Today we’d like to introduce you to Hamza Shaikh.
Hi Hamza, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Baking has always been a true passion for my wife, Farah. Once all of our children were settled in school and we found ourselves with a bit of flexibility, she decided to pivot away from her career as a lawyer to pursue her dream.
Around that time, a trip to Dearborn, Michigan, completely opened our eyes. We were blown away by the thriving coffee culture enhanced by middle eastern routes—the stunning aesthetics, the warm ambiance, and the incredible drinks and pastries. We knew instantly we wanted to bring that exact energy back to Philadelphia.
Thus began our journey: taste-testing every cafe we could find and chatting with anyone willing to share their industry insights. Ultimately, we fell in love with Haraz Coffee House for its exceptional quality and visionary approach. Thanks to the guidance of their CEO, we were able to bring this remarkable coffee experience to our region.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As newcomers to city development, we quickly learned about the territorial nature of urban construction when we nearly faced union picketing—a situation we managed to resolve through a collaborative meeting.
Just three days before opening, our floors began flooding right in the middle of staff training, forcing us to rip them back up to fix the root cause (took 2 weeks). Throughout our first summer, we also battled recurring leaks from our HVAC system which ultimately led to high costs and buying new but expensive equipment. To top it all off, we trusted a coffee consultant whose guidance ended up severely inflating our labor costs by pushing hourly wages far above local market averages and greenlighting excessive overtime—only to discover later that some of the hires were personal acquaintances of the consultant.
These were just the biggest initial hurdles in a continuous stream of operational adventures that still pop up today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a neurointerventional surgeon. I have been most proud of building the stroke and neurointerventional program at Cooper Hospital from the ground up. The experience I have had through this and our hunger relief non-profit has set us up to face the challenges as business owners.
What makes you happy?
Family and friends coming together to enjoy a good time together at our cafe. Spending time with loved ones is truly what makes my life worth living.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/hrzcoffeephilly
