This New Sheikh Zayed Brunch & Coffee Shop is Anything but a SKAM

Incessant callers claiming to be bank representatives, foreign numbers that insist they have irresistible work-from-home job offers and souvenir vendors at world-famous historical sites are, universally, considered unfavourable populations in the world - they’re scammers. But what about the less-obvious scams that surround us? More specifically, what about the worst scam of all: tepid coffee masked in a beautifully designed cup?

In a central location between New Giza and Palm Hills, a new vibrant coffee shop/brunch spot makes their position about such ostentatious scams clear, and it’s called - ironically enough - Skam, despite being, in its co-founder Youssef Makhlouf’s words, “the real deal.”

Founded to be the “missing link” in the growingly oversaturated Cairene coffee market, Skam combines a youthful innovation with the old-school business know-how that makes a small startup grow into a blossoming corporation. “We noticed there was a gap in the market,” Youssef Makhlouf tells Scene Eats, “on the one hand, we had long-standing coffee franchises with a powerful business model but an inability to keep up with changing demands, and on the other hand, there were trendy speciality coffee houses that don’t have the ability to expand into a franchise. So, we wanted to be that missing link, like the missing piece in a puzzle.”

Although it is a family business, Skam prides itself on the discipline that allows it to function seamlessly on a day-to-day basis and to grow into a fully-fledged multidisciplinary F&B company in the long run. Co-founder Ali Makhlouf says, “The co-founders of Skam each come from very different backgrounds - from marketing to business to engineering. We’ve combined our disciplines and our experiences to create an F&B concept that brings genuine joy to those touched by it. That is the ultimate goal.”

And bring joy they do - in the form of sumptuous cups of coffee and innovative recipes the likes of which can be found nowhere else, including an entire menu section dedicated to ‘Delulu Dishes’. The result of an intensive, two-month-long menu engineering process, Skam’s menu offers uniquities like flaky mini croissants covered in cream cheese, smoked salmon, egg and rich hollandaise - suitably dubbed Sunrise Darlings - and spinach-infused poached eggs with beef bacon served on a soft bed of sourdough that they call the Skam I Am (although we must say this dish is as far as can be from a scam). Not to mention their drinks menu, which ushers in caffeine fiends as well as those who opt for a healthier lifestyle, with an entire selection of the menu dedicated to the novelty of non-caffeinated frappes.

Notoriously, coffee shops are split into two varieties: those made for the work-from-home and student population to tap-tap-tap away at, and those made for groups to gather and catch up at. It’s a very intricate balance that not many cafés have been able to walk. Skam, however, had other plans in mind. “We engineered our space to be as diverse and flexible as possible, with virtual segmentation that creates a suitable environment for about anyone,” says Ali Makhlouf, “Students can enjoy a quiet caffeine-powered environment, while groups of up to 30 can catch up over brunch, all in the same shop.”

To ensure their drinks and dishes never become a (God forbid) scam, the Skam founders profess an unwavering dedication to both quality and people. That includes, of course, their customers, but it also includes, refreshingly enough, their employees. “When the people who work in a restaurant/café are unhappy, it ruins the shop’s entire experience,” says Ali Makhlouf, “Our baristas are front-liners, which is why we always take a people-centric approach to operations. After all, our goal is to make people happy.” As Skam grows, it does not intend on growing alone; instead, the coffee shop will grow to include its loyal employees as partners on the greater Skam journey.