Faisal Shaker is a visionary entrepreneur, restaurateur and co-founder and CEO of Modern Food Company or MFC.

The MFC portfolio of brands includes many of Riyadh’s finest including San Carlo Cicchetti, Urth Cafe, Billionaire, the award-winning Peruvian-Japanese restaurant COYA, Signor Sassi, the homegrown and award-winning Japanese concept MYAZU, and many others.

Prior to founding MFC Group, Faisal was in the banking and investment industry for over 15 years, at firms such as Merrill Lynch, SABB, Barclays and Audi Capital. Moreover, Faisal also sits on various boards and committees, including publicly listed companies.

In this interview we cover:

- Faisal’s early career ambitions

- The decision to leave banking and run MFC

- Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to enter the F&B industry

- Lessons learned from opening MFC’s first restaurant

- The evolution of Saudi’s F&B industry

- The ways international brands must adapt to local preferences

- What it takes to be successful in F&B

- Why Faisal is excited about Saudi Arabia’s future