Operations
Part 7 in our Founderology Forum’s Founders: Take 5 looks at Osmow’s, a Mediterranean brand in Canada that is expanding to the U.S.
Photo: Osmow’s
December 10, 2025 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group
Editor’s note: This is part 7 in a series featuring Founders of restaurant concepts answering five questions about building their companies. Click here to read the other installments.
Osmow’s is known for its classic Mediterranean food in a quick-service setting. Founder Sam Osmow has his family by his side as he runs his business, which was founded in 2001 in Streetsville, Ontario, Canada. Osmow’s has grown into a 220-unit super brand, and the company has been franchising since 2015.
Ben Osmow, the son of Founder Sam Osmow, answered a few questions in an email interview to talk about the brand’s investments, its growth plan and advice he’d give other Founders.
Q: What is your growth plan?
Osmow: Our plan is to be the largest Mediterranean brand in the world and be known for introducing shawarma with a modern twist to North American consumers.
Q: What has been the best decision you have made to date that accelerated the growth of your business?
Osmow: The best decision we have ever made was overinvesting in marketing in a big way. We topped up our marketing budget by an extra 100% via a loan to get the word out there: Osmow’s Mediterranean is a place you have to try and it worked. We were searched online over 400,000 times in that first month. Sales and franchise interest grew rapidly from there.
Q: What is something we should know about your concept?
Osmow: We are already the largest shawarma brand globally and have built a reputation for introducing many North Americans to Middle-Eastern cuisine in a modern and inviting way.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give a Founder who is trying to build a business to breakthrough?
Osmow: The best advice I would give is to manage your business like a sports team. Your best player needs to play, and you have to pay attention to what is selling tickets. Your stakeholders and the data will always tell you what is working and what is not.
Q: What is one menu item every customer must try on your menu?
Osmow: The one item I think everyone needs to try at Osmow’s is our OzBox: Greek salad on one side with Chicken on the Rocks on the other.
About Mandy Wolf Detwiler
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living.
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