Abou Shakra's solid customer base is not only due to the quality of the food and the service offered, but also to its slow-growth expansion strategy. Abou Shakra restaurants cannot be found on every corner; after 65 years, only 12 outlets are operating throughout Egypt. Abou Shakra decided to stay small and focus on having a few outlets that provide outstanding service rather than have many outlets with average service. A new outlet is only opened when the requited employees have been trained and are prepared to offer the outstanding service that is associated with Abou Shakra. It took the company 56 years to open its first branch outside Cairo, which debuted in Alexandria in 2003.