Taziki's Mediterranean Café

Taziki's Mediterranean Café is an American fast-casual restaurant chain based in Birmingham, Alabama, focused on Greek and broader Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Its menu includes gyros, grilled proteins, sandwiches, salads, bowls, soups, appetizers, pita-based dishes, and desserts such as baklava. The brand combines counter-service convenience with a restaurant format intended to feel more hospitable and fresh than a conventional quick-service operation. The concept originated with Keith and Amy Richards after a 1997 trip to Greece. They were drawn to the atmosphere of a small café operated by a Greek couple, particularly its small-table setting, fresh food, and emphasis on hospitality. After returning to Birmingham, their hometown, Keith began developing a Mediterranean café concept. The name was inspired by a photograph of Amy beside a menu board displaying the word “tzatziki,” the traditional Greek yogurt-and-cucumber sauce. To make the name easier for American customers to pronounce and remember, the couple adapted it into “Taziki's.” The first restaurant opened in March 1998 at the Colonnade Office Park in Birmingham. Positive early reception led the Richards to open two additional Birmingham locations, establishing a local base before the company pursued broader expansion. Taziki's began franchising in 2013, allowing the concept to move beyond Alabama through a combination of company-operated and franchise-owned restaurants. Expansion initially concentrated in the southeastern United States and later reached markets including Texas, Colorado, and Florida. By 2025, the chain had grown to more than 100 locations in 18 U.S. states. Food preparation is central to Taziki's positioning. The company describes its approach as “crafted, not processed,” emphasizing daily preparation, grilled proteins, freshly chopped or roasted vegetables, and sauces, dressings, and sides made in the restaurants. The brand also highlights the absence of fryers and microwaves as an operational distinction. Its stated ingredient philosophy centers on using ingredients customers can trust, including Greek olive oil, Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, and selected spices sourced from traditional Mediterranean growing regions. Taziki's supply relationships support this positioning. The chain has described partnerships with American family farmers for produce and lamb, Hellas Bakery for baklava, and Mediterranean Bread Company for pita bread. These relationships complement a menu built around recognizable Mediterranean ingredients while retaining the speed and accessibility expected from a fast-casual chain. Many locations provide dine-in, takeout, catering, and digital ordering. The franchising model gives local operators responsibility for day-to-day restaurant management while the central organization supports menu development, training, marketing, supply-chain coordination, and brand standards. Dan Simpson has served as chief executive officer since 2018 and has overseen an expansion agenda focused on franchise development, restaurant economics, menu innovation, and digital ordering. Future growth priorities have included the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Southwest regions. Beyond restaurant operations, Taziki's participates in local community initiatives. Its HOPE program, described as “Herbs Offering Personal Enrichment,” provides employment and culinary-related opportunities for people with disabilities through herb-growing activities. Individual restaurants also work with schools, local nonprofits, and charitable organizations, including The Giving Kitchen, which assists food-service workers facing hardship.

Taziki's Mediterranean Café was created by Keith and Amy Richards in Birmingham, Alabama. The concept was inspired by a 1997 trip to Greece, where the couple encountered a small café operated by a Greek couple. They responded to the restaurant's intimate table arrangement, fresh cooking, and hospitable atmosphere and returned home interested in developing a similar Mediterranean dining experience in Birmingham. The brand name came from a photograph taken during the trip. Amy Richards was pictured next to a menu board bearing the word “tzatziki,” referring to the familiar Greek sauce made with yogurt, cucumber, and related seasonings. The Richards modified the spelling to “Taziki's” to make it more accessible to American diners while preserving the association with Greek food. The first Taziki's opened in March 1998 at the Colonnade Office Park in Birmingham. Favorable reviews and early commercial traction encouraged the Richards to establish two more Birmingham restaurants. During this early period, the company developed the menu and operating style that would define the chain: Mediterranean-inspired food prepared with a strong emphasis on freshness, grilled proteins, vegetables, sauces, and hospitality. Taziki's later expanded outside its original Alabama market through franchising, which began in 2013. The franchise model enabled local operators to open restaurants while the brand organization retained responsibility for core standards, menu development, training, marketing, and supply-chain support. Growth first concentrated in the southeastern United States and subsequently extended to states including Texas, Colorado, and Florida. The business used a mix of corporate-owned and franchise-owned locations, reaching more than 100 restaurants in 18 states by 2025. The company's menu and operating philosophy distinguish it from heavily processed quick-service concepts. Taziki's promotes a “crafted, not processed” approach, with most vegetables chopped daily, proteins generally grilled over an open flame, and many sauces, dressings, and side dishes prepared in-house. The company also emphasizes that its restaurants do not rely on fryers or microwaves. Its ingredient messaging highlights Greek olive oil, Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, Mediterranean spices, and other products associated with the region's cuisine. The chain has described long-term supplier relationships with American family farmers supplying produce and lamb, Hellas Bakery supplying baklava, and Mediterranean Bread Company supplying pita bread. These relationships support a menu spanning salads, gyros, sandwiches, bowls, appetizers, soups, and desserts. Restaurants commonly serve customers through dine-in, takeout, catering, and online ordering channels. Dan Simpson has been CEO since 2018. Under his leadership, the company has emphasized franchise growth, restaurant-level economics, digital ordering, and menu development, with additional expansion priorities identified in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Southwest. Taziki's has also maintained a community-oriented profile through local partnerships and charitable work. Its HOPE, or “Herbs Offering Personal Enrichment,” program creates employment and culinary-related opportunities for people with disabilities through herb cultivation and related activities. Restaurants also participate in local school, nonprofit, and community initiatives, including support for The Giving Kitchen, an organization assisting food-service workers in need.

• 2025

  Network exceeds 100 restaurants

  [1]Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org

  The chain had more than 100 locations across 18 U.S. states, including both corporate and franchise restaurants.

• 2018

  Dan Simpson becomes CEO

  [1]Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org

  Dan Simpson began serving as chief executive officer.

• 2013

  Franchising begins

  [1]Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org

  Taziki's began franchising, enabling expansion beyond Alabama through locally operated restaurants.

• 1998

  First Taziki's opens in Birmingham

  [1]Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org

  The first restaurant opened in March at Birmingham's Colonnade Office Park.

• 1998

  Early Birmingham expansion

  [1]Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org

  Positive early reception led the Richards to open two additional Birmingham locations.

• 1997

  Greek trip inspires the restaurant concept

  [1]Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org

  Keith and Amy Richards visited Greece and became interested in recreating the fresh food and hospitable small-café experience they encountered there.

Fresh-prepared, Mediterranean-inspired fast-casual dining centered on grilled proteins, vegetables, house-made sauces, hospitality, and convenient dine-in, takeout, catering, and digital-ordering formats.

• Main dishes

  Gyros

  Gyros are among Taziki's principal Greek-inspired offerings. They fit the brand's fast-casual format by combining seasoned Mediterranean-style protein with pita and accompanying vegetables, sauces, or side dishes. The broader menu places gyros alongside salads, bowls, sandwiches, and other grilled dishes.

• Salads

  Mediterranean salads

  Salads are a central part of the menu and express the chain's emphasis on freshly chopped vegetables, Mediterranean ingredients, dressings, and grilled protein additions. Greek salad is identified as one of the brand's signature offerings.

• Main dishes

  Grilled protein dishes

  Taziki's serves Mediterranean-inspired dishes built around grilled proteins, with chicken and lamb among the ingredients associated with its menu and supply relationships. The company promotes open-flame grilling and preparation from fresh ingredients as part of its cooking identity.

• Main dishes

  Mediterranean bowls and sandwiches

  Bowls and sandwiches provide portable formats for the brand's Mediterranean ingredients. They extend the concept beyond traditional gyros and salads while supporting takeout, catering, and digital ordering.

• Sauces and sides

  Tzatziki sauce

  Tzatziki is a traditional Greek sauce and the inspiration for the restaurant's name. Taziki's uses house-prepared sauces and dressings as part of its emphasis on fresh, made-in-restaurant food.

• Desserts

  Baklava

  Baklava is one of the chain's Mediterranean desserts. Taziki's has identified Hellas Bakery as a supplier of its traditional baklava.

• 2018

  Prioritize scalable growth and digital orderingStrategy

  Background

  As the chain expanded through franchising, management focused on supporting franchise development and improving the consistency and efficiency of restaurant operations.

  Action taken

  Under CEO Dan Simpson, the company emphasized unit economics, menu innovation, franchise development, and digital ordering.

  Aftermath

  The strategy accompanied continued geographic expansion and the development of dine-in, takeout, catering, and online-ordering channels.

  Source

• 2013

  Adopt a franchise-led expansion modelStrategy

  Background

  After building an initial restaurant base in Birmingham, Taziki's sought to expand beyond Alabama while maintaining a consistent Mediterranean fast-casual concept.

  Action taken

  The company began franchising and combined locally owned restaurants with corporate oversight, training, marketing, menu development, and supply-chain support.

  Aftermath

  Franchising supported expansion across the Southeast and later into additional U.S. regions, contributing to a network of more than 100 locations in 18 states by 2025.

  Source

• 2025

  Taziki's expands to more than 100 U.S. locations[1]Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  By 2025, the chain operated more than 100 restaurants across 18 U.S. states through a mix of corporate and franchise ownership.

• 2018

  Dan Simpson becomes chief executive officer[1]Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Dan Simpson began serving as CEO and later led initiatives involving franchise development, unit economics, menu innovation, and digital ordering.

• 2013

  Taziki's Mediterranean Café begins franchising[1]Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  The company began franchising, creating a growth path beyond its company-developed Alabama restaurant base.

1. 1Taziki's Mediterranean Caféen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Taziki's Announces New Lamb Burger in Partnership with American Lambprnewswire.com
3. 3Taziki’s Announces New Lamb Burger in Partnership with American Lamb | RestaurantNewsRelease.comrestaurantnewsrelease.com
4. 4Taziki’s Appetizer Bundle Debuts This Holiday Season | RestaurantNewsRelease.comrestaurantnewsrelease.com
5. 5Taziki's Mediterranean Café Unveils New App and Online Ordering Platform Enhancing the Guest Experienceprnewswire.com