Franchising

Forget franchise brokers: Tahini’s recruits operators through YouTube

Most brands use social media to fill seats. Tahini’s is using it to fill its franchise pipeline. CMO Aly Hamam shares how the 76-unit chain ties videos to store sales and hands that audience to new operators.

Photo: Tahini's CMO Aly Hamam poses with a fan, whose mother, Juliet Noronha, became a franchisee.

October 26, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

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For Juliet Noronha, the path to franchising started with her son's YouTube habit.

He was a fan of Tahini's CMO Aly Hamam, whose videos have helped the London, Ontario-based fast-casual chain amass over 3 million YouTube subscribers and 2 billion video views, largely among younger audiences.

When the family spotted one of the chain's restaurants, he begged to go in. They loved the food. Noronha was already looking for a business, and today she runs a Tahini's in Toronto with partner Saurav Kaushal.

"The kids look at Aly, who is in the videos, like he's a celebrity!" she said in a press release.

Noronha's path isn't a fluke. It's increasingly how Tahini's grows. The chain, which has 76 restaurants and 70 franchisees, opened eight of those in 2026, including its first locations in Vancouver and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Two U.S. units, in Chicago and New Jersey, will open before year's end, and the brand plans to add 30 restaurants across Canada and the U.S. over the next two years.

For operators trying to make social media pay off, Tahini's offers a lesson that goes beyond going viral: Views only matter if they lead somewhere, whether that's a guest walking through the door or a fan signing a franchise agreement.

Make the brand the pitch

Tahini's doesn't produce a separate stream of content aimed at prospective franchisees.

"Honestly, we don't make separate content for investors. The best franchise pitch is a brand people already love," Hamam said in an email interview with FastCasual. "A franchisee who has been a customer first already believes in the product."

That doesn't mean the business side stays off camera. Behind-the-scenes videos show how a store runs. Grand opening videos show lines around the block. And Aly Hamam and founder and CEO Omar Hamam appear hands-on in the content.

"A potential franchisee watching that sees proof of demand and a leadership team that shows up," Aly Hamam said.

The brand also makes it easy to act. Franchise links sit in social bios and on the website, and the franchise team follows up quickly with anyone who reaches out.

Noronha said that leadership visibility mattered when she met the founders.

"When I met with Aly and Omar, Tahini's CEO, I could tell how invested they are in the brand, food and community," she said in the release.

Measure more than views

Likes are easy to count. Connecting them to sales is harder, and Aly Hamam said Tahini's doesn't trust any single method to do it.

When a video takes off, the company compares store-level traffic and sales over the following days with the same period the week before and the year before. Staff ask guests how they heard about the brand. That's how Tahini's learned how many customers found it through social media.

Comments double as market research. When viewers keep writing "come to my city," the development team knows where demand already exists.

"No single model is perfect, so we combine multiple channels instead of relying on one number," Aly Hamam said.

Build every video around the menu

Tahini's posts across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and other platforms. Aly Hamam said the voice stays consistent because it reflects who the founders are: family, food and fun.

The food is always the focus. Even the most entertainment-driven videos are built around a menu item guests can order that day, and most include a next step, such as a new item, a limited-time offer or a store opening.

"If someone watches a video and wants that shawarma, we've done our job," Aly Hamam said.

Hand franchisees the audience, not just the recipes

When a franchisee opens in a new market, Tahini's starts building buzz well before opening day with "we're coming to your city" posts, countdowns and location reveals on social media and its website. Paid media campaigns follow once the doors open.

Franchisees also get a playbook with printed materials, templates, approved local promotions and guidance on working with local creators. Beyond marketing, the company helps operators find a site, set up the supply chain, train staff and complete the build-out, according to the release.

"The goal is that a new store opens with a lineup, not a soft start," Aly Hamam said.

Run marketing like a studio

Producing content at that volume takes structure. Aly Hamam said the marketing team operates like a small production studio, with staff dedicated to ideation, filming and editing, plus platform specialists who know what performs on each channel.

Content is planned in batches, so a busy opening week doesn't stall production. Consistency, he said, matters more than any single viral hit.

Staff up before the video drops

A viral moment can expose a store that isn't ready for it. To avoid that, marketing gives restaurants advance notice of upcoming content and launches so they can schedule more staff and order extra product. When a video starts gaining traction unexpectedly, the team alerts franchisees and the supply team right away.

"Our view is that viral content gets people to try us once, and operations are what brings them back," Aly Hamam said.

Watch Tahini's videos here.

Franchising

About Cherryh Cansler

Cherryh Cansler is Publisher of FastCasual.com and Vice President of Connect Food. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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