Abdelrehim is a proud Egyptian turned proud Mountaineer. He and his family moved to Morgantown nearly five years ago and never looked back.
Abdelrehim began his professional career after graduating from the School of Pharmacy and Biotechnology in 2008 at the German University in Cairo. He started his first business in 2009, a retail pharmacy in Cairo, and served as its founder and owner over the next eight years. But with a desire to grow as an entrepreneur, he packed up shop and began traveling to China to strengthen his newly founded trading company.
Restrictions imposed by the Egyptian government reduced Abdelrehim’s ability to grow his company, and falling upon more challenging times, he moved to West Virginia seeking a fresh start in the food industry.
Cairo 2 Go is the “best food money can buy,” says Abdelrehim. It is a family-owned and operated restaurant, with children running and laughing throughout the dining quarters. Abdelrehim highlights that raising their children was an essential factor when deciding to move to the quieter and more accessible Mountain State instead of the much larger city of Cairo.
Hard times have been the norm for Abdelrehim and his family. Just under a year at the restaurant, he had to move back to Egypt for a year while his Visa status was under review. Upon his return, the COVID-19 pandemic further threatened to destroy their hard work. When asked how he persevered, Abdelrehim replied, “patience.”
Abdelrehim and his team knew they had to rebrand themselves, and with some innovation, opened two “ghost kitchens.” Alongside Cairo 2 Go, Abdelrehim operates Tre Pasta and The Angry Five Hot Fried Chicken. With three restaurants serving out of one location, Abdelrehim’s business model is unique to the city of Morgantown.
Despite the social distance and shutdown ordinances over the last two years, Abdelrehim refused to give up. Instead, they maintained their staff, increased sales and put their creativity into hard work. From its founding, Abdelrehim has been committed to a positive service experience: “The sky’s the limit when you have the mindset to do something.”
If you’d like to keep up with Ahmed’s companies, you can visit www.cairo2go.com, www.trepasta.com and www.theangryfive.com.
Listen to the full podcast here: https://positivelywv.com/podcast/episode-176-ahmed-abdelrehim-cairo2go/
PWV QUICK BITS | AHMED ABDELREHIM
- RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: Restaurant Unstoppable, hosted by Eric Cacciatore and The Laws of Human Nature, by Robert Greene
- PIECE OF ADVICE: “Failure is part of the process, [but] persistence always wins.”