The trio behind the new Samo’r Cafe found a space in Menzieshill Community Hub to serve up coffee, cakes and meals thanks to one persistent mum.
It was fate when Samir Al-nadaf’s mum spotted a sign about the vacant space in the hub.
Right away, she had a candidate in mind: her son.
The 25-year-old says: “She came home and told me to call them up. Obviously when it comes to mums, sometimes you think ‘I can’t be bothered’, so I said I’d call later and I never did.
“Then she reminded me two weeks later, I gave them a call and they wanted to meet us. We presented the project and they told us to come in.”
Alongside entrepreneur Omar Sohail, the pair had planned their cafe for years. 32-year-old Omar is a keen barista, while Samir can cook, but they needed a baker.
Luckily for them, Samir’s mum was able to help solve that problem too.
One of her friends, home baker Zayneb Al-Khairalla was looking for a job.
“She just mentioned it one day and it’s funny, I was hoping something would happen because I was at that stage in my life where I was unsure what to do,” says the mum-of-three.
“She gave me a call and asked what I thought of the project, it was as if she could read my mind.”
Samo’r Cafe pledges high quality and low prices
Samo’r Cafe opened at the start of May on the first floor of Menzieshill Community Hub.
The trio offer hot and cold drinks, cakes, toasties, baguettes, soup and their popular mac and cheese.
When deciding on the menu, delicious food was their top priority.
Omar says: “In a leisure club, you might expect low quality food at a low price, and that’s where we thought we can do something.
“We focused on high quality food, but keeping the prices low. That was a challenge, but at the same time fun, because you get to give people more than they expect.”
The menu is fully halal, both because of the trio’s diet and “in the community spirit” as it means anyone can enjoy the offering.
At the start, many visitors didn’t realise Samo’r had opened and only stumbled across it when feeling ravenous after a workout.
The team must have impressed, as they now see many familiar faces – from kids and parents to pensioners – stop by the café regularly.
Menzieshill great fit for community cafe
While the food keeps visitors coming in the door, behind the scenes Samo’r Cafe is driven by passion and entrepreneurial spirit.
Samir says: “Without Omar and Zayneb, this business wouldn’t exist, because this is their passion.
“They put in so many hours of effort because they love this so much.
“When we started, the only thing we focused on was quality, and I think you can tell because people enjoy it so much, it’s quite rewarding.”
For Zayneb, commuting through from Perth to Menzieshill brings back memories of being a Dundee University student.
The colourful graffiti outside the cafe windows makes her smile as she remembers what the plot looked like back in the day.
Not only does the cafe have a great view of the Tay, but the trio praise the great working environment inside the hub, allowing them to strive to reach their goals.
Zayneb says: “My baking style is rustic and comforting, so I want people to feel the love that’s been put into the food. I want them to say ‘let’s go to Samo’r and have really good, homemade food.’
“That means so much to me.”
Harris Academy graduate Samir continues: “We want to be a place people can rely on. A lot of people come in, see people from their community and enjoy good food. We want to give value to people, and hope that will grow our business.”
