Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — After 12 years of growth and nationwide recognition, the story of Saudi Arabia’s Hamburgini burger chain has ended with a court order to liquidate its parent company, Asasiyat Al-Ghitha Trading.
The ruling follows a major food poisoning incident that undermined consumer trust and pushed the company into bankruptcy.
Mubarak Al-Anazi, the bankruptcy trustee, announced last week that the Riyadh Commercial Court had ordered liquidation proceedings and urged creditors to submit claims within 90 days of the ruling.
Founded in Riyadh in 2013, Hamburgini quickly built a loyal following among young consumers through savvy digital marketing and a strong social media presence.
Between 2015 and 2019, the chain expanded aggressively, establishing itself as one of the fastest-growing burger brands in Saudi Arabia.
By 2020, then-CEO Nawaf Al-Fawzan declared Hamburgini “the fastest expanding restaurant brand in the Kingdom,” and revealed plans to list 20 percent of its shares on the Nomu parallel market.
At its peak, Hamburgini operated 57 branches across Saudi Arabia, including 29 in Riyadh, with additional outlets in the Eastern Province, Qassim, Jeddah, Hail, and other regions.
The chain’s rise came to a halt in 2024 after a mass food poisoning incident in Riyadh that left more than 70 people ill and caused one death. Investigations traced the outbreak to an imported mayonnaise brand, “Bon Tum,” contaminated with Clostridium botulinum.
Authorities swiftly shut all Hamburgini branches in Riyadh, recalled the tainted product, and halted production at the supplier’s facility.
Despite the contamination originating from an external supplier, the brand’s reputation was severely damaged, leading to a sharp decline in consumer confidence, sales, and revenue.
With mounting debts and no recovery in sight, the liquidation order issued in August 2025 closed the chapter on Hamburgini, once hailed as a homegrown success story, now an emblem of how reputational crises can unravel even the fastest-growing brands.
