Afrikana was established in 2018 by business entrepreneur Omair Ali. The vision began when he identified a gap in the current market for authentic home-cooked Afrikana infused food.  This led to him introducing an African inspired restaurant offering high-end quality food infused with a twist of beautiful African flavours to Aldridge in the West Midlands.

We believe we have introduced a “homecooked” essence of African food to the main high street by incorporating authentic flavours in to dishes most loved by everyone. But we don’t stop there, we like to express the beautiful culture through art, music, interior and the overall ambience to ensure we provide customers with the full Afrikana experience.

During 2019, the company experienced a year full of fast paced growth, progression and development including 3 new company stores and multiple franchises being opened throughout the UK including Blackburn, Star City, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Leicester, Luton, London, Coventry, as well as securing deals internationally.

Our team specialises in a number of fields which ensure the business runs as smooth and efficiently as possible, including marketing, branding, finance, architecture and much more. During the current Covid-19 pandemic, we as a business have had to rapidly adapt to the new normal, but through it all, the company stood united by its team, every employee, every franchisee and every customer, we’re always here to help.

Whilst 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, Afrikana took this time to support its franchisees and strengthen their franchise model.  We are now ready to continue with our development across the UK in 2021.

Franchise models and costs

There are 3 different Afrikana store models – Lil’ Afrikana, Afrikana and Afrikana XL.

Lil’ Afrikana (Takeaway/express model)

• SQ FT: 600 – 1000
• Seating: 20 to 40 seats
• Total project cost: £150,000 – £200,000

The Afrikana

• SQ FT: 1,500 – 2,500
• Seating: 50 – 100
• Total project cost: £310,000 – £375,000

Afrikana XL

• SQ FT: 2,500 – 4,000
• Seating: 100 – 200 seats
• Total project cost: £390,000 – £475,000