A quaint but popular tea shop in Sharjah serves up to 6,000 cups of karak chai daily to its loyal customers, including delivery riders and taxi drivers. That’s equivalent to 180,000 cups of tea each month or 250 cups every hour.
Located in Sharjah’s Al Majaz area, Mustaqbal Restaurant stands out from other tea shops due to its distinct flavour, which has remained unchanged over the years. Since 1985, it has been attracting many expats, including Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and Arabs, who come regularly to enjoy their tea.
Khaleej Times spoke with the owner of the tea shop, Hashim Muttumthala, who said their main ingredient for success is “maintaining a consistent taste to retain customer loyalty.”
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
“We use fixed measurements for our ingredients, which helps us keep the same taste and satisfy our customers. Every staff member must follow these measurements, ensuring that the quality of the tea remains the same, regardless of who is making it. We are not dependent on individual staff members’ skills; everyone follows the same process,” he said.
Here’s a glimpse of their operations:
Price unchanged
Despite inflation, Hashim has kept the price of tea unchanged. He noted: “We sell karak tea for Dh1. Most cafes in Sharjah now charge Dh1.50. Our small cup of fresh milk tea is Dh1, and a large cup is Dh2. It’s hard to find fresh milk tea at this price. The minimum price for a fresh milk tea cup in the market is Dh3.”
However, he noted that they have reduced the cup size to manage inflation. This “shrinkflation” (package downsizing) has allowed them to keep the price of their karak tea low.
Satisfied loyal customers
Salman Adil, a graphic designer, shared that he frequents the tea shop regularly. “I’ve lived in this area for the last 10 years and come here (Mustaqbal Restaurant) almost daily. You could say I visit at least 300 days a year, which means I’ve had around 3,000 cups of tea from here,” he said.
“The best part is that the taste is always the same. The restaurant is open 24 hours, so even if you come at 3am, you’ll get fresh tea. It’s become something of an addiction for me,” he added with a smile.
Faizan, a delivery rider from Pakistan, mentioned that he moved to the area in 2022 and has been coming to the restaurant with friends for karak tea since then.
“They deserve praise for not raising the price. Their karak tea is still Dh1, while most other places charge Dh1.5, which I think is expensive,” noted Faizan.
48,000 parathas per month
In addition to the karak tea, the Malabari paratha is also a top seller at the restaurant. They sell about 1,500 parathas per day, which totals around 48,000 per month. The price for a paratha is also Dh1, making it affordable compared to other food outlets in Sharjah.
“Our paratha is very popular. People love to have it with their tea, especially in the morning. We use about 80 kg of flour daily for the parathas. With each kg making around 18 parathas, we produce approximately 1,500 parathas daily,” Hashim explained.
Tea shop origin
Karak chai is a spiced tea popular in the Middle East, especially in the Gulf countries like the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain. Its origins are often traced to the Indian subcontinent, where similar spiced teas are enjoyed. The tea became popular in the Gulf region due to the influence of South Asian expatriates and has since become a staple in local cafes and homes.
Haider Ali, Hashim’s brother and co-owner, said Mustaqbal Restaurant was founded by their father, Muhammad, who first travelled from Kerala, India, to Karachi, Pakistan, to start the business but did not succeed there in early 1980s. He then moved to the UAE and started a restaurant. He sponsored his brother Ishaq, and together they ran the restaurant.
Now, the restaurant is managed by the children of both brothers. The six cousins run two restaurants and have successfully divided the responsibilities among them.
The restaurant employs 22 staff members and Hashim pays them around Dh50,000 per month.
What’s next?
Hashim and his cousins are planning on expanding. He shared: “We have opened another branch in the same area, but it focuses mostly on food. This branch is dedicated to tea lovers. We are considering opening another branch in an area with a high population of bachelors. Location is crucial when starting a business, especially a tea shop.”