Al Farooj Fresh is an international chain of fast food restaurants based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).^[1] Al Farooj Fresh was the first fast-casual restaurant chain in UAE that offered foods such as shawarma sandwiches and chicken meals.^{[2][clarification needed]}

Al Farooj Fresh is a wholly owned subsidiary of Al Islami Foods, a company that provides halal food products, and has 18 branches worldwide including 14 in the UAE, 1 in Oman and 2 in Lebanon.^[3]

Al-Farooj Fresh was founded by a Lebanese family in 1994, with the first branch opening at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates that year. By 2006, the chain had expanded to a total of eight branches.^[4]

On February 25, 2006, at the Gulfood Exhibition held at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, it was announced that Al Farooj was acquired by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders,^{[citation needed]} an organisation launched in 2002 to encourage and facilitate the development of business and entrepreneurial activity among UAE nationals.^[5] The Establishment worked jointly with Al Islami to introduce the concept to UAE entrepreneurs after final approval of Al Islami on the franchisee selection.^{[citation needed]}

In February 2008, Al Islami acquired majority shares of the Al Farooj restaurant chain, relaunching the franchise later that month with plans to expand operations to serve the Middle Eastern market.^[6] Coinciding with the relaunch of Al Farooj Fresh, Al Islami announced plans to unveil their hospitality arm, of which Al Farooj Fresh was a major part of the portfolio – along with Al Islami Cart, Al Islami Meat Shops and a number of food products.^[7] The company's expansion continued into 2009, with Al Islami revealing that they would be expanding the Al Farooj chain to 17 branches with an investment of DHS 8 million (appx $2.2 million), providing them with 17 branches worldwide consisting of 14 in the UAE, 1 in Oman and 2 in Lebanon.,^[3] and Kuwait.