Rami Ykmour

Rami Ykmour (born 1975) is an Australian entrepreneur and founder of numerous other food and hospitality businesses.
Rami is best known for his restaurant chain RASHAYS which operates 30+ locations on the eastern coast of Australia.. His business portfolio also features Ruomky Business Enterprises (which includes food manufacturing facility, Ruomky), Oodee (no-prep meal kits) and GUEST GUARD (modular customer protection screens).
Rami launched his own personal brand Rami Ykmour which features heavily on social media, giving insight into his life and offering advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and fellow business leaders.
== Early life ==
Rami Ykmour was born at Canterbury Hospital, Bankstown on April 14, 1975 to Jim and Fay Ykmour. His parents were married in Tripoli, Lebanon in 1974 before relocating to Australia. Rami has five siblings Roy (1977), Ahed (1981), Abir (1984), Mohammed (1988) and Jihad (1994).
The Ykmour family moved back to Lebanon in 1978 and lived there until the Lebanese Civil War. In September 1984, Jim Ykmour decided to relocate his family back to Australia as he was wanted by the government and determined to raise his family in a country which allowed freedom of speech. On arrival in Sydney – Rami and his family stayed in his uncle’s two-bedroom house in Roselands, before moving to a three-bedroom housing commission house in Bonnyrigg.
Rami attended Belmore North Primary (1985) and Bonnyrigg Public School (1987) at a time when he describes his English language skills as “broken”. He then attended Bonnyrigg High School from 1988, until he graduated in 1993. After his time at school, Rami started his first job at Pizza Hut (Greenfield Park) where he worked to give most of his money to help his parents. During his time at Pizza Hut, Rami met his wife-to-be and RASHAYS co-founder, Shannon Smith, as well as the brand’s future CEO, Roman Tepes.
== Career ==
==== RASHAYS ====
Rami built up his hospitality industry experience initially by working as a delivery driver with Pizza Hut, before progressing to the position of store manager. It was during this time that Rami says his ambition to start his own pizza restaurant began. Inspired by the popular TV show, Friends, Rami envisioned creating a casual dining experience which echoed the atmosphere of the show’s popular coffee shop “Central Perk”.
Coming up with the brand name RASHAYS, was a collaborative effort, with his wife Shannon – a play on both their names which combines the letters from their first names, as well as the first initial of their surnames.
The first RASHAYS restaurant opened in Liverpool in 1998 at a 22 square-metre commercial space which cost $28,000 per annum. Originally run with a team of five people the successful venture captured the attention of Dominos, who head-hunted him to run three franchises - a challenge he took on while still running RASHAYS. By 2001 he decided to sell his franchise interests in Dominos and invest the profits back into building RASHAYS as a multi-location casual dining brand. The brand currently has 30+restaurants across New South Wales, the ACT and Queensland – including 18 franchised locations.
In March 2020, during COVID-19, Rami evolved the RASHAYS brand from primary dine-in - to a dine-in, pick-up and delivery business.
==== RUOMKY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES ====
Following RASHAYS’ success, Rami formed Ruomky Business Enterprises in 2007 – a company which provides a range of hospitality industry services from supplying food, drink, equipment and furniture - to facility maintenance and new business development. Following further expansion in 2010, Ruomky Business Enterprises launched food manufacturing facility, Ruomky, to produce consistent high-quality ingredients, as well as create ready-made meals, at cost-effective prices.
==== OODEE ====
In February 2020, Rami launched Oodee, a no prep, home delivery meal service in response to an increased demand for at-home meal solutions. The company focuses on fast and fresh Aussie favourites which can be prepared in 10 minutes without the need to cut or prep any ingredients. 
==== GUEST GUARD ====
GUEST GUARD was established as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Originally developed for RASHAYS as a way of reassuring customers of their safety when restrictions started to ease after the pandemic. The brand then expanded to helping other businesses, not only within the hospitality industry but also other sectors to provide a physical barrier for people within social spaces. Made from a clear perspex and a sturdy, lightweight frame, GUEST GUARD is a modular piece of equipment which can be adapted to suit a range of applications in a variety of settings. 
== Personal life ==
Rami met his wife, Shannon Smith while working at Pizza Hut. The pair married in 2003 and have four children; daughters Kameelah, Aliyah and Amelia, and son Zain. Sadly, another son, Zacharia, was born prematurely and died only a couple of minutes after his birth. The family tragedy motivated Rami and his wife to raise funds for the Miracle Babies Foundation, a charity which supports families impacted by premature births. Both on a personal level, and within a professional capacity through RASHAYS, Rami has continued to have close links with the charity in supporting this particular cause in-conjunction with other charitable institutions.
In addition to promoting RASHAYS as a family-friendly casual dining hub, Rami proved the alliance of his strong values when he pulled out of a $2million sponsorship deal with the Canterbury Bulldogs NRL team following a sex scandal involving some of the players
==In the media==
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== References ==
==External links==
* Rami Ykmour on linkedin
* Rami Ykmour on instagram
* Rami Ykmour on facebook
* Rami Ykmour - Business Profile | RASHAYS | ZoomInfo.com
* Rami Ykmour | The Business Conversation
* The Sydney restaurant chain changing lives through true inclusion
* Rami Ykmour's email & phone | ‎RASHAYS Casual Dining's
* Rami Ykmour youtube channel
Category:1975 births
Category:Entrepreneurs
Category:Australian businesspeople
Category:Restaurant chains in Australia
Category:Australian founders
Category:Australian people