Fakih talks with a homeless man while handing out meals during the Covid-19 pandemic, October 2020.
Mohamad FakihCM is a Lebanese-Canadian businessperson, and philanthropist. Founder of the Middle Eastern restaurant chain, Paramount Fine Foods, Fakih also conducts charitable work and community service through the Fakih Foundation. In 2022 he was awarded the Order of Canada.[1][2]
Mohamad Fakih was born to Abdallah and Nabiha in Beirut, Lebanon.[3] In 1997, Fakih opened a jewelry store in Lebanon, working as a gemologist.[4][5] He emigrated to Canada in 1999.[6] He is married with three sons and lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Fakih purchased a nearly bankrupt shawarma restaurant in Mississauga in 2006. That purchase turned into a successful restaurant franchise over the following decade.[7] During the pandemic, the business struggled like many food service businesses. In 2022 it was revealed through a series of court documents that he was embroiled in an intense court battle that Fakih started for unpaid monies and to retain control of the company. The Financial Post reported that AHM Investments Corp had filed an ultimately unsuccessful motion at the Ontario Superior Court to have Fakih removed as Director.[8]
Fakih founded Paramount in 2006 with the purchase of a small shawarma shop.[10]
The company operates family style restaurants with entertainment for kids, while serving family-style Middle Eastern dishes. The company operates on a franchise model and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada. Paramount sold 75% of its shares to a Kuwaiti based investment firm AHM Investments in 2015, and Fakih owns 25% equity in the business.[11] As of 2018 there were multiple Paramount locations across North America. Fakih led an expansion of Paramount Fine Foods in the United States in 2016[12] facing several store closures by 2017. Paramount also operates fine middle eastern dining restaurants and halal butcher shops.[13]
In 2018, the company purchased the naming rights to Hershey Centre, a sports arena in Mississauga, renaming it the Paramount Fine Foods Centre.
On May 30, 2021, Fakih's Paramount restaurant located in Mississauga suffered severe structural damage following a 3-alarm fire.[14] Fakih remained firm in saying that he would rebuild what had been lost.
In 2022, The Globe and Mail reported of a legal battle between Fakih and majority owners of Paramount Fine Foods that Fakih started, AHM Investments, at the Ontario Superior Court, for unpaid money to Fakih that ultimately settled amicably.[11]
In November 2019, Fakih was given the Key to the City of Mississauga by Mayor Bonnie Crombie. He is the third person to receive this honour from the City.[15]
In the fall of 2018 Fakih was awarded an honorary doctorate from Ryerson University for his contributions to Canadian society.[16]
In 2018, the former Hershey Centre in Mississauga, a 5400 capacity sports arena, was renamed the Paramount Centre after the company purchased the naming rights.[17]
In 2017, Fakih was one of the recipients of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, presented by Canadian Immigrant magazine.[18]
In 2021 Fakih was named Canadian CEO of the Year by multiple organizations, including the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, for launching Canada's first fully automated 'safe' restaurant and donating thousands of meals to various communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fakih was also recognized by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business as the Corporate Citizen of the Year in 2021 and named one of Canada’s Most Admired CEOs.
Mohamad Fakih was appointed to the Order of Canada in December 2022.
During a stretch of -30 degree weather in December 2017, when Toronto’s housing shelters were at capacity, Fakih helped pay for dozens of hotel rooms for the homeless and years later, continues to financially support ongoing efforts to get families off the streets.[20]
In 2017, a series of racist attacks were directed at Mohamad Fakih in the form of public harassment, online videos, and other interviews attacking his religion and his character. One incident occurred in front of Fakih's children.[21] In 2019, an Ontario court awarded Fakih CAD $2.5 million in damages, one of the largest defamation judgments in Canadian history.[22]
