SabaRaba’s aims to catch the attention of customers with its bright yellow shipping containers, which are meant to evoke an experience similar to an Israeli falafeliya.
After years as a franchisee and owning brick-and-mortar restaurant concepts, Udi Hershkovitz is now tackling the cuisine of his childhood with SabaRaba’s. Focusing on Israeli street food, Hershkovitz wants to bring a taste of Tel Aviv to franchisees and customers across the United States—all from a bright yellow shipping container.
Hershkovitz was born and raised in Tel Aviv. Moving from Israel to the U.S., he got his start in the restaurant industry in the late ‘90s as a Subway franchisee. Next came FuegoMundo, a kosher-certified Latin American concept in Atlanta, and Marrakesh, a Mediterranean eatery inside the city’s Ponce City Market.
When Hershkovitz moved to Sandy Springs, Georgia, he wanted to create something closer to home. That want became both literal and figurative as he kept reminiscing about the kiosks back in Tel Aviv.
“I wanted to replicate what we call a ‘falafeliya,’ which is a place you get falafel on the street,” he said. “I didn’t want the big space with seating and all of that.”
Working with restaurant-focused Goliath Consulting Group, which is also handling franchise development, Hershkovitz opened the first SabaRaba’s in October 2021, operating out of a shipping container in Parkside Shops, a shopping and dining hub in Sandy Springs. The use of a shipping container, he explained, is meant to replicate the experience of those Israeli falafeliyas. A year later the company announced a franchise program.
The menu, created with Hershkovitz’s cousin and chef, Tomer Hauptman, recalls the offerings he grew up eating. Falafel, hummus and shawarma were all staples of Hershkovitz’s time in Tel Aviv, and SabaRaba’s also serves gyros, laffa flatbread wraps and what it calls “deconstructed plates.” Customers can pick their protein, and the average check is $16.
Udi Hershkovitz
Designed to appeal to customers on the go, SabaRaba’s aims to put locations in areas with high foot traffic and where it can capitalize on delivery and online ordering channels.
Hershkovitz said he wants to attract young business owners with what he called a “fun alternative” to other food franchises. The yellow shipping container certainly stands out.
“It’s a very cool, fun, hip concept being that it’s out of a shipping container,” he said. “I believe it fits today and it’s going to continue because it’s the future for franchising.” He hopes to attract Gen Z entrepreneurs and noted SabaRaba’s has a lower cost of entry than a traditional restaurant franchise, with buildout costs of approximately $100,000.
He’s in talks with potential franchisees, though no agreements have been signed. In addition to the shipping container model, SabaRaba’s will also work with franchisees to develop restaurants in a variety of settings. Other potential sites include food halls and similar mixed-use locations, still with a small footprint, around 800 square feet compared to a 200-square-foot container.
“We can take this franchise anywhere someone wants to,” said Hershkovitz, all while keeping the food and atmosphere consistent. SabaRaba’s is initially focusing its development efforts in the Southeast, targeting Georgia, Florida, Alabama and neighboring states.
Drawing on his experience as a multi-unit Subway franchisee and lessons learned from developing FuegoMundo and Marrakesh, Hershkovtiz said SabaRaba’s, though new, has the infrastructure to support franchise expansion. Site selection, design, training, operations guidance and local marketing tactics are all in place and ready to roll out.
As for the name, “Sabaraba” translates to “great grandpa” in Hebrew. The name honors Hershkovitz’s father, Benny, who inspired his love of cooking and the meaning of good food. He also pointed out, it’s just plain fun to say.
“It’s really intended for the authenticity and the contemporary, young environment,” he said. “That’s where it will do the best, I believe.”