"Alfiet olsun - May what you eat bring you well-being!"

- The Kebabs on Queen team

The founder of Kebabs on Queen, Ish Salman was born in Turkey. In 1969, 7 year old Ish and his family made a permanent move to Sydney, Australia. The new home was far from a dream place. The family faced very hard times with constant financial difficulty. Ish got his first job at the age of 10 selling newspapers after school. “I had to help out any way I could to ease the family’s hardship.”

From then on Ish had many different jobs that shaped his personality, desire to succeed, work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. One day he was lucky to get a job at a Kebab store in one of Sydney’s busiest areas. The store had many customers from all over the world who not only loved the concept of a kebab but often praised the taste and quality of the food.

One day a teenage girl came to the store and after enjoying her meal she said: “I Love Kebabs! It’s the best food in the world! I wish we had them in New Zealand!”. That day is when Kebabs on Queen was born. The idea stuck with young and ambitious Ish – the opportunity was too good to miss. Risking everything Ish took his family and secret recipes and moved to Auckland, New Zealand. Ish’s vision was to build a Kebab store that consistently served fresh, fast and tasty food, made from high quality ingredients.

After a lot of hard work and many sleepless nights the dream became reality in 1997. The first store opened on Queen St in the heart of Auckland City and due to its address the name ‘Kebabs on Queen’ was born. From then on the success of the concept saw the company grow continuously. “The success of my business began to generate interest from other investors but I wanted to keep the concept unchanged.”

‘Kebabs on Queen’ was franchised in 2002 and is one of New Zealand’s most successful franchises to date, evolving from an idea and built on hard work and determination. “I believe life is all about opportunities, the trick is not to miss the good one!”

Ish Salman

Afiyet olsun!*

May what you eat, bring you well-being!
*This is our traditional Turkish saying pronounced: afeeyet olsun