RIYADH : The Commercial Court in Riyadh has ordered the liquidation of Asasiyat Al Ghitha Trading Co., Hamburgini’s parent company, according to court-appointed trustee Mubarak Al Anzi. Creditors have been given 90 days to submit their claims.

Founded in 2013, Hamburgini rose rapidly on the strength of youth-focused marketing and aggressive social media campaigns. By 2019, the chain had expanded to 57 outlets across Riyadh, Jeddah, the Eastern Province, Qassim, and Hail, and was hailed as a Saudi entrepreneurial success story. Its then–chief executive, Nawaf Al Fawzan, even announced plans to list shares on the Nomu parallel market.

That growth came to a halt in 2024, when more than 70 people fell ill and one person died after consuming food at a Hamburgini branch in Riyadh. Investigations by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing linked the outbreak to contaminated mayonnaise under the brand “Bon Tum,” which tested positive for Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism.

Although regulators traced the contaminated product to the supplier and shut down its factory, Hamburgini suffered irreparable reputational damage. Sales plummeted, branches closed, and mounting debts eventually forced the company into liquidation.

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