Beirut-born fast-food concept, Funky Bun recently expanded to the UAE and its Lebanese founder Maria Batoul promises that it will shake up the local burger scene.
Maria spoke about how she started the concept with no F&B experience to now expanding it regionally from Beirut to Dubai.
She said: “It all began in 2018 in the back of my kitchen in Beirut. At the time I was very active on social media creating artwork, cooking and sharing recipes with my followers. One day I decided that I wanted to combine the best of both worlds: food that looks like art, while simultaneously treating my taste buds. It had to be sweet, salty and with a kick of heat – just how I like it. So, I thought to myself that flamin’ hot Cheetos will do the trick. Not only are they colourful, but I knew I could play around and really have fun with them as an ingredient.”
Maria created her first dish, which she called the Funky Sandwich, before developing her signature burger and mozzarella sticks. She said: “People were very intrigued and every day I had requests to try out my recipes. It started off with close friends – and suddenly strangers. I’ve always been very entrepreneurial, so I thought to myself ‘Why not try and turn this into a business?’ And so I did. I took my time researching the ins and outs of the F&B world, studying how I could turn this into a profitable business, knowing full well I had zero experience within this industry.”
The young entrepreneur started creating the dishes at home and serving through delivering to cut down on overhead costs. “Essentially, I started a cloud kitchen from home and it boomed,” she added. “I was taken aback by how many people were waiting for me to launch. It was a beautiful yet overwhelming surprise.”
With no previous culinary experience, Maria moved to the UK to learn how to cook from scratch. “The first things I learned were mainly Nigerian and Sierra Leonian traditional dishes such as jollof rice and groundnut stew. Once you master these dishes, everything else becomes easy.
“I kept experimenting with different dishes and different cultures until I found my specific taste bud, which even to this day is a real melting pot. It was evident to me that my love for cooking only grew fonder as the years passed, and showering my loved ones with food became a daily love language. I think when you’re so passionate about something, it just becomes part of who you are, like second nature.”
It was never about the monetary value, but due to the inflation and the economic crisis in Lebanon her suppliers could no longer afford to bring flamin’ hot Cheetos from the United States.
She added: “I personally didn’t want to increase my prices because of my integrity – it just didn’t align with my morals and most of my clients wouldn’t be able to afford the food with the increase in prices from all the suppliers. So, I made a decision to temporarily close, as did many businesses in Beirut at the time. After a small break, I decided it was time to feed more people”
She then decided to launch in the more stable Dubai, a city where diners love burgers. And to stand out, Batoul says she is offering a different mix of flavours. She said: “I believe that the items I’ve created are very different from your usual burger joint. It’s an experience of different tastes all mixed into one. It’s a fusion of so many different cultures dipped into one dish. The food speaks for itself and once the customer has a taste, it becomes quite addictive.
Hoping to expand Funky Bun across Dubai. She added: “My first step is to develop the brand, set up a solid customer base – and then open an actual restaurant to maximise the customer experience. I will definitely be waiting at the door, full of excitement. I can’t wait to see Funky Bun reach its full potential and I am looking forward to growing along with it. It’s all still a learning curve, but one I am loving!”
