The next food and hospitality giant?

On paper, Zain Aziz seems an unlikely candidate to lead the fight against what he describes as “the hijacking of our national aesthetic.”

Born in Lahore in 1985, Zain Aziz went to Aitchison College before shifting to the United Kingdom to study mechanical engineering. There, he went on to complete a Masters in mechanical transmissions and robotics from Imperial College London. He briefly worked as an IT consultant in the UK. His family owns Sefam, the retail fashion giant most well known for its flagship brand Bareeze among others. 

Over the past seven years, he has grown a sizable umbrella of establishments in the food and hospitality sector that have not just seen rapid acclaim for their taste and service, but have also quickly become known for their design philosophy. He has done so with no formal education or training in the sector.  

The crown jewel in this fledgling empire is The FRED Hotel — a 37 room luxury boutique hotel right off Main Boulevard, Lahore. A go-to destination for foreign travellers coming to Lahore, the hotel has a rating of 9.3 out of 10 on Booking.com. Avari and Pearl Continental, the two legacy competitors in the same price range, have 7.8 and 6.8 respectively. The only hotel in the price range that matches The FRED’s rating is The Nishat. 

But in a very short amount of time The FRED and its associated establishments have managed to do something brands and companies often spend millions doing but rarely pull off. They're cool. The aesthetic of The FRED and its restaurants has appealed to people. It is not just a good place to spend the night or go for a meal, it is a space one wants to spend time in.