The Abrakebabra Concept

START-UP: THE FIRST ABRAKEBABRA RESTAURANT

The Opportunity

Graeme Beere grew up in Donnybrook, a prosperous district in the heart of Dublin city. Graeme 'oozes' the traits of a 'young entrepreneur': ambition, high energy, determination, vision, creativity, an un-moving self-belief, and the ability to take risks. For example, at eight years of age he had cooked french fries at home and sold bags of them to local children; at twelve he held bicycle auctions in his front garden, selling to both children and adults; after leaving school he established a trucking business; and by twenty-two he opened the first Abrakebabra restaurant.

In the early 1980s Irish law required all pubs to close at a fixed time, which was, for example, at 11pm during the winter months. Therefore, following an evening of consuming 'pints' of beer, many young Dubliners sought food and further entertainment. However, the only available food at such a late hour was from the local fish and chip shop, more commonly referred to as the 'chipper'. A 'chipper' serves a standard menu of food of chips, sausages, fish and burgers, which has remained largely unchanged for decades. The food is served on a 'to go' basis- with no facility to 'eat-in'. The limited range of food, the lack of seating and the general décor of these venues; meant that for many, the 'chipper' experience was not very satisfying. The alternatives to the 'chipper' were to eat at home, an unattractive option after a night out, or a restaurant, an option beyond the budget of most young people at the time.

Graeme regularly socialised in the central Dublin area and its surrounds, including the areas of Ranelagh and Rathmines . He was frustrated by the lack of eating options late at night. He started selling fast food at the front of an off-licence (Deveney's) in the Rathmines area. Graeme asked himself 'what food is available to people like himself- young image conscious people on a limited budget?' Graeme's answer was to create a new concept in fast-food- Abrakebabra.

The Abrakebabra concept

Graeme's concept was a fast-food restaurant that would offer a menu and physical layout that would appeal to his generation - a menu of exotic fare such as kebabs as well as the 'old reliables' of burgers and french fries, and a design that was trendy. Graeme had visited London on a number of occasions, which exposed him to kebabs as a fast-food product- a product not widely known in Dublin. He sought to differentiate his restaurant concept from his rivals (the traditional chipper), in two additional ways. First was in terms of opening hours: he would open for longer; and second, he would offer an 'eat-in' option