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Sait Iskender founder Sayit Karabağlı, who was elected president of the Turkish Federation of restaurateurs and pastry makers, said: "the Food and drink sector will focus on accelerating innovative steps!"

*** This release is originally published in Turkish.
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ISTANBUL (TR) - Sayit Karabağlı, the founder of Sait İskender, one of the leading restaurant chains in Turkey, was elected as the General President of the Turkish Restaurant and Pastry Shops Federation. Serving as the President of the Istanbul Chamber of Restaurants, Karabağlı will be responsible for the development of all the chambers under the umbrella of the Federation within the scope of his new duty. Making a statement on the subject, Karabağlı said, “I am honored and happy to see that I have gained the trust of the sector, with my experience as a prominent player in the food and beverage industry, and the mission I have undertook during the Presidency of the Istanbul Chamber of Restaurants. I believe that together we will completely close the wounds of the pandemic and develop systems that are in line with the requirements of the era.”

All the sector needs is unity

Sayit Karabağlı, who thanked the tradesmen organization after the election, gave the following statements in his speech: "We are a giant family of hundreds of thousands of people, not one person, but one. All we need is unity. I think we will get through these difficult days if we are united, if we share our strengths and opportunities. Our biggest goal is to ensure that unity without marginalizing anyone. We are passengers of the same ship. We will work together to bring this ship to its destination without sinking or stranding it. Members of the Turkish Restaurant Federation should know that this door is open to all workers of the sector. We are all together to rebuild our federation in the sector. We will make the sound, the power, the meeting point.”

Read the age well and be open to new business models 

Sayit Karabağlı, who also evaluated the future of the food and beverage sector, said,
"As in many areas, the pandemic has changed the consumer's view of the food and drink sector. For example, some studies show that 57% of people would prefer businesses that offer local products after the pandemic. Providing natural and healthy foods is now of much greater importance to the consumer. On the other hand, the digital age also needs to be well read. According to a study by McKinsey, the number of people using food delivery services online in Europe is estimated to reach 96.9 million by 2024. This indicates that the sector should be open to new business models.” 

Aims to spread innovative projects

Stating that he will focus on accelerating the innovative steps in the food and beverage sector within the scope of his new mession, Karabağlı said, “As all players of the food and beverage sector, we have learned various lessons from the pandemic. High costs, the difficulty of managing large square meters and the problems created by hygiene needs were among the main problems that we all struggled with. In this process, we started to offer entrepreneurs and investors a ready-made, turnkey model in every sense, from its corporate identity to its logistics and technological infrastructure, with the new franchise package we developed under the umbrella of Sait Döner, a first in Turkey. Thanks to this franchise model, which is focused on a fast customer cycle, we aimed to achieve high profits with the least investment. Now, as the President of the Turkish Restaurants and Pastry Confectioners' Federation, my aim is to help these types of projects that catch up with the times to become widespread throughout the sector."

About Sayit Karabağlı

Born in the Tutmaç village of Sivas in 1952, Sayit Karabağlı came to Istanbul after completing his education in Sivas. Karabağlı, who started his career at the place of M. Iskender Usta in Galatasaray, also completed his degree in the Art Institute. After completing his military service, he founded Sait İskender, which operates in Istanbul with its 5 branches today. Karabağlı is married and has three children..