Big Chefs, founded by Gamze Cizreli, who is on Forbes' list of the most important businesswomen of the EMEA Region, entered the African continent. Big Chefs, which has more than 60 restaurants in Europe and Asia, stepped into Africa with the restaurant it opened in Libya.
Anatolia, which has the richest cuisine in the world, has been taking important steps in the name of branding in food and beverage in recent years. Founded 16 years ago in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, Big Chefs is currently serving in cities such as Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir, Adana, Bodrum, Marmaris, Denizli, Iskenderun, Kayseri, Mersin.
The brand, which is a success story founded by Gamze Cizreli, has branches in Germany, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia around the world. Big Chefs, which has more than 60 restaurants in Asia and Europe, has turned its route to a new geography. Cizreli stepped into the African continent for the first time by opening Big Chef in Libya.
Cizreli opened Big Chefs with Alrafahiya International Services, a subsidiary of Libyan Akida Holding Group. Mahmoud Okok, the boss of Akida Holding, stated that the opening of the first restaurant of the Big Chefs restaurant chain in Libya is an important transaction for her company to grow in the cafe and restaurant sector.
Misrata and Benghazi are next.
Okok stated that the opening of the first Big Chefs branch in Libya will expand with branches to be opened in other cities, including Misrata and Benghazi. Okok said that the quality of food and service at Tripoli Big Chefs will be at the same level as the services provided in Turkey by the hands of international chefs from Turkey and with the help of chefs from Libya and various countries.
Founded on credit, preparing for public offering
Gamze Cizreli, who completed her education at the Department of Business Administration at METU, one of the most important universities in Turkey, defines the establishment of Big Chefs as "a brand established 100 percent with bank loans". Cizreli states that, after reaching four locations in Ankara between 2007-2009, they started the transition process to Istanbul in 2009 with the partnership of Saruhan Tan.
The Buselik brand of Big Chefs, which is prepared to go public, has 5 more branches in Istanbul. Big Chefs also owns a brand called Bigcatering, which provides catering services. Explaining her plans to grow through the social media she owns, Cizreli said, “We opened the 3rd restaurant in Europe in Antwerp, Belgium. Next are Ghent, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Hamburg.
Gamze Cizreli represented Turkey with Gülden Türktan in the list, which included 50 women over the age of 50 from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa who made a difference in fields such as business, politics, civil society, and science.
Who is Gamze Cizreli?
Gamze Cizreli was born in 1968 as the youngest of three children of an academician father and a housewife mother. Cizreli, who spent her childhood in Ankara, graduated from METU Business Administration Department in 1991. After graduation, she worked on a joint Turkish-American defense industry project. Changing the sector in 1994, Cizreli founded Cafemiz, one of the first cafes in Ankara, on Argentina Street with her first wife. Later, she founded Kuki, which serves in the pastry sector, and Quick China, which sells Far Eastern dishes, respectively. Cizreli, who went bankrupt in 2005, took out a loan in 2007 and founded BigChefs in Ankara. Gamze Cizreli, who founded Rafine Restaurant in Ankara with the partnership of Saruhan Tan in 2010, is still the manager of BigChefs as of 2020. Cizreli also founded the wrap chain called Dorom.co in 2016.