A charming yet bustling tea shop in Sharjah serves up to 6,000 cups of karak chai daily to its devoted customers, including delivery riders and taxi drivers. This translates to 180,000 cups monthly or 250 cups every hour. Nestled in Sharjah’s Al Majaz area, Mustaqbal Restaurant distinguishes itself from other tea shops due to its unwavering taste, which has remained consistent over the years.
Since 1985, the establishment has attracted numerous expatriates, including Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and Arabs, who frequent the place to savor their tea. Khaleej Times interviewed the owner, Hashim Muttumthala, who attributed their success to “maintaining a consistent taste to retain customer loyalty.” He emphasized the use of fixed measurements for ingredients to ensure the tea’s quality remains uniform, regardless of who prepares it.
Despite inflation, Hashim has maintained the price of tea unchanged. He noted, “We sell karak tea for Dh1. Most cafes in Sharjah now charge Dh1.5. Our small cup of fresh milk tea is Dh1, and a large cup is Dh2. It’s rare to find fresh milk tea at this price. The minimum price for a fresh milk tea cup in the market is Dh3.” However, to cope with inflation, they reduced the cup size, a strategy known as “shrinkflation,” which helps keep the price of their karak tea affordable.
Satisfied loyal customers like Salman Adil, a graphic designer, frequent the tea shop regularly. He said, “I’ve lived in this area for the last 10 years and come here 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.” Faizan, a delivery rider from Pakistan, praised the shop for not raising prices, noting their karak tea remains at Dh1, while most other places charge Dh1.5.
In addition to karak tea, the Malabari paratha is a best-seller at the restaurant, with about 1,500 parathas sold daily, totaling around 48,000 per month. The price for a paratha is Dh1, making it affordable compared to other food outlets in Sharjah. Hashim explained, “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.”
Karak chai, a spiced tea popular in the Middle East, especially in Gulf countries like the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain, traces its origins to the Indian subcontinent. Haider Ali, Hashim’s brother and co-owner, shared that Mustaqbal Restaurant was founded by their father, Muhammad, who initially started the business in Karachi, Pakistan, in the early 1980s but later moved to the UAE. Now, the restaurant is managed by the children of both brothers, with six cousins running two restaurants and dividing responsibilities effectively.
The restaurant employs 22 staff members, and Hashim pays them around Dh50,000 per month. Looking ahead, Hashim and his cousins plan to expand, having already opened another branch focusing mostly on food. They are considering opening another branch in an area with a high population of bachelors, emphasizing the importance of location in the tea shop business.
