Burgerizzr

Burgerizzr was founded in Riyadh in 2009 by Mohammed Al-Ruwaigh and his partners, starting with a single restaurant. The idea the company still repeats is that the beef is chilled, not frozen, and every burger is cooked to order at a price close to the global chains.

Growth came region by region. By 2015 there were 28 branches; in 2018 the chain launched its app and moved into the Eastern Province, and in 2020 into the Western Region around Jeddah. Burgerizzr listed on Nomu, the Saudi parallel market, in 2021 and moved to the main Tadawul exchange in 2024, one of the few burger chains anywhere that is a listed company in its own right. It now has more than 120 branches in 25 cities.

The menu mixes American formats with local tastes. There are classic beef, grilled chicken and fried chicken burgers on brioche, lighter Meltizzr versions on potato bread, keto burgers wrapped in lettuce and a double-double built on two beef patties, but also a fried chicken burger with Hasawi lime sauce, made with the small limes of the Al-Ahsa oasis, and a spicy Hibherizzr range. Family boxes, including a box of raw burger ingredients to cook at home on the grill, are a big part of the business.

More than 120 branches in 25 Saudi cities.

• SALT (United Arab Emirates, since 2014). Wagyu sliders from an Airstream on Dubai’s Kite Beach, the food truck that became a Gulf chain. Also built on chicken, beef and cheese.
• RocoMamas (South Africa). South Africa’s loud smashburger chain, with ribs, wings and a build-your-own menu. Also built on beef, cooked onions, cheese and a double stack.
• Herfy (Saudi Arabia, since 1981). Saudi Arabia’s home-grown burger chain since 1981, with its own bakeries and meat plant. Also built on beef, cheese and a double stack.
• Wimpy (South Africa, since 1934). An American burger bar named after Popeye’s hamburger-loving friend, now a South African institution. Also built on beef, cooked onions and cheese.