Explore the Fast Company Middle East’s Most Innovative Companies 2022 list; 42 organizations are reshaping their businesses and industries. We’ve selected the companies making the most significant impact with their initiatives across 25 categories, including the most innovative retail, emerging tech, and energy companies.

The restaurant industry is innovating to keep up with ever-changing customers’ tastes and preferences by developing insights into what they want. The winners in this category are keeping up with the rapid pace of consumer trends and growing preferences for healthier food options, concerns over environmental sustainability, reinventing the traditional dining experience, and forcing change in how the industry operates.

INDEPENDENT FOOD COMPANY

For bringing innovation to the table

The UAE-based Independent Food Company currently, which operates four F&B brands across the Middle East – Salt, Switch, Parkers, Grind, Somewhere, and Public, has created unique food concepts that bring people together. Their flagship brand, Salt, started the food-truck movement in Dubai and has now transformed into a distinctive alfresco eatery with a re-engineered menu. With the rise in healthy products and beverage trends in the region, it is collaborating with Copenhagen-based Joe & The Juice to launch its first store in Saudi Arabia. 

PICKL

For raising the bar in burgers

When burger joints constantly try to outdo one another, sometimes with fancy additions and sometimes by perfecting the simplicities, Pickl has garnered somewhat of a following in the region, delivering on customers’ tastes. The homegrown-UAE brand is now aiming to cement its place in the metaverse, launching virtual-to-physical buying and delivery of products. The past year has seen Pickl’s pizza collaboration with Pitfire, and host a one-off fine-dining and fast food collab with Boca in DIFC.