Founder Story – Zed | Saudi FoodTech
Amid the rising demand for healthy and fast options in the food sector, Zed emerged as a Saudi brand offering a new model that balances restaurant-quality meals with the speed of ready-to-eat food. From the start, the company built on strong infrastructure—from a 5,600 m² central factory to a network of branches and self-service machines in prime locations—creating a modern food platform that fits seamlessly into people’s daily lives.
In this conversation, Zed’s founder takes us through a journey that started with a passion for making gelato and evolved into a story of local entrepreneurship aiming to build a Saudi brand with global reach.
1. Who were you before Zed, and what pushed you into this field?
Our journey began in 2010 with an ice cream production lab, the first step for our parent company, Al-Izdihar. Over time, we opened “Zaid’s Sweets and Ice Cream,” followed by “Dar Zaid,” a restaurant serving authentic homemade-style meals.
Through these years, we built experience and learned the food value chain—from production to delivery. That’s how the idea of Zed was born: a modern Saudi brand offering fast, healthy, high-quality options that could be available anywhere, meeting customers’ daily needs.
2. How did the idea of Zed start? What gap in the market inspired you?
At Dar Zaid, we saw firsthand what customers struggled with daily. Many wanted fresh, healthy meals but had to wait too long, while others settled for fast food available immediately but lacking quality. This gap was clear, and it proved there was a need for a new model combining speed and quality.
That’s when Zed was born—to deliver high-quality restaurant-level meals, fast enough for modern life, without compromising taste or nutrition.
3. What challenges did you face bringing high-quality meals into a ready-to-eat model?
Our biggest challenge was keeping the same level of freshness and quality while expanding. To solve this, we invested in a 5,600 m² state-of-the-art central factory equipped with the latest technology. It can prepare thousands of meals daily to exact standards. This factory became Zed’s beating heart, ensuring consistency across branches while enabling us to scale and meet growing demand.
4. How did your background shape Zed’s model?
I believe every successful business reflects its founder’s experiences. My background in gelato taught me that success isn’t only about flavor or service, but about building a complete system. From the start, I focused on the entire value chain: factory, technology, and customer experience. That’s why Zed is more than a restaurant or app—it’s a full food platform.
5. How did you design the customer experience to combine speed, quality, and flexibility?
From day one, the customer was at the center of every decision. In branches, we made sure meals were ready in under two minutes without losing quality. On the app, we launched subscription plans in 2024, which became a turning point. Without marketing campaigns, subscriptions grew naturally thanks to customer trust. People can subscribe weekly or monthly, pick meals, set pickup times, and adjust their plans anytime.
Nutritionists design the meals to be balanced and fit different needs. With this system, we combined speed and convenience with health and quality.
6. Can you share some numbers showing Zed’s growth?
In less than five years, we opened 63 branches—both dine-in and drive-thru—plus 22 self-service machines in universities, hospitals, ministries, banks, and companies across the Western region. This expansion allowed us to sell and deliver millions of meals.
On the app, after just a year and a half of subscriptions, even though it still represents a small share of orders, retention is above 75%. That makes it a strong driver for future growth.
7. How did you handle fast expansion while keeping the experience consistent?
Rapid expansion can be risky, so in the first five years we grew only in the Western region. That allowed us to understand customers and refine the model. At the same time, we invested in detailed operating standards, continuous training, and digital monitoring systems. This ensured consistency in every branch, no matter how fast we grew.
8. What role does data play in your operations and product development?
Data is our compass. We constantly analyze preferences and ordering patterns to create new meals for specific groups like families, students, or office workers. Data also helps us manage inventory, cut waste, and boost efficiency.
Right now, we’re integrating AI to personalize meals around people’s goals and lifestyles—aligning with where the global food industry is heading.
9. How do you see Zed’s role in Vision 2030 and Saudi Arabia’s support for entrepreneurs?
Saudi Arabia is transforming, and Vision 2030 built an ecosystem that supports innovation and entrepreneurship. At Zed, we see ourselves as part of that: creating jobs for Saudi youth, building a brand that can compete globally, cutting food waste, and encouraging healthier living.
We’ve partnered with government and academic institutions like the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, leading Saudi universities, and health and charity associations. We were also a gold sponsor of the Saudi FoodTech Summit 2025. These partnerships established Zed as an active player in the national shift toward a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.
10. What makes Zed stand out from local or global competitors as a long-term investment?
Zed stands out for its wide, diverse offerings that cater to all tastes and needs: full meals, fresh salads, sandwiches, unique desserts, and snacks. The menu blends authentic Saudi flavors with global favorites, giving customers—locals and visitors alike—a rich experience.
Another strength is flexibility. Zed adapts its model to different locations and formats. You might find a small branch inside a hospital, a kiosk in a university, a 24/7 vending machine, or a full-sized branch in a prime area.
This flexibility extends to the subscription app, letting customers easily plan their daily, weekly, or monthly meals to fit their lifestyle.
Together, this variety and adaptability make Zed different from any competitor, local or international—delivering both product diversity and accessibility.
11. What was the turning point that made you believe Zed could be a major success?
Innovation, teamwork, and trying new methods are part of our culture. From the start, repeat purchases, customer loyalty, and sales growth showed us Zed wasn’t just an idea—it was solving a real market need.
That belief pushed us to invest directly in infrastructure to stay close to customers. What stands out is that our growth began with significant family investment. The family believed in the idea and poured in its own resources to refine the model. That commitment reflects deep confidence in Zed’s success.
12. How will Zed benefit from becoming a joint-stock company and going public (IPO)?
Going public is the natural next step. It will allow us to expand to hundreds of branches in Saudi Arabia, then regionally and globally, while also upgrading our central factory with new production lines and more advanced technology.
It will also help us attract strategic investors who share our vision. We’ve already grown through acquisitions, and listing on the stock exchange will give us the tools to continue expanding through both new branches and acquisitions.
13. What’s your future vision?
In ten years, we want Zed to be part of people’s healthy daily routine, where anyone can find their perfect meal anytime, anywhere. Our vision is to become a global leader redefining fast food—offering innovative, healthy products that change eating habits for the better and build a more aware, active society, inspired by Saudi Vision 2030.
Zed’s journey shows how passion, when combined with planning, can grow into a full food ecosystem. With plans to list on the Saudi stock market, Zed is preparing for its next phase: opening hundreds of branches, adding new factory production lines, and expanding tech use to improve efficiency.
With this approach, Zed is shaping up to be an inspiring Saudi success story in healthy and ready-to-eat food, contributing to a more mindful lifestyle and aligning with Vision 2030 goals.
