SPICE, a new premium dining and restaurant-tech platform, has officially launched in Saudi Arabia, aiming to reshape how restaurants access capital for growth. Founded by industry veterans Zeid Husban, Wadi Hawi, and Yousef Sawalha—the team behind the successful exits of ifood.jo to Delivery Hero and POSRocket to Foodics—SPICE introduces an innovative model designed to align the interests of restaurants and diners.
Introducing Dining Capital A New Growth Model
SPICE is pioneering a new category in the region it calls “Dining Capital.” This model provides restaurants with upfront growth capital that is non-dilutive and carries no debt. Instead of traditional repayments, the funding is settled through diners who use the platform, creating a symbiotic relationship where restaurant growth is directly tied to customer engagement.
“We’ve spent over 15 years building technology for restaurants,” said Zeid Husban, Co-founder and CEO of SPICE. “This time, we’re transforming the economics of how restaurants grow and redefining how they’re financed. Restaurants need a partner who shares their risk and success. SPICE delivers capital designed to scale naturally and sustainably with their business.”
The accompanying premium dining app drives high-value customers to partner venues, offering curated discovery, seamless reservations, personalized experiences, and exclusive rewards.
A Platform Built on Industry Experience
The founding team’s deep understanding of the hospitality sector is central to SPICE’s value proposition. Having worked with thousands of restaurants across MENA, they have designed the platform to address the core challenges operators face, from cash flow constraints to marketing inefficiencies.
“Only SPICE could build this, because we’ve lived it,” stated Wadi Hawi, Co-founder and COO. “We’ve seen the highs, the struggles, and the passion behind every great restaurant. This is our way of giving back to the industry that shaped us.”
On the technology front, the platform leverages AI and human insight to create a highly personalized user journey. “Dining today is emotion, expression, and culture,” said Yousef Sawalha, Co-founder and CTO. “The app learns your preferences and adapts to context, making every choice feel intuitive and every experience more rewarding.”
Saudi Arabia as a Strategic Launchpad
The founders selected Saudi Arabia as their launch market, citing the Kingdom’s rapidly evolving hospitality ecosystem and its embrace of innovation. The company has already secured backing from leading regional hospitality and tech investors who support its vision.
“Saudi is leading the region’s next wave of hospitality growth,” Husban commented. “I came back because I believed in this market and admired its people, their ambition, generosity, and belief that great things can be built here.”
SPICE is now opening restaurant partnerships in Riyadh and across the Kingdom, with plans to announce its founding partners in early 2026. The company intends to expand to the UAE, the rest of the GCC, and Europe within the next two years.
About SPICE
SPICE is a premium dining platform that provides restaurants with upfront, non-dilutive funding through its innovative “Dining Capital” model. Founded by serial entrepreneurs Zeid Husban, Wadi Hawi, and Yousef Sawalha, the company aims to align the interests of restaurants and diners. Through its app, SPICE connects high-value guests to a curated selection of restaurants, offering discovery, reservations, personalized experiences, and exclusive rewards.
Source: Wamda
