Key Facts
- ✓ Hady Kfoury founded Naya, a fast-casual Lebanese-inspired food chain, after training under renowned chefs Daniel Boulud and François Payard.
- ✓ The first Naya restaurant opened in 2008 and was featured in the New York Times just one week after launch, which proved critical to its early survival.
- ✓ Naya has grown to 44 locations on the East Coast with plans to expand to 200 locations nationwide by 2030.
- ✓ Kfoury operated Naya with seven locations for over a decade before partnering with a private-equity firm in 2020 to scale the business.
- ✓ The chain prioritizes quality by partnering with high-end butchers and securing vegetable deliveries three to four times per week.
- ✓ The company maintains very low staff turnover, with most general managers promoted from within the organization.
From Fine Dining to Fast-Casual
After training in Switzerland and working under celebrity chefs Daniel Boulud and François Payard in New York, Hady Kfoury entered the restaurant industry with a fine-dining pedigree. In 2008, he opened the first Naya, a Lebanese-inspired restaurant that would soon evolve into a fast-casual chain.
What began as a single location quickly gained momentum. A week after opening, a feature in the New York Times brought immediate attention, packing the restaurant for lunch and dinner. This early exposure helped prevent the business from shutting down after just a few months.
Over the next several years, Kfoury realized the food worked exceptionally well in a faster, more accessible format. He shifted the model to match how people naturally eat mezze—scooping dips and vegetables from shared plates—and began scaling. Today, Naya operates 44 locations and is riding the wave of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine as it becomes mainstream.
Myth 1: Fast Casual Is Easy
Many assume fast-casual dining is simpler than fine dining, but Hady Kfoury argues the opposite. Serving more guests at a faster pace demands mastery of systems and consistency at scale—often with more rigor than traditional fine dining.
The core challenge lies in the assembly-line format. Unlike cooking per order, you must plan food rotation and cooking quantities precisely to keep items fresh and avoid overcooking. This operational complexity requires constant attention.
My R&D doesn't stop. It keeps me up at night thinking about how we can keep improving what we do.
Any improvement must be rolled out carefully across all 44 restaurants, making scalability a delicate balancing act.
"My R&D doesn't stop. It keeps me up at night thinking about how we can keep improving what we do."
— Hady Kfoury, Founder of Naya
Myth 2: Expansion Equals Success
Growth is often celebrated as the ultimate goal, but Kfoury warns that expansion without readiness is chaotic. True growth only works when business fundamentals—training, supply chain, and quality control—are built to handle repetition.
From 2008 to 2020, Kfoury grew Naya to just seven locations without any partners. His focus was solely on profitability and building a great team, not on rapid expansion. This deliberate pace ensured the foundation was solid before scaling further.
In 2020, he partnered with a private-equity firm, a move that was initially intimidating. However, the partnership was structured with clear rules prioritizing those same fundamentals, proving that strategic growth is more valuable than fast growth.
Myth 3: Cutting Corners Boosts Profit
A common misconception in the industry is that reducing costs increases profitability. Kfoury firmly believes this approach undermines guest trust and damages the brand.
Authenticity, quality, and transparency are the pillars of enduring brands. While Naya aims to be affordable and sits in the middle of its category, Kfoury refuses to drop quality. He recently partnered with Pat LaFrieda, one of the best high-end butchers in the tristate area.
- Vegetable deliveries are scheduled three to four times per week for maximum freshness.
- Partnerships with premium suppliers ensure consistent quality.
- Cost-cutting is avoided to maintain guest trust and brand integrity.
These decisions demonstrate that long-term success is built on value, not shortcuts.
Myth 4: It's All About the Food
While food quality is critical, Kfoury emphasizes that the human element is equally important. What keeps guests returning and teams thriving is a culture of service, training, and retention.
Great food is really important, but there's a people component to it that you can't avoid.
Naya takes extremely good care of its team, resulting in very low staff turnover. Most general managers are grown within the company, fostering a stable and experienced leadership structure.
This focus on people creates a virtuous cycle: a supported team delivers better service, which builds a loyal customer base and drives sustainable growth.
Key Takeaways
Hady Kfoury's journey from fine dining to leading a 44-location fast-casual chain offers a masterclass in restaurant entrepreneurship. His experience challenges common assumptions and highlights what truly drives sustainable success in a competitive industry.
The path to scaling a restaurant brand is not about shortcuts or rapid expansion. It is built on a foundation of operational excellence, strategic patience, unwavering quality, and a deep investment in people. As Naya targets 200 locations by 2030, these principles remain its guiding compass.
"Great food is really important, but there's a people component to it that you can't avoid."
— Hady Kfoury, Founder of Naya
