El Jannah

Lore & Background

El Jannah was founded by Andre and Carole Estephan, who opened the first store in Granville, Sydney, in 1998. The chain's early coverage notes that its first shop 'amassed a cult-like following.' The Estephans stepped back from day-to-day management in 2019, and Brett Houldin, a former chief executive of Craveable Brands, became CEO in 2020. By the late 2010s and early 2020s, the chain had expanded to more than 20 outlets across the Sydney metropolitan area, including the Sydney CBD and Macarthur. Its first outlet outside Sydney opened in the Melbourne suburb of Preston in April 2022, and its first Canberra store opened in Gungahlin in May 2023.

Reader's Guide

El Jannah's significance lies in its growth from a single Sydney outlet to a 51-store chain across three Australian states and territories by March 2026, reflecting the popularity of Lebanese-style charcoal chicken and its signature garlic sauce (toum). The chain's sale to American private equity firm General Atlantic in late November 2025 for a reported A$800 million to almost A$1 billion marked a major milestone, with plans to open more than 25 restaurants within 12 months and expand to 200 locations across Australia within five years. The acquisition also sparked controversy, with calls for a boycott among some customers and members of Muslim, Arab, and pro-Palestinian communities due to criticism of General Atlantic's investment links to Israel. Additionally, in February 2025, the Lebanese Muslim Association and Shia Muslim Council of Australia wrote to El Jannah regarding the removal of cricket commentator Peter Lalor from SEN 1116, though the letter stated that El Jannah itself had no involvement in the removal and had committed no wrongdoing. The chain's legacy includes its cult-like following and its role in popularizing Lebanese cuisine in Australia.

Did You Know?

• El Jannah means 'paradise' or 'heaven' in Arabic.
• The chain's first store opened in the Sydney suburb of Granville in 1998.
• In late November 2025, El Jannah was reportedly sold to American private equity firm General Atlantic for a reported A$800 million to almost A$1 billion, though this deal is unconfirmed as of 2025.
• The chain introduced a breakfast menu at select Melbourne and Sydney outlets in December 2024.

From Granville to a National Name

El Jannah traces its origins to 1998, when Andre and Carole Estephan opened a single restaurant in the Sydney suburb of Granville. The couple chose a name drawn from Arabic, where the phrase translates to paradise or heaven, setting a warm, welcoming tone for what would become a beloved Australian fast-food brand. The new venture specialised in Lebanese cuisine, and early coverage of the shop noted that it quickly developed what observers described as a cult-like following among local diners. That grassroots enthusiasm became the foundation for everything that followed. For nearly two decades, the Estephans ran the operation hands-on, building a reputation around a single signature dish and a sauce recipe they guarded as a closely held family secret. Their vision of making authentic Lebanese charcoal chicken accessible to everyday Australians in a casual, fast-food format proved remarkably successful, laying the groundwork for a chain that would eventually span multiple states and attract the attention of one of the world's largest private equity firms.

Scaling Across Australia

By the late 2010s and into the early 2020s, El Jannah had grown well beyond its original Granville location, operating more than twenty outlets throughout the Sydney metropolitan area, including the CBD and the western suburb of Macarthur. The next major leap came in April 2022, when the chain opened its first restaurant outside Sydney in the Melbourne suburb of Preston, marking a genuine interstate expansion. A few months later, in May 2023, a Canberra location opened in the Gungahlin district, giving the brand a presence in the Australian Capital Territory. As of March 2026, the network stands at fifty-one stores spread across New South Wales, Victoria, and the ACT. Following the November 2025 acquisition by General Atlantic, the company announced ambitious growth targets: adding more than twenty-five new restaurants within a single year and reaching two hundred locations nationwide within five years. The Estephan family, while no longer in day-to-day management, were expected to remain involved through this expansion phase.

The Charcoal Chicken and the Toum

At the heart of every El Jannah restaurant is a deceptively simple menu built around one centrepiece: Lebanese-style charcoal chicken. The bird is cooked over actual charcoal, giving it a smoky, rustic character that distinguishes it from the oven-baked or deep-fried chicken common in Australian fast food. Customers can order it whole, as a half bird, or in smaller portions, making it flexible for individuals or families. Paired with every order is toum, an emulsified garlic condiment that the company describes as a family recipe. The exact formulation is never published, adding an element of mystery and protecting what the Estephans considered a closely held secret. This combination of smoky charcoal chicken and sharp, creamy garlic sauce became the brand's defining flavour identity. In December 2024, El Jannah broadened its offering slightly by introducing a breakfast menu at select outlets in Melbourne and Sydney, a modest but notable step for a chain that had long been defined by its single signature dish.

Leadership Shifts and Public Controversy

The business saw significant leadership transitions in its second decade. The Estephans withdrew from daily management in 2019, and in 2020 Brett Houldin, previously chief executive of Craveable Brands, took the CEO role. Then, in late November 2025, American private equity giant General Atlantic acquired a controlling stake in a deal reported at around A$800 million, with some outlets citing a figure approaching one billion dollars. The Estephans and Houldin kept a minor equity position, and the family was set to stay involved. General Atlantic managed roughly US$118 billion in assets at the time. The acquisition triggered a wave of boycott calls from segments of the Muslim, Arab, and pro-Palestinian communities, driven by criticism of General Atlantic's perceived investment links to Israel. Separately, in February 2025, the Lebanese Muslim Association and the Shia Muslim Council of Australia had written to El Jannah over the removal of cricket commentator Peter Lalor from SEN 1116, urging the chain to pull its advertising and calling for an apology, educational programming on Palestine's history, and a $100,000 donation to UNHCR for children in Gaza. The letter acknowledged that El Jannah itself bore no responsibility for Lalor's dismissal.

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