Market entry for fast food concept -

Abstract

Mekaprep is a startup that aims to serve authentic, tasty, and freshly prepared food to people on the go. Mekaprep is launching a new concept in the Lebanese-Arab fast food production where it offers freshly made fast food through vending machines. The startup will launch through “BakeandGo”, a vending machine that offers the Lebanese Manoushe in under two minutes. The Manoushe is a pizza-like fast food that is made up of flat circular dough topped mainly with thyme or cheese. In Lebanon, the Manoushe is the most demanded breakfast and it has ranked number two on CNN’s list for the tastiest Middle-Eastern food. Like the Shawarma and Hummus, the Manoushe can be found in many international cities as it is spreading through the Levant area diaspora. The Manoushe hasn’t spread efficiently globally yet due to (1) the expertise needed to perfect the taste in different markets with different raw materials and (2) the labour intensive operation of food preparation which raises the costs of operation significantly as the required labour force should be experienced. With the increase in globalization, and the relatively recent high exposure of Dubai’s market, the Lebanese cuisine has gained an excellent reputation for tasty food products internationally. Mekaprep’s business model consists of designing and manufacturing the aforementioned vending machines, deploying the machines in locations with high foot traffic, preparing the raw materials through self-owned kitchens, the replenishment of the machines with the food ingredients, and maintaining the machines. The vending machines allow for the higher accessibility to food on the go as they run on low amperage through standard electrical plugs, allowing the machines to be placed practically anywhere around the world. They also allow for the reduction of labour costs when it comes to the food preparation, which in turn allows for high quality food products at low costs, internationally. Through “BakeandGo” a consumer woul