# Yolk Brands' Steve Flawith on Pickl, Iraq and the road to 1,000 stores

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ab-majlis-6625109/yolk-brands-steve-flawith-on-pickl-iraq-and-the-road-to-1-000-stores
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ab-majlis-6625109/yolk-brands-steve-flawith-on-pickl-iraq-and-the-road-to-1-000-stores.md
Podcast: [AB Majlis](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ab-majlis-6625109)
Published: 2026-08-25T08:56:52+00:00
Episode link: https://rss.com/podcasts/abmajlis-arabianbusiness/3094852
Audio file: https://content.rss.com/episodes/228180/3094852/abmajlis-arabianbusiness/2026_08_25_08_54_54_0cacd098-2db4-41a4-8bdd-72de131ec042.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2135

## Resource

Yolk Brands founder Steve Flawith never planned to own a restaurant. Seven years after launching Pickl from a single outlet in JLT, his Dubai-born business is operating across multiple markets, preparing to enter Iraq and pursuing an ambition of 1,000 stores globally. In this episode of AB Majlis, Arabian Business reporter Nicole Abigael sits down with Flawith to discuss why Gulf-born restaurant brands are increasingly becoming exporters rather than importers, the $10 million Yolk Brands has invested in building its international operation and what it takes to make a homegrown concept travel. They also discuss Saudi Arabia, delivery economics, social media, choosing franchise partners, why Yolk has rejected more than 1,000 prospective partners and whether an IPO could eventually be on the table.

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## Transcript

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