18 hospitality & restaurant companies in Kuwait City ranked by 1-year headcount growth. The top 10 are free below, each with a short data note. The full ranked list of 18 is a CSV + Excel download.
Edition October 2026 · updated 2026-10-09 · source: licensed B2B firmographic and technographic data
Key numbers
- Median 1-year headcount growth: 10.9% across 18 companies (range 1.2% to 51.9%). 0 of 18 at least doubled their headcount.
- Size mix: 10–19 employees: 1, 20–49 employees: 2, 50–99 employees: 3, 100–249 employees: 5, 250–499 employees: 7. The most common band is 250–499 (39%).
- Main sub-industries: Restaurants (11), Lodging & Resorts (4), Food Service (3).
- Largest company on the list: AlSallal Projects Trading (250–499 employees, 10.7% growth). 3 of 18 have fewer than 50 employees.
- Versus the whole October 2026 dataset (3246 companies), this page's median is lower: 10.9% vs 22.1%.
- Same sector by city (median growth): Dubai 34.6% (n=51), Doha 11.7% (n=47), Abu Dhabi 14.7% (n=41), Riyadh 12.8% (n=30), Jeddah 13.1% (n=19), Kuwait City 10.9% (n=18), Sharjah 9.5% (n=16), Manama 5.8% (n=15), Muscat 14.2% (n=13).
- Same location by sector (median growth): education & training 17.5% (n=22), IT services & software 14.0% (n=33), construction 13.4% (n=18), professional services 12.6% (n=26), manufacturing 12.3% (n=33), real estate 11.1% (n=16), hospitality & restaurant 10.9% (n=18), freight & logistics 9.7% (n=12), retail & e-commerce 8.1% (n=45), marketing & advertising agency 5.7% (n=4).
Top 10 by headcount growth
| # | Company | Industry | Size band | 1-yr growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OLE Coffee | Restaurants | 50–99 | 51.9% |
| 2 | Caf | Restaurants | 100–249 | 39.0% |
| 3 | Nejoud | Restaurants | 100–249 | 37.1% |
| 4 | Ventri Group | Restaurants | 50–99 | 30.4% |
| 5 | Diet Station | Food Service | 250–499 | 27.0% |
| 6 | Al Hamra Hotel | Lodging & Resorts | 100–249 | 23.3% |
| 7 | Tabco Food | Restaurants | 250–499 | 20.0% |
| 8 | Crafters | Restaurants | 20–49 | 12.1% |
| 9 | Lenôtre Kuwait | Restaurants | 10–19 | 11.1% |
| 10 | AlSallal Projects Trading | Restaurants | 250–499 | 10.7% |
| + 8 more companies, ranked 11–18, in the full list | ||||
#1 OLE Coffee
Headcount grew 51.9% in 12 months, 4.8× this ranking's median of 10.9%, #1 of 3 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Restaurants; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#2 Caf
Headcount grew 39.0% in 12 months, 3.6× this ranking's median of 10.9%, #1 of 5 companies here in the 100–249-employee band. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Restaurants; revenue band $5M-$10M.
#3 Nejoud
Headcount grew 37.1% in 12 months, 3.4× this ranking's median of 10.9%, #2 of 5 companies here in the 100–249-employee band. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Restaurants; revenue band $10M-$25M.
#4 Ventri Group
Headcount grew 30.4% in 12 months, 2.8× this ranking's median of 10.9%, #2 of 3 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Restaurants; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#5 Diet Station
Headcount grew 27.0% in 12 months, 2.5× this ranking's median of 10.9%, #1 of 7 companies here in the 250–499-employee band. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Food Service; revenue band $10M-$25M.
#6 Al Hamra Hotel
Headcount grew 23.3% in 12 months, 2.1× this ranking's median of 10.9%, #3 of 5 companies here in the 100–249-employee band. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Lodging & Resorts; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#7 Tabco Food
Headcount grew 20.0% in 12 months, 1.8× this ranking's median of 10.9%, #2 of 7 companies here in the 250–499-employee band. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Restaurants; revenue band $10M-$25M.
#8 Crafters
Headcount grew 12.1% in 12 months, 1.1× this ranking's median of 10.9%, #1 of 2 companies here in the 20–49-employee band. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Restaurants; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#9 Lenôtre Kuwait
Headcount grew 11.1% in 12 months, about this ranking's median of 10.9%. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Restaurants; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#10 AlSallal Projects Trading
Headcount grew 10.7% in 12 months, about this ranking's median of 10.9%, #3 of 7 companies here in the 250–499-employee band. Based in Kuwait City, Kuwait; primary sub-industry: Restaurants; revenue band $50M-$100M.
Get the full list
CSV + Excel + PDF with every company on this page (name, website, city, industry and sub-industry, size band, employee count, growth and a careers-page search link). Secure card checkout; the files arrive by email within a few hours. One-time $7, 14-day refund.
Want every sector in Kuwait City? The all-sectors list for Kuwait City is $29.
Need a fresh list every month? GCC Growth Radar ($99/month) sends a new ranked list on the 1st of each month.
Methodology
Source: licensed B2B firmographic and technographic data, pulled 9 Oct 2026; page updated 2026-10-09. Scope: companies headquartered in the city with 10–500 employees and at least 10 data profiles; the top 50 by 1-year headcount growth per industry, after removing likely local branches of foreign or 1,000+ staff groups; companies with zero or negative growth are left out. Growth is the modelled change in the company's own employee count over the last 12 months; values above 200% are labelled estimated because they come from small headcounts. Location is the company's headquarters city; firms headquartered elsewhere with large local offices are not included, and likely local branches of foreign or 1,000+ staff groups were removed by a name/website rule that can miss some branches. Some companies are local branches of larger groups; the size band is for the local entity. Figures move between monthly editions. Company-level data only: no personal names, emails or phone numbers.
We publish a ranking only when at least 15 companies qualify, and skip a page when its top 10 would repeat another page.
FAQ
- Which hospitality & restaurant company in Kuwait City grew fastest this year?
- In the October 2026 edition, OLE Coffee ranks first with 51.9% 1-year headcount growth, followed by Caf (39.0%) and Nejoud (37.1%).
- How fast are hospitality & restaurant SMBs in Kuwait City growing?
- The median company on this list grew headcount by 10.9% in 12 months. This is a list of fast growers, not a sector average.
- What does "growth" mean here?
- The change in the company's own employee count over the last 12 months, modelled from licensed B2B firmographic data. It is not revenue growth and not a count of open vacancies.
- Why do some figures say "estimated"?
- Growth above 200% usually comes from a small starting headcount, so a few hires move the percentage a lot. We keep these companies but label the figure.
- What is in the paid list?
- All 18 companies on this page with website, city, industry, size band and growth, as CSV and Excel. Company-level only: no personal contact details.
- How often is this updated?
- Monthly. Each edition is dated; this one is October 2026.