How To Start Shawarma Business In Nigeria (2025)
This article is about how to start shawarma business in Nigeria currently in this year 2025. If you are interested in this particular business venture, kindly read along and take down all the necessary details about owning a shawarma business anywhere in the country today.
Shawarma is a universal snack that is enjoyed in many parts of the world. It is prepared with meat filling, the deboned meat being either beef, chicken, goat meat depending on what one wants. Nigeria is not left out when it comes to the consumption of this very delicious snack that is available in many bars and eateries. As easy as this snack looks, there are intricacies in preparing it and if you want to venture into this business anywhere in the country, there are some things that you should consider before starting it. These things include your location, competitor activities, potential buyers, price and so on.
Shawarma belongs to a family of wraps that as we have mentioned earlier, is consumed in many parts of the world. It is a mixture of meat, vegetables and cream all wrapped in a special kind of bread which is a flour based covering that holds in all the edibles that is pleasing to the taste buds. This bread, known as Pita bread is a sweetened flat bread that gives the shawarma a very good structure, while ensuring that there is a balance in the taste of the meat, vegetables and cream that are all embedded in it.
In starting your shawarma business in Nigeria today, you should ensure that your shawarma which is intended for commercial purposes should feature various sorts of vegetables some of which include cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, tomato slices, fresh or dried pepper, to mention but a few. Meat which is the main ingredient apart from the roll should be in abundance and the most popular are the ones we have mentioned before but you can use other types of meat such as turkey, and any other edible meat as your source of protein.
Cream such as mayonnaise or any other signature cream that you can create by yourself should also not be lacking in your shawarma while not forgetting to add some delicious hotdogs to add more yummy goodness to your snack. Shawarma business is a very profitable venture only if you know what you are doing, and the profit in this business is dependent on the number of pieces you are able to sell.
Your mode of operation and how you manage your shawarma stand will determine the longevity of the business. One very good thing about this type of business is that you can incorporate other things like selling asun (goat meat barbecue) by the side, samosas as well as soft drinks and other types of drinks and beverages that may be preferred by your customers. Going forward, let us take a detailed look at how you can start this business in Nigeria today through the following steps that we shall outline.
STEP BY STEP PROCESSES ON HOW TO START SHAWARMA BUSINESS IN NIGERIA 2025
The following is a step by step guide on how to start shawarma business in Nigeria this 2025:
GET THE NECESSARY TRAINING
Before ever venturing into the shawarma business in Nigeria today, it is very important that you get the necessary training. We mentioned earlier that the shawarma snack might look very simple on the eye but there are intricacies involved in preparing it. You will need to learn all the necessary details involved in making shawarma and be perfect in it before becoming a shawarma business owner.
This is very important because you are into the food business and people will consume what you produce and put out there. For your integrity and the sake of your business development, you will need to ensure that whatever people consume that is produced by you is the best and nothing but the best. Find a good place where you can learn how to make shawarma and perfect the art or you can use YouTube, spending quality time on your self development in this field.
FIND A GOOD LOCATION FOR YOUR SHAWARMA BUSINESS
After you must have learnt how to perfectly make shawarma, and you want to become your own boss, the next thing for you to do is to look out for some of the best places where you think your business can thrive and once you have thoroughly done your homework, you can settle for the best location that will give you what you want in terms of customer volume and returns on investment (ROI). Ideas on the perfect places to site your business can range from popular lounges, to bus stops, busy markets, near schools, etc.
If you want to operate a shawarma spot, you can start by making available a mini-canopy that can house at least a two-metal table support; one for the shawarma grill and the other one for the presser. While you’re at it, ensure that your environment is clean. If you want to site your shawarma business by the roadside, you should make sure that the road is tarred to prevent dust and sand particles from affecting your displayed meat.
MAKE READY THE NECESSARY SHAWARMA BUSINESS MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
The following are the various materials and equipment required to start shawarma business in Nigeria today:
SHAWARMA GRILL/LOCAL GRILL
You will need a shawarma grill to do this business effectively. If you have money for the rotating shawarma grill, either the electric or gas powered ones, you can purchase it but if you do not have the money for it, you can go for the fabricated flat grill. Shawarma grill costs about ₦220,000, it could be more or less depending on the brand and your location.
SHAWARMA PRESS/SEALER
Also, you will need a shawarma press or sealer in order to seal the ends of the wraps when you’re preparing your shawarma. The press or sealer are of two types which are; the locally made ones and the industrial made ones that can be purchased from some online shopping websites in the country. You can still be productive without this machine if you know how to manoeuvre your way but for that professional look, it is advisable that you get this machine. The locally made sealer costs about ₦60,000 while the industrial one costs more.
Other Equipment include the following:
- Deep fryer: ₦12,000
- Electric cooker: ₦6,000
- Deep freezer: ₦120,000
- Fridge (optional): ₦70,000
- Show glass: ₦15,000
- Frying pans and pots: ₦20,000
- Bowls/cutlery: ₦20,000
- Cleaning tools: ₦10,000
- Fire extinguisher (in case of a fire): ₦10,000
- Welding: ₦50,000
- Carpentry work: ₦40,000
- Chopping board (For your vegetables): ₦1,600
- Generator set: ₦70,000
- A few Chairs and Tables (optional): ₦40,000.
From the above, you can tell that the estimated cost of starting shawarma business in Nigeria is about ₦600,000 or more depending on whether you’re starting small or in a big way. Kindly note that the prices of shawarma equipment listed above are estimates so we advise that you do your own market survey to know what their actual prices are. You can also budget for a sound system to provide your customers with cool music while they’re waiting for their shawarma to be ready.
BRANDING OF YOUR SHAWARMA BUSINESS
Whether you’re starting small or big, never underestimate the power of branding in your shawarma business as it will make people associate with you no matter their location. You can decide to make branded T-shirts for your business that will capture your company name and product. About two or three will do and as you grow, you will need more. Also, you can create branded packs such as nylons or wrapping papers for your business.
It will never be out of place to create business cards for your shawarma business as well and you can staple it on every sale so that your customers can easily place a call to you and make their order to be delivered to them at their various locations.
FIND A GOOD DELIVERY CHANNEL FOR YOUR BUSINESS
You should endeavour to find a good delivery channel for your shawarma business so that you can make quick deliveries to many of your customers who cannot come to your business place to buy your shawarma physically. Find a good delivery company that you can trust for this purpose and ensure that they deliver on time so that you do not lose your customers.
ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS
Nowadays, people advertise more on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Twitter, do not be left out. Get your shawarma business out there for your potential customers to see. You can also print flyers and advertise by word of mouth to your potential customers, you never know who will host their birthday parties, weddings, etc, and invite you to come work your shawarma magic at their event on a contract basis.
