Before Max Mukaddam became a multi-unit Keke’s Breakfast Cafe franchisee, his professional life looked very different.
Mukaddam spent much of his career in investment banking, working for financial institutions and building expertise in trading platforms, investment management, prime brokerage and other areas of financial services. He spent most of that career on Wall Street in Manhattan, following eight years of service in the U.S. Army.
Over the years, Mukaddam experienced some of the financial sector’s most turbulent periods firsthand, including the dot-com bubble, the aftermath of Sept. 11 and the mortgage crisis. Those experiences ultimately encouraged him and his longtime friend and business partner, Ijmal Ali, to look beyond financial services and diversify their investments.
“We were both working on Wall Street, and we had seen a lot of the problems and meltdowns that happened over the years,” Mukaddam said. “At one point, we were looking to diversify our investments, and we stumbled into Keke’s in Orlando.”
That discovery marked the beginning of a franchise journey that has now spanned more than a decade. Mukaddam opened his first Keke’s Breakfast Cafe in Wellington, Florida, in 2014. The restaurant was only the 10th location in the emerging system.
Today, he operates restaurants in Wellington, Boynton Beach, Boca Raton and Palm Springs. He is preparing to open a fifth location in Hollywood, near Sheridan Plaza, with a sixth planned for Pembroke Pines shortly afterward.
For Mukaddam, franchising offered a more accessible way to enter an unfamiliar industry. Although he brought years of experience in finance, technology and management to the opportunity, he did not have a background in restaurant operations. A franchise system gave him a proven foundation from which to learn.
“It’s an easy way to get into an established business,” he said. “The menu design, the recipes, the layout, the infrastructure and everything from the supply chain perspective are already thought out for you. It’s the kind of business where you can get established without having to develop everything from scratch.”
Mukaddam and Ali were also attracted to what they saw as significant growth potential in the breakfast and lunch category. At the time, Keke’s had already developed a strong following in Orlando, but the brand remained relatively unknown in South Florida.
“We saw a lot of interest from people, even early on,” Mukaddam said. “We were impressed with the menu. The ambiance was good, the dishes were large and it was very popular with kids. We saw a brand that was attractive to the demographics and had a lot of growth potential because there wasn’t much competition at the time.”
The operating schedule was another advantage. Keke’s serves breakfast and lunch during a single daily shift, typically from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. “It helps a lot with the labor model because you don’t have multiple shifts,” Mukaddam said. “On the other hand, you only have seven and a half hours to make money. Your table turnover has to be good, and your kitchen has to be very efficient in taking the orders and delivering them.”
Mukaddam’s move into restaurant ownership surprised some of the people who knew him best. “They looked at me like there was something wrong with me,” he said. “They said, ‘You’re in banking. All you know is how trading is done on systems and how data is moved from one place to another.’ I enjoy this a lot more than anything else. The model is very impressive. How do we produce quality food in a timely manner? Then you get to see people’s impressions, what they say and how they feel. There is an instant gratification to it.”
Mukaddam’s understanding of the business deepened significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, he was responsible for three restaurants and more than 100 team members while navigating staffing shortages, health regulations and rapidly changing consumer behavior.
“I probably had the roughest time of my life managing those three restaurants,” he said. “I remember going there every day. I saw the business very closely, and I really got to learn a lot. After that, I realized this is something that will work. I thought, ‘If we survive this, it is going to be amazing.’ We survived, and things changed completely afterward.”
One of the most significant changes Mukaddam saw was the acceleration of off-premise ordering. Before the pandemic, he questioned whether guests would order breakfast through third-party delivery platforms. Today, Mukaddam says, takeout and delivery account for between 27% and 34% of sales across his restaurants.
“I used to say, ‘Why would anybody order breakfast for delivery?’ I was so wrong,” he said. “Now, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of food goes out through delivery each year. It was a total surprise to me that people would order breakfast and still want it after it was delivered 30 or 45 minutes later.”
That confidence encouraged Mukaddam and Ali to resume expanding. They opened their Palm Springs restaurant in November 2025 and moved forward with development in Hollywood and Pembroke Pines.
“The model itself is too good,” he said. “It has a lot of appeal compared with restaurant models that are older. It is growing organically, and it can grow even faster because there is so much potential.”
While Mukaddam entered franchising because of the established systems, he quickly learned there is one critical part of the operation no franchisor can provide for an owner: the restaurant team.
“The biggest lesson we learned is that, when you are running any restaurant, the most important thing is your labor,” he said. “It all boils down to hiring good people, making sure their training is good and working closely with them.”
A franchise system can provide the recipes, products, supply chain and operating procedures, but franchisees remain responsible for recruiting, training and retaining the people who bring the guest experience to life.
“They have figured out the supply chain, the dishes, the recipes, the quality of the food, the taste and the materials,” Mukaddam said. “What they don’t give you is a group of team members. You have to find them, interview them, train them, take care of them, nurture them, monitor them and maintain the team.”
On a busy Sunday, one of his Keke’s restaurants can serve approximately 600 guests during its seven-and-a-half-hour operating window. That level of volume demands coordination, speed and engaged leadership.
“In seven and a half hours, you are processing almost 100 customers an hour,” Mukaddam said. “That requires efficiency. You have to get engaged, understand the operation, monitor your labor, manage your labor, train your labor and work with your labor. When the labor force knows the owners are engaged and involved, it gives them motivation and incentive. I have been to restaurants that are not being managed properly, and you can see the difference right away.”
Today, Mukaddam’s advice for prospective franchisees is to recognize that buying into an established system does not eliminate the need for hands-on leadership.
“Make sure you are involved, engaged and really understand the model, especially the operating model and the team members,” Mukaddam said. “Pay attention to your labor. That is where the success of the restaurant comes from.”
For an investment banker who once knew restaurant operations only from the customer side of the table, the business has become much more than a way to diversify his portfolio. It has become a long-term growth platform he genuinely enjoys building.
“I got tired of all the Wall Street noise,” Mukaddam said. “This is more fun.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/kekes-breakfast-cafe.
Keke's Breakfast Cafe
SPONSORED
Franchisee Max Mukaddam shares his expansion mindset as he opens his fifth and sixth Keke’s Breakfast Cafe locations in Hollywood and Pembroke Pines, Florida.
Before Max Mukaddam became a multi-unit Keke’s Breakfast Cafe franchisee, his professional life looked very different.
Mukaddam spent much of his career in investment banking, working for financial institutions and building expertise in trading platforms, investment management, prime brokerage and other areas of financial services. He spent most of that career on Wall Street in Manhattan, following eight years of service in the U.S. Army.
Over the years, Mukaddam experienced some of the financial sector’s most turbulent periods firsthand, including the dot-com bubble, the aftermath of Sept. 11 and the mortgage crisis. Those experiences ultimately encouraged him and his longtime friend and business partner, Ijmal Ali, to look beyond financial services and diversify their investments.
“We were both working on Wall Street, and we had seen a lot of the problems and meltdowns that happened over the years,” Mukaddam said. “At one point, we were looking to diversify our investments, and we stumbled into Keke’s in Orlando.”
That discovery marked the beginning of a franchise journey that has now spanned more than a decade. Mukaddam opened his first Keke’s Breakfast Cafe in Wellington, Florida, in 2014. The restaurant was only the 10th location in the emerging system.
Today, he operates restaurants in Wellington, Boynton Beach, Boca Raton and Palm Springs. He is preparing to open a fifth location in Hollywood, near Sheridan Plaza, with a sixth planned for Pembroke Pines shortly afterward.
For Mukaddam, franchising offered a more accessible way to enter an unfamiliar industry. Although he brought years of experience in finance, technology and management to the opportunity, he did not have a background in restaurant operations. A franchise system gave him a proven foundation from which to learn.
“It’s an easy way to get into an established business,” he said. “The menu design, the recipes, the layout, the infrastructure and everything from the supply chain perspective are already thought out for you. It’s the kind of business where you can get established without having to develop everything from scratch.”
Mukaddam and Ali were also attracted to what they saw as significant growth potential in the breakfast and lunch category. At the time, Keke’s had already developed a strong following in Orlando, but the brand remained relatively unknown in South Florida.
“We saw a lot of interest from people, even early on,” Mukaddam said. “We were impressed with the menu. The ambiance was good, the dishes were large and it was very popular with kids. We saw a brand that was attractive to the demographics and had a lot of growth potential because there wasn’t much competition at the time.”
The operating schedule was another advantage. Keke’s serves breakfast and lunch during a single daily shift, typically from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. “It helps a lot with the labor model because you don’t have multiple shifts,” Mukaddam said. “On the other hand, you only have seven and a half hours to make money. Your table turnover has to be good, and your kitchen has to be very efficient in taking the orders and delivering them.”
Mukaddam’s move into restaurant ownership surprised some of the people who knew him best. “They looked at me like there was something wrong with me,” he said. “They said, ‘You’re in banking. All you know is how trading is done on systems and how data is moved from one place to another.’ I enjoy this a lot more than anything else. The model is very impressive. How do we produce quality food in a timely manner? Then you get to see people’s impressions, what they say and how they feel. There is an instant gratification to it.”
Mukaddam’s understanding of the business deepened significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, he was responsible for three restaurants and more than 100 team members while navigating staffing shortages, health regulations and rapidly changing consumer behavior.
“I probably had the roughest time of my life managing those three restaurants,” he said. “I remember going there every day. I saw the business very closely, and I really got to learn a lot. After that, I realized this is something that will work. I thought, ‘If we survive this, it is going to be amazing.’ We survived, and things changed completely afterward.”
One of the most significant changes Mukaddam saw was the acceleration of off-premise ordering. Before the pandemic, he questioned whether guests would order breakfast through third-party delivery platforms. Today, Mukaddam says, takeout and delivery account for between 27% and 34% of sales across his restaurants.
“I used to say, ‘Why would anybody order breakfast for delivery?’ I was so wrong,” he said. “Now, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of food goes out through delivery each year. It was a total surprise to me that people would order breakfast and still want it after it was delivered 30 or 45 minutes later.”
That confidence encouraged Mukaddam and Ali to resume expanding. They opened their Palm Springs restaurant in November 2025 and moved forward with development in Hollywood and Pembroke Pines.
“The model itself is too good,” he said. “It has a lot of appeal compared with restaurant models that are older. It is growing organically, and it can grow even faster because there is so much potential.”
While Mukaddam entered franchising because of the established systems, he quickly learned there is one critical part of the operation no franchisor can provide for an owner: the restaurant team.
“The biggest lesson we learned is that, when you are running any restaurant, the most important thing is your labor,” he said. “It all boils down to hiring good people, making sure their training is good and working closely with them.”
A franchise system can provide the recipes, products, supply chain and operating procedures, but franchisees remain responsible for recruiting, training and retaining the people who bring the guest experience to life.
“They have figured out the supply chain, the dishes, the recipes, the quality of the food, the taste and the materials,” Mukaddam said. “What they don’t give you is a group of team members. You have to find them, interview them, train them, take care of them, nurture them, monitor them and maintain the team.”
On a busy Sunday, one of his Keke’s restaurants can serve approximately 600 guests during its seven-and-a-half-hour operating window. That level of volume demands coordination, speed and engaged leadership.
“In seven and a half hours, you are processing almost 100 customers an hour,” Mukaddam said. “That requires efficiency. You have to get engaged, understand the operation, monitor your labor, manage your labor, train your labor and work with your labor. When the labor force knows the owners are engaged and involved, it gives them motivation and incentive. I have been to restaurants that are not being managed properly, and you can see the difference right away.”
Today, Mukaddam’s advice for prospective franchisees is to recognize that buying into an established system does not eliminate the need for hands-on leadership.
“Make sure you are involved, engaged and really understand the model, especially the operating model and the team members,” Mukaddam said. “Pay attention to your labor. That is where the success of the restaurant comes from.”
For an investment banker who once knew restaurant operations only from the customer side of the table, the business has become much more than a way to diversify his portfolio. It has become a long-term growth platform he genuinely enjoys building.
“I got tired of all the Wall Street noise,” Mukaddam said. “This is more fun.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/kekes-breakfast-cafe.
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