“Thanks to Otter, we are in a very relaxed state. Otter does all the hard work for us. All we have to think about is making the food."
The way the world eats might be changing dramatically, but one thing will always stay the same: Saudi's love for a delicious Basbousa after a great meal. Mqammer is on a mission to keep the Oriental Pastry tradition alive across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by delivering it directly to people’s homes. We met with Abu Yassin, a 25-year veteran of the pastry industry, to learn more about operating a ghost kitchen specialised in Oriental Pastry—and how they manage their delivery operations alongside Otter.
Revisiting the oriental classics
When Mqammer opened its virtual doors in March 2022, they knew they would be in for a hectic start with the yearly Ramadan rush for Oriental Pastries just around the corner. “During Ramadan, we had plenty of business. Despite us being in our testing and learning phase, things were running smoothly,” Abu Yassin explains.
Mqammer has set itself apart by relying on Abu Yassin’s years of experience in Oriental Pastry across Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Operating from a ghost kitchen allows them to succeed while focusing on baking the classics to perfection. “We currently have five items on the menu: Muqamarat, Auyoun Almaha, Basbousa Classic, Basbousa Rose, and Konafa with cheese, which we are the only ones to offer in Riyadh.”
Riding the delivery wave in Saudi Arabia
"Otter made delivery very easy for us. As soon as we receive an order from a customer, it gets automatically accepted and printed in the kitchen, which speeds up our service and makes our customers happy.”
Whether you work in the restaurant industry or not, you must have noticed the uptick in food delivery since the start of the pandemic. The delivery market has more than tripled since 2017 and Saudi Arabia alone makes up 1% of it. This is why, in recent years, restaurants have been switching their focus to delivery, with more and more businesses opting for a delivery-only model.
Mqammer is part of this group, selling exclusively via platforms like Jahez, Hungerstation, and The Chefz. Abu Yassin explains that keeping customers happy by reducing waiting times is the name of the game in the delivery industry. He tells us that his main priority is to keep things running as efficiently as possible in the kitchen, which is no easy task when you are having to juggle orders from several delivery tablets.
Getting up and running with Otter
"If you are not using Otter then you are falling behind. Otter makes our life so much easier. It reduces the number of customer complaints as well as their waiting times and allows us to focus on giving them the best service.”
For Mqammer, operating from a ghost kitchen is the perfect opportunity to capitalise on the rise of delivery while keeping operating costs at bay. However, getting started in delivery can be very difficult to manage. “When we first started, we were still learning and had a few bumps along the road, but Otter made delivery very easy for us,” Abu Yassin explains. “As soon as we receive an order from a customer, it gets automatically accepted and printed in the kitchen, which speeds up our service and makes our customers happy.”
Otter’s Order Manager solution helps Mqammer consolidate its delivery services into a single tablet. “Thanks to Otter, we are in a very relaxed state. Otter does all the hard work for us. All we have to think about is making the food. Before, we had to do everything manually, from taking orders to printing the tickets for the kitchen staff. It was a real headache.”
Keeping service flowing and waiting times to a minimum is a great way to stay competitive and rank higher on delivery platforms, which is where Otter’s auto-accept feature comes into play. It ensures that Mqammer never misses an order which guarantees them a high order acceptance rate and very happy customers.
One of Mqammer’s most-used features is Otter’s Menu Management solution which helps them manage their menu across all their delivery platforms. “Being able to add and remove menu items across all delivery platforms simultaneously is a real-life-saver and has helped us manage our stock when we are running low on a specific item.”
From Abu Yassin’s 25 years of experience working in various restaurants, he has learned that having the time to focus on your food and providing the best service possible is the key to succeed in the delivery business. “The advice I would give to anyone working in the food and beverage industry is, if you are not using Otter then you are falling behind. Otter makes our life so much easier. It reduces the number of customer complaints as well as their waiting times and allows us to focus on giving them the best service.”
How to support Mqammer
If you are in Riyadh, you can support Mqammer by ordering food from their delivery platforms. Our suggestion? A delicious Konafa with cheese will get the job done.
