Categories
Food Information

The Early Bird Truth

bianca

The Early Bird was one of the first breakfast places to open up in Kuwait back in 2007 and is still a pretty popular place. But, according to a recent blog post by the original owner and creator Bianca (pictured above), it seems her Kuwaiti partner took over the business and kicked her out without giving her a single penny. She just put up her side of the story online and you can check it out [Here]

Update: I sat with the Early Bird people and they will be sending me their side of the story soon as well.

Update 2: They never sent me their side of the story.

103 replies on “The Early Bird Truth”

That’s awful but not unheard of as it happens all the time. The Americans who set up Waffle & Burger had the same thing happen to them, she left and sold food out of her house until the Kuwaiti lost most of the business and brought her back. Everyday someone’s idea is taken and opened by people with easy cash, that’s Kuwait.

We should boycott the restaurant now and show support for her hard work.

It is awful and unfair, but please don’t generalize that this is how it is in Kuwait. This kind of behaviore appears sll over the world by greedy individuals that do not represent a country. Kuwait is filled with honest people who support and help non-kuwaitis in setting up their businesses by funding and co-owning. That being said, everyone should consult a lawyer before signing any partnership to avoid this kind of situation and protect their rights.

Sad to hear of the same.
Have been to the Jabriya branch a couple of times.
Totally enjoyed it there with family and friends…

If she opens another breakfast place to rival the old one and am sure you would do very well.

That explains where my fav waiters went and how the quality and standard of the food as well as the ambiance went down..I feel bad for her…

Bianca, feeling bad for you but would like to say your concept, effort and execution was top class. I’ve been visiting your Fahaheel branch since it had opened and had recommended it to several friends, who felt likewise. I’m talking about the days when you personally used to cook and serve us.

Then a few times we didn’t see you and learnt you’re busy setting up the Jabriya branch.

Several years on… sad to see its ending like this. Now I’m going to tell the very same friends to NOT visit this place any more. Hope the fart who was your partner realizes money alone can not buy you loyalty and quality.

Word of mouth is very important in Kuwait so I could see this business failing now if people who go to it find out and have a bit of decency in them to boycott it.

It’s unfortunate especially since Early Bird provided a unique concept and atmosphere. My heart goes out to Bianca.

Not to sound like an awful person, but would love to hear the other business partner’s side.
this is only half the picture after all.

I see Kuwaitis coming to the blind aid of their fellow Kuwaiti. Whether they had a bust-up or left amicably, she owned a part of the business (maximum 49%), and was entitled to her share of the value of the business. This should be protected by law, but welcome to Kuwait.

My guess would be that her Kuwaiti partner was both greedy AND out to punish her.

If she owned 49%, 30%, 10%, or whatever, of this business, and because it is protected by the law, she should have taken legal action. No one can get screwed over so easily here, even though a lot like to think thats how it is. The law in Kuwait is very fair and takes theses matters very seriously, whether you are a local or not. Hire a lawyer, and have them figure this out for you.

So just saying my share of my business was just taken away from me, makes no sense whatsoever. Something feels off.

The laws of Kuwait is not fair, because the expats are doing most of the work if not all. That they are entitle no matter what, the 51% is idiotic.

I had this done to me as well, on the hand over of the license to new spnosor I got blackmailed for X amount of $$$$. If not he would taken it away from me. Fighting in court is not an option when you loose your time/mind and even more money. So I ended up paying the son of a b…

Please check your facts of life before you say anything is fair.

How does someone just take someone else’s share of a business they both own? That doesn’t make a lot of sense :/. And either way, why did she not take legal action?

Something just does not seem right.

Who you think is going to win, the one who do all the work or the one with a golden spoon up where the sun dont shine..

Let’s give a shout out for an ‘Investor Visa’ to be implemented in this place. If I continue on a roll I liked to simultaneously see Permanent Residency to expat residents that have resided in Kuwait for over 20 years with no criminal record. End the sponsorship system…if expats could own business without Kuwaiti sponsors, the marketplace would be a much more competitive and interesting place like Dubai.

Haha AAA is probably the guy who did it. This has been known by quite a few for a while and it wasn’t just one source. It is many sources. This kind of thing happens all the time. The majority share holder ganks the expat after things start to boom, flexes their wasta muscles and hits up their lawyer friends…Boom you have jack squat. Luckily there are some great Kuwaiti partners with integrity! And said businesses usually fail after be it Karma or the thief not realizing they aren’t the ones who were putting in the work and are ill equipped to run it.

I’m sorry but she should’ve protected herself from the beginning with a contract. If it is a contract prepared by a lawyer and signed by both she can ruin him. I know from experience. Many times I have seen Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis “trust” which is very naive and stupid.

this is tragic, but whatever you do next will be successful. You can easily recognize the hard work and dedication that set the early bird apart from other places in Kuwait. That’s part of you, the rest is just a building and some eggs. I’m sorry you lost your bird, it’s unfair, now go and build something better, Kuwait will recognize your talent however you chose to apply it.

Thanks for sharing this Marc. We can put a stop to this. My uncle was screwed like Bianca by his Kuwaiti partner after all the sweat, blood and tears he put in but at that time, there was no twitter, no facebook and even no mobile phones. My uncle nearly committed suicide but we all supported him to start a business back in India. Kuwait has no respect for its expats who build up Kuwait and do it’s dirty work or who take big risks. When everything is booming, the expat partner is kicked off. It is easy for everyone to say bring a lawyer and fight the courts but unless you are an expat in that situation you will not realise what that means with no income to sit and fight a case that might take years and finally no compensation. Not everyone is a rich man and especially when the Kuwaiti grabs the expat’s hard made money.
I feel really really bad for Bianca. Bianca, thank you for that quote from Martin Luther King. No, we will not remain silent. We can make Kuwaiti’s who do such dirty things pay big time and I am going to make sure all my friends here do the same.
Wish we knew what his other businesses were as well so that we can shut him down and make him feel the pain.

“Evil succeeds when good people do nothing”.

Boycott. As for everyone else harping about “we all need to hear both sides or “two sides” to every story” is just nonsense. This woman got screwed no matter how you try to paint the picture. Anyone familiar with her operation and how she started way back a few years ago can at the very least know she deserves a lot more than all these Monday morning lawyers talking “she should have… We need to hear both sides and oh well that’s kuwait”. Huh? What?

Let your conscience be your guide. I for one will stop patronizing the place.

Evil succeeds when good people do nothing!

The get a lawyer and “Two sides” idiots need to quit playing “shoulda, woulda, coulda” when you know darn well this crap happens all the time here. You are an expat. You are on a visa. Kuwait is expensive. You lost your main source of income. How many can afford to sit around for the legal court system to catch up? Even then your result may not be so favorable. Which is why most folks opt for a meager settlement and get the heck out of dodge before it goes from “15,000 KD” to oh well get the heck out and here’s nothing! Sorry for your loss Bianca.

I like how you frame this as Good vs Evil and the blonde white woman is Good no matter how much BS she could be spewing.

I know the whole story. I’m saying “Wait for both sides” because I know she was wrong. It’s not my story to tell.

Whatever is the other side of the story, leaving her without a penny! she is not only the partner, but the founder as well. I am boycotting no matter what the other side says and definitely my friends will do the same!

Both sides of the story need to he heard to pass judgement…and yes, she should’ve seeked legal action…she should’ve and could’ve hired a lawyer to represent her. Her loss of her business is without a doubt tragic, and hopefully she’ll do even better in the future…

Reading the story it appears that Bianca had trust in her business partner without any legal partnership or documents. Well it is sad to say it, but tough luck since that is what happens when working with people without morale values.

I am sure that this guy sooner or later will be hit hard, because none in business can succeed forever without cooperation and mutual respect.

The lesson is for all Kuwaities or foreigners doing business in Kuwait is to have legal documentation for everything so one can ensure his/her rights.

Thank you Mark for sharing this. You always share the truth and hats off for that.

Good luck Biance and I will support you 100% and spread the word.

To avoid the 49% foreign ownership, go establish a company in Bahrain and then come to Kuwait open a business. As GCC companies are treated as Kuwaiti companies. Accordingly, you can own up to 99% of the Kuwaiti company (the business). Also, have a side agreement (Nominee Agreement) with the Kuwaiti partner (1%) to protect yourself.

You’re assuming that this foreigner is able to establish a business without the Kuwaiti support. Yes she may have had an idea. Yes she may have overseen the work. However, clearly, there is more than that. The fact that all she “can” do right now is slander the current owners of the restaurant online shows how limited capabilities she has and how limited her thinking is. I would probably guess she wouldn’t have been able to do anything other than dream of that business of hers without the Kuwaiti partners.

3Azeez, my uncle could not “slander” anybody and his kuwaiti partner stole 100000kd worth of investment.now that there is social media,we will show you how “limited” our capabilities are. For instance, you just need to look at that japanese restaurant in kuwait which is busy dusting flies in avenues.

Yes the foreigner CAN establish a business without Kuwaiti support. Establish a 2 GCC companies in Bahrain and then come to Kuwait establish a limited liability company with these 2 Bahraini companies as partners.
No one really knows what happen between them, and why now she is escalating it to social media. Nonetheless, it seems that she is really hurt from the action of her partner in business. Again no one knows the real story and to be fair you have to hear both side of it.
Greed is everywhere man…

We continue to support Early bird, this lady fuked the man over by travelling out of Kuwait and leaving the business unmanaged. He was sick of her attitude and carelessness and offered to try and save his investment by buying it off her and having another partnership with someone else.

She didnt like it, Greed took over her. She decided to get the money, succumb to the deal, and before handing all social media access, she wanted to destroy him and his business.

This is a BIATCH in all means, to hell with you and myself, sisters, friends and all the staff continue to support the restaurant. Go boycott it all you want, its near where I get my MoE training in jabrya and I would love to see less douchebags taking over the limited seats. Thank god

Mark, trust me I do appreciate the moderation. Otherwise I would have probably ended up in a police station long time ago ;/

The story is very lopsided and ignorant and so many aspects of it are missing. Kuwait has so many laws that protect foreign investors and business! Where is the contract? How can he leave her with nothing and get away with it? Instead of being stupid, she could have protected herself. Also, what a rude and insulting way to start the story:

“Considering the reliance the Gulf region has on the West as their engine of socio-economic development, one would expect there would be a mutual respect for foreign business partners & investors who want to improve the standard of living in those countries.”

Excuse me? We rely on the west to improve the standard of our living? I’m sick and tired of disrespectful people who come to this country just to suck the money out of it, then have the nerve to say their intention is to improve anything other than their bank accounts. THIS is business! Even if 2% of her story is true, FRAUD exists everywhere! I’m an audior and I see contract and “law” loopholes all the time. Maybe thats the case but where is the other side of the story? Trying to depict this country or Kuwaitis as “villains” just makes her seem ignorant and racist.

Let’s discuss this at a higher level. Kuwait needs to address visa restructuring. Although Kuwait has been highlighted in the GCC press for its negative campaign and disrespect of ‘expats’ through it’s legal system, maybe it would be advantageous to the marketplace if foreigners were given more opportunities to participate in the business community, through an ‘Investor Visa’, similar to what we have in Dubai. Do you think that the current marketplace would be anywhere near what it is today in Dubai if it was not for visa restructuring and the refinement of foreign business laws? All GCC nations have made broad attempts to move forward in their development path except Kuwait – all have built or are constructing new airports which are gateways to any nation and are critical in how any country is percieved -just look at the main airport in Kuwait. FLYDUBAI got so fed up they paid to utilize SST, but how long that will last, who knows? Although there has been talk of a new airport and a recent awarding of a contract there is much ‘talk’ on the streets about internal conflicts on cost, design and corruption on the award’s process. I certainly watch businesses come and go in Dubai, but there is a certain creative flow that enterprising expats have contributed to the marketplace in Dubai, not that there are not young creative Kuwaitis starting businesses in Kuwait. Abyat is a perfect example of a success story, where the Kuwaiti father, who only sold white and black tiles because he thought people should only purchase black and white tiles, after turning the business to his sons transformed this business into a success story with a wide variety of product lines that has evolved into an expansion plan in the region. I think what that lady meant in her statement was that it was her ingenuity that evolved the business, and you are correct, it appears she neglected her legal responsibilities by not entering into a contractual agreement, so at the end of the day the blame is with herself regardless of where she lives. Sheikh Mohammed bin Al-Rashid Al-Maktoum’s right hand man who helped him achieve his vision for his nation was a British man who recently died. It is not futile for Kuwait to continue this negative campaign against foreigners in their legal system, because Kuwait’s problems do not lie with it’s expats, but with it’s lack of proper implemention and regulation of it’s legal system.

I never stated that Kuwait was the most developed country, nor did I deny that without a powerful lawyer, you can end up in the shorter end of the deal. My issue is with her statement of the story, with many parts missing, and then blaming the system against foreign investors and expats. If the system is unfair, its unfair and corrupt to Kuwaitis probably more than non-kuwaitis. All I saw in the post was blaming “kuwait”, whereas the post should have been, “hey, I was very stupid and didn’t protect myself, nor did i know my rights. So people be careful when starting a business.” I’m not defending Kuwait and many of my friends are expats. However they admit that they came to Kuwait for the money, and nothing more. Don’t convince me that they’re here for the great weather. At the end of the day, they get paid good money, given opportunities not presented anywhere else, pay 1-2 kd for medical services. Is it that easy in Dubai? If so, why don’t they move there?

I don’t recall commenting at all before this post. But its nice to know there’s another angry fajer out there lol.

Fajer…true! I thought I was the only one who noticed the intro as having ‘we are first world you are third world’ overtones…she could have worded it better but I’m sure emotion got the better of her. May she go on to find future success : D

Only in Kuwait could a random blog post, by someone who is clearly portraying a one-sided story, actually get so much attention.
When did people stop asking questions and just go with what ‘someone’ said? Someone – a blogger. Someone – who heard some gossip, read a post and passed it on.
We all know word of mouth and social media can be a powerful tool to do all sorts of things. But can all of the new self-announced Early Bird boy-cotters just stop and think for one second?
Too many out of the above 67 comments sound like sheep ‘baaa-ing’, ‘meeeh-ing’ and looking for someone they can follow.

Regardless of whether this is a true statement or not – why is there only a handful of people demanding the other side of the story? And why is there so much interest in gossip like this?

How could you people be so naive and believe to such posts without hearing two sides of a story, did you ask yourselves for a single second,why is she raising her voice right now, and was silent for a long time, why didn’t she hire a lawyer and went to court the very next day when this incident happen, don’t you think there is something fishy about this post? i leave the rest to your imagination.

Only in Kuwait could a random blog post, by someone who is clearly portraying a one-sided story, actually get so much attention.
When did people stop asking questions and just go with what ‘someone’ said? Someone – a blogger. Someone – who heard some gossip, read a post and passed it on. Someone – who is too emotional about an incident to be sharing it with the virtual world.
We all know word of mouth and social media can be a powerful tool to do all sorts of things. But can all of the new self-announced Early Bird boy-cotters just stop and think for one second?
Too many of the 67 comments above sound like sheep ‘baaa-ing’, ‘meeeh-ing’ and looking for someone they can follow.
Regardless of whether this is a true statement or not – why is there only a handful of people demanding the other side of the story? And why is there so much interest in gossip like this?

What a wonderful human being. We “67” commenters above are a bunch of sheep and should aspire to have your wisdom. When did you graduate from the University of BS? You hold a doctorate for sure because your post is so full of it your eyes are brown. You are obviously a big bad “intelligent” wolf. Is it K for Khaled or K for “Special K”?

Any one believing this post without asking for details, probably graduated from the high school of ignorance and stupidity. And as a famous saying says, “the law does not protect imbeciles.”

Its obvious everyone has their own ideas, an suddenly we all want to take sides make things right an protect the rights of the others ligally or illigally…. My respect to both teams, for their each an own ideas bravo to you all, this almost reminded me of “Breaking the internet” by Kim Kardashian, for a secound we all start giving our inputs spychologically, politically an spiritually, next thing you know we get back to our lives an mind our own broken lives, an i think this is what we should do here…. As for karma, yes it might “take a nice chunk out of his ass” or karma actually/ already did take a big chunk of his/ her ass, so you see there is two sides of every story.

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Its obvious everyone has their own ideas, an suddenly we all want to take sides make things right an protect the rights of the others ligally or illigally…. My respect to both teams, for their each an own ideas bravo to you all, this almost reminded me of “Breaking the internet” by Kim Kardashian, for a secound we all start giving our inputs spychologically, politically an spiritually, next thing you know we get back to our lives an mind our own broken lives, an i think this is what we should do here…. As for karma, yes it might “take a nice chunk out of his ass” or karma actually/ already did take a big chunk of his/ her ass, so you see there is two sides of every story.

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

u guys are all bunch of whiny kids arent u? u jump to conclusions just cuz someones sob story? u didnt even bother to wait for the other guys side of the story to be published. just cuz hes kuwaiti hes automatically in the wrong? stop being jealous and drop the inferiority complex. im against the sponsorship law in kuwait but this is the law, until we kuwaitis change it through the parliament. and u xpats knew this was the law when u came here to work, so stop bitching and moaning

While i do sympathize with her situation, i have something to say regarding the matter.

I am personally offended by the opening statement:

– “Considering the reliance of the Gulf region has on the West as their engine of socio-economic development…”

– “..Improve the standard of living in those countries”

Those two statements in particular have nothing to do with a business deal “gone bad”, and quite frankly border line an insult to me personally and to the gulf region as a whole. Her situation is a result of mistrust and bad decisions, and does not involve society as a whole.

The amount of fraud, embezzlement, and dissolution cases in “the West” far outweigh the ones in the Gulf region, simply by sheer volume. “Basic human values” the keyword being human. We are all humans and those values are not in any way shape or form attributed to a certain society or tradition, every human being on this planet must aspire to have these attributes. We hear stories of fraud, murder, racism, theft etc. from different parts of the world, but that in no way entitles us to insinuate that everyone in those parts of the world are criminals and felons.

Business deals go bad, that’s a fact of life, that is why there are laws to help mitigate damage and personal harm that should always be utilized regardless whether your business partner(s) is (are) friends or not. Never underestimate the power of greed. History has taught us that lesson since the beginning of time.

If she wants to shed some light on her recent issue then by all means go for it. But Do Not insult the people of this country, their intelligence, and the friends you made here by such ignorant/arrogant statements.

Hi Mark,
I just happened to surf at The Early Bird’s new menu, sad that they ditched the banana bread french toast ( guessing it was Bianca’s creation…loved it). I just wanted to know if you got the update on the other side of the story? Thanks

Update II: Nevermind, they told me they didn’t want to speak negatively about anyone, so I won’t be sharing their side of the story.

or remove the first update altogether

That is what I meant.

Stories are told all over the world , but there is always a Reality behind every story .
“Reality hurts our eyes , but at least it helps us see clearer when we are blurred by the sight of beautiful black painted picture”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *