Whenever you hear the term “homegrown franchise” , a name that is bound to immediately pop up to your mind is Tabaq Coffee. Arguably one of the hottest homegrown coffee franchises that Dhaka has to offer, Tabaq has been bossing proceedings ever since it came into the food scene. Hashtag Delish got the opportunity to meet and sit down with one of the founders and the Managing Director of Tabaq Coffee, Mubarak Shamim.
Mubarak is one of the founding members of Tabaq but shortly after it started, he had to leave Bangladesh for his studies. “After graduating, I came back to Dhaka and I wanted to grow the company. You can call it destiny but I had a natural inclination towards it”, added Mubarak. He was fascinated by the food business but mostly wanted to open a place where people could come, have fun and share happiness. Tabaq decided to expand in 2013, right when the coffee culture in Dhaka was beginning to expand and they haven’t looked back since.
According to Mubarak, the coffee scene of Dhaka has the most number of foreign brands in it. It is very densely populated and that is what gives Tabaq the desire and energy to be competitive. Mubarak further elaborated, “Being the Bangladeshi Coffee franchise gave us a natural connection with our audience. Apart from that we have always ensured quality service at an enjoyable price. No matter if people stop by Tabaq for 5 minutes or an hour, we want them to have an amazing time.” These are the elements that have ensured that Tabaq stands out!
When Tabaq expanded in 2013, one of the items that simply blew everyone off their feet was their iconic “Cheesecake Brownie”. We got exclusive insight on how this dessert came to be. Mubarak explained, “The core of our business is coffee but any good coffee shop also needs good desserts and sandwiches to compliment the coffee. We wanted to be a one stop solution. We also wanted to introduce a few signature dishes and the cheesecake brownie was one of them. It was an adventurous move but due to its unique look, amazing taste and affordable price, the Cheesecake Brownie shot like wildfire!”
Tabaq continues to grow and expand to new location, introducing new signature dishes which instantly captivate customers. Mubarak wants Tabaq to be a third place between home and work where people can come over and have a good time whenever they want. He dreams of expanding all over Bangladesh and also setting foot outside of Bangladesh. Although the destination has not been decided yet, Tabaq will surely shine and brighten up Bangladesh’s name wherever it goes.