SPICE, a new restaurant-tech and premium dining platform, has officially launched in Saudi Arabia. Founded by industry veterans Zeid Husban, Wadi Hawi, and Yousef Sawalha, the platform introduces an entirely new way for restaurants to access growth capital while elevating how diners experience fine dining across the GCC.
Transforming Restaurant Growth and Funding
SPICE pioneers a concept it calls “Dining Capital”, a first in the region. It offers upfront, non-dilutive funding for restaurants without loans or equity trade-offs. Instead, restaurants repay through diners’ spending, not traditional financing.
This model aligns business interests while helping restaurants grow faster and stay independent. It’s paired with a premium dining app that connects guests to top restaurants and offers:
- Curated restaurant discovery and easy reservations.
- Personalized dining experiences based on preferences.
- Exclusive rewards for high-value diners.
Zeid Husban, SPICE’s Co-founder and CEO, explained that the goal is to change how restaurants finance their growth. “We’re building a destination that owns the entire journey—from discovery to dining,” he said.
Built by Operators, for Operators
The SPICE founders bring over 15 years of hands-on experience in hospitality tech. Their past ventures include ifood.jo, acquired by Delivery Hero in 2016, and POSRocket, acquired by Foodics in 2022.
With deep industry insight, the founders understand what restaurants need most: practical tools, sustainable growth, and genuine partnerships.
- Wadi Hawi, Co-founder and COO, highlighted their mission: “Only SPICE could build this because we’ve lived the challenges and triumphs of this industry.”
- Yousef Sawalha, Co-founder and CTO, emphasized the platform’s AI-driven design. The app learns user preferences to create seamless, context-aware dining experiences that feel both personal and local.
Why Saudi Arabia Comes First
SPICE chose Saudi Arabia as its launch market, seeing it as the epicenter of hospitality innovation in the region. The country’s fast-growing dining scene, openness to creative ideas, and strong investment climate make it the ideal starting point.
“Saudi is leading the next wave of hospitality growth,” said Husban. “We believed in this market’s ambition and its people’s commitment to building great things.”
SPICE has already attracted interest from regional hospitality and tech investors who share its vision of transforming restaurant economics. It plans to expand beyond Saudi Arabia to the UAE, wider GCC, and Europe by 2027.
A New Era for Restaurants and Diners
SPICE’s launch signals a new chapter for restaurant funding and dining experiences in the Middle East. With its invite-only app debuting in Riyadh, the platform is poised to bridge the gap between financial innovation and hospitality excellence—empowering restaurants to grow sustainably while giving diners richer, more personal experiences.