Morad Alharibi, Restaurant Owner & Entrepreneur, “It is not business that fails, it is plans that fail. If it fails first time, then change the plan till you find the one that succeeds.”

Morad Alharibi remembers the day he arrived in Canada. It was November 8, 2016, when he crossed the border into Quebec from New York State with 14 members of his extended family, including his wife and kids, his dad, stepmother, his brothers, sisters and their families. “Since the day I immigrated to Canada,” he says, “I have been walking the streets like I would walk the streets of my home in Yemen, with a sense of belonging.” Morad chose Canada because of his many visits to the country while studying across the border at the University of Buffalo, earning his degree in Information Technology. In the USA he felt judged because of his ethnicity, but in Canada it is completely different, “here they look at you for who you are, it is not about skin colour, religion, language,” he says.
After university he joined his family in Saudi Arabia where he lived for over 16 years. “From a financial perspective Saudi Arabia is a good place to be, but you sacrifice your quality of life,” says Morad. In their first year in Montreal, the family received tremendous support from various agencies who helped them find homes, jobs and helped get the children into school. “This is the support we are missing back in our home country,” says Morad, “here we were given help in the ways the Koran tells us to help each other.” He took whatever work he could find, as an Amazon driver, an Uber-eats driver, even starting a business importing from China and selling on Amazon. “Then in 2018.” says Morad, “we opened a Yemini restaurant called ‘Mandi Guys’ in Toronto, and later in the GTA, where we learned from our mistakes.”  He moved the restaurant to London in early 2020, believing there was a market in this city for Yemeni cuisine.  “As we started up our restaurant business in London, the City of London helped us in many ways. Providing training for employees, bookkeeping services, etc.,” says Morad, “in fact, the City approached us after we started Mandi Guys to find out how they can help because they wanted us to succeed.”
An entrepreneur since the age of 23, Morad is constantly looking for good ideas to expand his business.  In addition to the restaurant venture, he has also begun importing chocolate products from the highly regarded Belgian company Herco Foods, while also exporting “Happy Water” from B.C. to the Middle East.
Morad reflects on the ways in which Canada has changed his mindset. In the past, he led his life based on a strict religious upbringing but after arriving in Canada, he was exposed to the diversity of others. “I feel that God wants all of us to be happy and to be successful,” says Murad, “I have met people from different nationalities, different religions, different cultures and they changed the way I see the world. This has allowed me to deal with people in individual ways.” When he moved from Montreal to Mississauga, he found comfort in the melting pot of various ethnic groups. “When you see the diversity in Canada, it makes it easier to adapt as an immigrant. Canada is my home; I am here to stay” he says proudly.
His father has been his consistent role model from childhood – in the way he supported and helped others, the way be stood by women, the way he did deals, etc. Morad has always tried to follow in his footsteps. His core beliefs are founded in his faith. “Islam was given to us to tell us how to live as good humans. It is required that I love others through my humanity,” says Morad.  He reflects further, “we are built to love and provide support to each other, it is inside each of us, and Islam provides us the way to do that. Canada is the best place to live, and to live your humanity in the way it was meant to be.”
Reflecting on his experience with his various business ventures, Morad muses, “I made a lot of mistakes when I first started the restaurant business, and I would like to share my experiences with new immigrants through YouTube videos. There is a saying in Arabic, ‘you do not learn to swim by opening a book, you have to get into the water’ – in other words, you can only learn through experience, and I am very proud that I have mentored many of my family and friends towards opening their own businesses.”  Morad believes that in Canada he has the freedom and the opportunity to create, to fail and to succeed. He is currently finalizing the paperwork to franchise Mandi Guys across Canada and the USA.
“It is not business that fails, it is plans that fail,” says Morad, “If it fails first time, then change the plan till you find the one that succeeds.”

---