our story
Spice Route opened in October 2014 with a single tandoor, eight tables, and a chef who believed Pakistani food deserved to be taken as seriously as any other regional cuisine in the world. Twelve years later we are still that — six branches now, but the same kitchen.
Founder & Chief Executive
Tariq founded Spice Route in 2014 after 22 years in hotel F&B at Avari Hotels Group, where he was Director of Food & Beverage for the Lahore property. He holds an MBA in Hotel Management from LUMS (2003) and chaired the Punjab chapter of the Restaurant Association of Pakistan from 2021–2023. He still works the Gulberg flagship floor on Friday nights.
Co-founder & Executive Chef ("Chacha Imtiaz")
Forty years of tandoor and karahi tradition. Chacha Imtiaz is third-generation Lahori — his grandfather ran a small bhatti in Mochi Gate; his father, a dhaba in Mozang. He has personally trained 60+ working chefs across Pakistan, including all six Spice Route head chefs. He spends two weeks a year travelling between branches making sure the karahi tastes the same in Karachi as it does in Lahore.
Group General Manager
Faiza joined Spice Route in 2018 from Movenpick Karachi, where she'd been F&B operations manager. She runs everything that touches more than one branch: reservations, supplier contracts, the central training programme, and the founder's calendar. If you've had a private event at any Spice Route in the last six years, Faiza signed off on it.
Marketing & Reputation Lead
Ali joined in 2022 to take over the chain's online reputation programme. His brief is simple: every guest review across every branch and every platform should get a thoughtful, individual reply within the day. He owns the system you're looking at.
Tariq Mahmood and Chacha Imtiaz open the first Spice Route in Gulberg Lahore — 90 covers, eight tables, one tandoor.
The Gulberg flagship moves to its current 220-cover location on MM Alam Road. Sumera Tanveer joins to open Islamabad F-7 in March.
Bilal Memon opens Karachi DHA in August — branch number three.
Hum Foodies awards Spice Route 'Restaurant of the Year — Lahore'. Faiza Aslam joins from Movenpick Karachi as Group GM.
Ayesha Saeed opens the family-focused CCA branch in Lahore in February — six weeks before the COVID-19 lockdowns. The chain pivots to home delivery and survives intact, retaining all 142 staff.
Mash'al Excellence in Hospitality Award. Tariq joins the Punjab chapter of the Restaurant Association of Pakistan, chairing it 2021–2023.
Hassan Sheikh opens the Faisalabad Susan Road branch in September — first Spice Route outside the Lahore-Islamabad-Karachi triangle.
Maria Akram opens Multan Cantt in April. The dessert bar — sohan halwa, gajrela, kulfi falooda — is her addition. Profit by Pakistan Today publishes a long-form case study on the chain in July.