Yemeni couple defy tradition, build fast-food business in Taiz

Passing by Abu Sultan restaurant in Taiz, one cannot fail to notice the rare sight in Yemen of a husband and wife working side by side. They are united by a shared goal: securing a stable livelihood for their family and bringing a relatively new cuisine to the Yemeni city.

The husband-wife team serves up burgers, fries, pizzas, and fried chicken, a common sight in cities across the world but less so in Taiz, which has been under siege and bombardment during Yemen’s civil war.

In Yemen, traditional roles still dictate that the father works while the mother manages the home and prioritises that before embarking on a second job.

Life for 36-year-old Baleegh Al-Doba’ai and his wife, Aziza, is also different. Every morning, they wake at 6am and eat breakfast with their only child, before heading out to Abu Sultan, a fast-food restaurant, for a day of work.

Baleegh serves as the head chef, while Aziza manages the restaurant’s daily operations. It is this partnership that Baleegh credits as the secret of Abu Sultan’s success, with around 30 customers a day and many food deliveries to the city’s student population.

“Working with a life partner who shares your ambition melts away the difficulties,” Baleegh told Al Jazeera. “She has an infallible eye for administrative and operational details, allowing us to cover all aspects of the business with high efficiency.”

Previously, Baleegh worked in Saudi Arabia. But wanting to be with his family in Yemen, he always knew his stay there was temporary. When he returned home, he came with the idea of starting a fast-food business, a fairly novel concept in Yemen.

“I got the idea while in Saudi Arabia and even brought some of the machinery back with me, but funding the entire project and managing it alone was incredibly difficult,” he recalled.

“It was my wife who stepped in, helping to fund the restaurant and taking charge of the management.”

Baleegh’s doubts about the viability of the business nearly drove him back to Saudi Arabia, but Aziza urged him to continue, handling the financial and managerial responsibilities to make it happen.

“Our main focus is on developing our restaurant and building a true identity for fast food here in Taiz,” Baleegh says.

Greatest supporter

While women might not be a common sight in restaurants in Yemen, the country has a long tradition of matriarchal leadership. Arwa al-Sulayhi, of Yemen’s Sulayhid Dynasty, became the Muslim world’s first queen regent 960 years ago.

“Initially, society may have viewed a woman working in a restaurant with caution,” Aziza told Al Jazeera. “However, through perseverance and respect, I proved that a woman is capable of managing and succeeding in any field she chooses, and my husband was my greatest supporter.”

On the restaurant floor, Aziza welcomes customers, doing her utmost to make them feel comfortable so they come again. For a business that is only two months old, building a loyal, recurring customer base is critical, and her hands-on hospitality is already paying off.

“Work pressure exists everywhere, and we try to resolve any challenges early on,” she says.

This collaborative wife-husband dynamic, and Aziza’s attempts to make patrons feel welcome, are seeing customers return.

“The secret lies in the trust my husband placed in me from day one. We do not work under a ‘boss and subordinate’ system, but rather as partners in destiny,” she explained.

“When customers saw that my word carried weight at work, and that I took full responsibility, their perception automatically shifted from a ‘helping wife’ to a ‘managing director.’ That, in itself, is my greatest victory.”

In a conservative society such as Taiz, where running a restaurant is traditionally a man’s role, the couple are keen to overcome these challenges.

“As for what people say, I made up my mind from the very first moment; I decided that my success would be my strongest response,” Aziza said. “I realised that while people might criticise at first, they have no choice but to respect honest, professional work.”

When the restaurant closes its doors, Aziza shifts back to her role as a mother and homemaker, something that again requires collaboration with her husband.

“At home, I make sure to keep our family life separate from the pressures of work. This requires a great deal of mutual understanding with my husband, who truly appreciates me, especially since we spend the entire day working side by side,” she said.

“My advice to others planning to start their own business is this: do not hesitate to start, but do not take the leap before you lay out a clear plan and truly believe in your partner.”

Women competing with men

Abu Sultan reflects the rise of women-led small businesses in Yemen that are quietly transforming local economies.

Muthana Adimi, 36, is one of many customers who have consciously chosen to shop at women-led culinary businesses, believing they bring a homemade quality to commercial dining.

“I believe that homemade food is cleaner and prepared with greater care, so I usually buy from women-led establishments, whether they serve fast food or traditional Yemeni dishes,” Adimi told Al Jazeera.

“The food is clean, delicious, and fairly priced. We all have a responsibility to support these women in their businesses; they deserve a better life and a brighter future for themselves and their families.”

The rise in female entrepreneurship in Yemen has forced male business owners to adapt. Tareq Al-Mallah, 40, who runs a cleaning supplies and toy store in Taiz, is seeing a growing number of Yemeni businesswomen break into the retail sector.

“Every day, we see women launching new kinds of ventures. I myself buy cleaning tools from a shop owned and managed by a woman. I actually lost many of my female customers because they prefer buying from women,” he said.

“[But] the failure of a few businesses does not mean they failed because they are women. They simply faced steep challenges. It is no different for men; some fail, and others succeed in the marketplace.”

Changing roles

Natheer Abdulhadi, a sociologist with extensive experience in teaching entrepreneurship to women, says the rise of women-led businesses in Yemen comes at a time of high male unemployment and extreme financial pressures on households. Women helping to provide for their families is creating fundamental changes to Yemen, he said.

“Indeed, the growth of women’s enterprises is not merely a response to the crisis, but also reflects women’s growing awareness of their ability to produce and contribute to economic development,” Abdulhadi said.

“Their income has helped improve the standard of living and secure their children’s needs, particularly in families that lost their breadwinner or had their sources of income disrupted by the war. This has also fostered a culture of cooperation and shared responsibilities within the household, elevating women’s status as productive agents and decision-making partners, all without compromising their domestic and family roles.”

Arwa Al-Omari, the director of the businesswomen’s unit in Taiz governorate, says that women are no longer passive recipients of humanitarian aid, but active partners in sustaining their households.

“Taiz is witnessing a notable increase in women-led businesses, partly spurred by humanitarian organisations encouraging women to launch or scale their enterprises,” Al-Omari told Al Jazeera.

“There are no definitive figures for women-led businesses because new ones are launching every day, but the surge is massive. Today, you can walk through the markets and see women managing their own shops and dealing directly with customers.”