For Osmow’s Shawarma, making a difference in the lives of others is a worldwide endeavour, from the Canadian communities in which it operates to nations experiencing humanitarian crises
By Roma Ihnatowycz
While many franchisors show tremendous generosity in their charitable initiatives, Osmow’s Shawarma took it to the next level when in 2020 the brand set up its own charity, Osmow’s Hope Fund. The impetus was simple: the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food franchise wanted to fully “walk the talk” and contribute as much as it could from its fundraising efforts.
“We wanted to have a charity that allowed us, both locally and abroad, to help others and to have something where 100 per cent of the proceeds are given to charity,” says Bernadette Farag, president and chief marketing officer for Osmow’s Shawarma. “Osmow’s covers all the administrative costs in order to ensure that we give 100 per cent of what we receive and collect, and what we ourselves contribute.”
Last year alone, Osmow’s raised $108,000, a number that it is confident that it will surpass by the time the year comes to a close. And the company’s generosity in helping others has not gone unnoticed: it was recently awarded the 2024 Canadian Franchise Association’s Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award, a well-deserved honour.
From the very start, says Farag, giving back to the community has been an integral part of the company’s ethos and something that its founder, her father, exemplified in his daily life. Originally from Egypt, Sam Osmow is known as someone willing to help those in need and remains humble about his efforts.
“Growing up, my brother Ben [Osmow, CEO and head of franchise operations] and I always heard of our father doing extremely kind things,” says Farag. “People would come up to us and say, ‘Did you know he helped me with this? Did you know he bought us that?’ It was very eye-opening and inspiring.”
A successful business professional in his home country, and later in Kuwait, Sam also knew what it was like to start life anew in a new place, from the bottom up. When he arrived in Canada, he initially worked in a gas station, while his wife worked in a factory, until they were able to save enough money to achieve their dream of owning their own business.
That eventually led to the launch of Osmow’s Shawarma, a quick service restaurant selling savoury Middle Eastern and Mediterranean specialities, including its delicious namesake shawarma dish, straight off the rotisserie. The brand has now grown to over 175 locations in multiple provinces, including Ontario, its home province, as well as B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. More recently, it started expanding into the U.S., with locations in Miami and Buffalo, and more to come soon.
Focus on giving
From the very start, Osmow’s has operated with a social conscience. Given the nature of the restaurant business, the brand’s philanthropy often revolved around helping feed people in need. “We have our own plant and make our own food, so we make sure that we regularly supply local shelters and food banks,” says Farag.
With the launch of Osmow’s Hope Fund, Osmow’s now engages more actively in charitable initiatives abroad, something that is close to the family’s heart, given their own background. “We come from Egypt, and we’ve always known what [developing] countries are like in terms of poverty, so we wanted to create a charity that allowed us to help both locally and abroad,” says Farag.
Through its fund, Osmow’s charitable efforts have extended as far as Zambia, India, Pakistan, and Egypt. “In Zambia and India we are feeding children in their places of learning,” explains Farag. “It costs approximately $31.70 to feed one child daily for the entire school year, so we’ve been able to feed over 2,200 children daily thus far, and the number is increasing.”
This year, proceeds from the Osmow’s Hope Fund will go to creating access to clean water wells, building kitchens and schools, and in Egypt, helping construct an outpatient clinic. “It’s about creating sustainability,” points out Farag. “But it’s not just about looking at [developing] countries. It’s also about focusing locally and being able to provide on both spectrums.”
The company raises funds for these and other humanitarian initiatives in a number of ways—sports tournaments, website drives, an employee opt-in program that allows them to donate out of their payroll, and an annual “Roundup November” campaign that gives Osmow’s customers the opportunity to round up the total of their meal purchase, with excess change going to the charity. According to Farag, it’s been a huge success.
“We have a prominent poster up in our locations to create awareness, and employees are trained to say, ‘Would you like to round up for Osmow’s Hope Fund?’ There is also a flyer there to tell [customers] all about it,” she says. “The response has been great overall because it really resonates with people. I also honestly think that the fact that 100 per cent of the proceeds go directly to the cause is a big factor in why people are interested.”
Franchisee buy-in
That interest extends to Osmow’s franchisees, some of whom come from developing countries themselves, and have seen the impact of extreme poverty first-hand. In addition to the annual November drive, franchisees can make their own contributions to the fund or participate in an annual cricket tournament, as well as a volleyball tournament, organized by Osmow’s. All money raised goes to Osmow’s Hope Fund.
Nakul Nandrajog, a franchisee with five Osmow’s locations in the Greater Toronto Area, contributes $1,000 annually to the fund from each of his restaurants and actively promotes the annual Roundup November campaign. He says the response to the campaign from customers has been strong. Nandrajog also played in the Osmow’s cricket tournament last year. His team, made up of staff from his restaurants and his business partners, even made it to the finals.
“I want to help out as much as I can,” says Nandrajog, who is originally from India. “For me, it’s important to help out people in need. I want everyone to have at least one meal a day, and it gives me satisfaction to know that at least I did something for someone.”
Nandrajog credits Osmow’s warm and approachable management style not only for the brand’s business success but also for inspiring franchisees like himself to get actively involved in their charitable efforts. “The Osmow’s head office is like a family, and they always take good care of their franchisees,” he says. “It’s not a big corporation, it’s a family-run business. I can call anyone there and they’re always available—Sam’s available, Bernadette, and Ben. It’s a positive environment to work in, so you naturally want to help.”
Having the franchisees onside is important for Osmow’s, and weekly business memos sent out to them always include information on its charitable work. More importantly, the company has started incorporating this information into its initial meetings with new franchisees and its training program, so awareness of their humanitarian efforts is created from the start.
“We want to ensure that it’s embedded, so we started looking at the initial touchpoints we have with our franchise partners—because we want to attract like-minded people,” says Farag. “I really believe it makes Osmow’s more attractive to prospective franchisees.”
With a strong, supportive team keen to help others, Osmow’s is both growing a successful business while also doing its bit to help ease hunger, both at home and abroad, one meal at a time.
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