Home-grown burger brand Pickl is expanding to Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah, with branches in both locations set to open on Friday.
The Ras Al Khaimah venue will be the brand's first drive-through outlet, located at Lagoon Stop in Mina Al Arab. There will also be 30 outdoor seats for those who prefer to stop and enjoy their food. Meanwhile, the Sharjah location will be a dine-in venue at Al Hirah Beach, with indoor and outdoor seating for up to 70.
"We are thrilled to bring Pickl to even more people throughout the UAE," said Steve Flawith, founder and chief executive of Pickl. "The residents of RAK and Sharjah have long been asking for us to open in their emirates, and we’re excited to show those who haven’t tried the brand just what they’ve been missing out on."
Founded by Flawith and Nabil Al Rantisi, Pickl launched in Dubai in 2019 and has rapidly grown, with 12 branches across the UAE. The burger joint also ranked fourth globally, for its chicken sando burger, in the Deliveroo 100 Report, a list comprising the dishes ordered most on the platform.
Pickl in the metaverse
In March, Pickl became the first UAE restaurant to enter the metaverse. It launched a range of brand-themed games, Pickl NFTs and virtual apparel, which can be worn by avatars or exchanged for Pickl apparel in physical stores.
“In the future, we want our virtual restaurant to replicate the full customer experience of our real-world venues,” Flawith said.
“We even plan to integrate it with delivery, so customers can order their Nashville Chicken Sando or Double Cheeseburgers in the metaverse and then receive their burgers direct to their door — the full virtual-to-physical experience. We are actively exploring this possibility as we speak.”
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
