush told The National.
“The Egyptian market is huge; it contains hundreds of thousands of restaurants and has a massive potential,” said Mr Harfoush, who previously served as Egypt country manager for delivery platform as well as regional operations manager for social traffic crowdsourcing app Wasalny.
In March, GrubTech signed a partnership agreement with Cairo-based digital payments service provider Paymob in a move that allows restaurants and cloud kitchens in Egypt to efficiently manage their payment systems through the GrubTech platform.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
