Lebanese hospitality is at the heart of every bowl served at NAYA — but for founder Hady Kfoury, the inspiration behind the fast-growing Middle Eastern chain began long before the company expanded to 45 locations across the United States. It started in his mother’s kitchen.
In Lebanon, food is how a mother speaks.
“When you cannot find the words, you cook, when family comes together, the table is never empty, that is not generosity, that is just how loved, I raised my children around the table, and Hady has built his whole life trying to give that feeling to others,” his mother said.
Growing up in Lebanon, Kfoury says food was never just about eating. Every Sunday, Kfoury’s mother and grandma prepared home-cooked meals for 20-30 family members gathered around the table.
“It was a tradition every Sunday. People were always having lunch together.”
His mother remembers him as the child who has always been closest to her among his two brothers, constantly in the kitchen asking questions about the meal.
His mother remembers him as the child who was constantly in the kitchen, asking questions before most kids even thought about dinner.
“Hady was always in the kitchen, always watching, always asking,” Kfoury’s mother said. “Every morning before school, he would ask me, ‘Mama, what are we having for dinner?’ I always knew food was not just hunger for him. It was something deeper.”
That early curiosity eventually led Kfoury from Lebanon to New York. At only 8 years old, he was mesmerized by the hospitality staff-how they worked with precision and warmth. The memory stuck with him all throughout his years of schooling. After earning his green card at age 12 — a decision he credits largely to his mother pushing for dual citizenship amid instability in Lebanon — he spent summers in New York before attending hospitality school in Switzerland at EHL Hospitality Business School, formerly known as École Hôtelière de Lausanne. This culinary school is known as the Conrell of fine dining.
He later trained under celebrated French chef Daniel Boulud and worked at the Mandarin Oriental New York before launching the first NAYA in 2007 as a fine dining restaurant in Manhattan.
“My background was mainly with French chefs and fine dining,” Kfoury said. “That’s why the first NAYA was fine dining and full service.”
These experiences all ultimately led to the launch of NAYA in 2008, with family recipes and a 700K friends-and-family raise.
Hady Kfoury and his mother.Photo courtesy of Hady Kfoury
How culture translates into strategy
By 2010, he pivoted the brand toward fast-casual dining, inspired by the idea that Lebanese cuisine — traditionally built around many shared small plates — could become more accessible through customizable bowls and assembly-line service.
“Lebanese food is about sharing,” he said. “We wanted to create something affordable where people could still experience authentic flavors.”
Even as NAYA scaled nationally, Kfoury says authenticity remained non-negotiable — especially for his mother.
When developing the recipes, Kfoury flew chefs back to Lebanon to train directly with his mother. His mother even traveled to New York herself to teach the proper preparation of signature dishes like hummus.
“It sounds simple, but it is not simple, not the way we make it,” Kfrouy’s mother said. “The texture, the balance, the way it should feel. Some things cannot be explained over the phone. You have to feel it.”
He and Kfoury’s mother are known as the fava beans, his wife jokes.
“When you split the beans in half, they are the exact same,” Kfoury said. “We share traits of being picky, pushy, and getting one thing done at a time, not postponing, meticulous.”
Family has been a huge influence on Kfoury’s success. The first location opened across the street from his aunt’s apartment —56th and 2nd Avenue—the 1st fine-dining location was literally across the street from her apartment. Special place, it’s like my childhood.
“Proteins are marinated for 24 to 48 hours. We cook everything from scratch,” he said. “Scaling while keeping authenticity and freshness is not easy.”
Still, the company’s culture continues to mirror the warmth he experienced growing up in Lebanon.
“As Lebanese people, we love to host,” Kfoury said. “We love to welcome people.”
For his mother, the business’s success has never been about numbers or expansion. It is about seeing Lebanese traditions travel far beyond Beirut’s home kitchens.
Future for NAYA
Today, as NAYA rapidly expands with plans to reach 200 restaurants within five years, Kfoury says maintaining that homemade quality remains one of the company’s biggest challenges. NAYA’s a $100 M+ business with over 40 locations and a fiercely loyal following. Kfoury hopes to open 17 restaurants by the end of 2026 and 25 by the end of 2027.
“Somewhere in America right now, someone is eating food that came from my kitchen, from my mother’s kitchen before me,” Kfoury’s mother said. “That is not business to me. That is a blessing.”