It seems that the hookah business is about chilling and relaxing. But in fact, there is room not only for inspiration, but also for well-established business processes.

Hello! My name is Ilyas Valiullin, I am the founder of the largest lounge bar chain in the world — Myata. We launched 9 years ago, and now we have about 400 Myatas in 11 countries and 120 cities. We tell you how to manage such a number of establishments and not go crazy.

In order to transfer the accumulated knowledge base, lists of suppliers, contractors and other useful information to franchisees, we created a folder on Yandex. Disk with many subfolders inside.

Every year the number of franchisees increased: if in 2016 we opened 8 new establishments, then in 2018 we added 52 more. It became difficult to manage the mints, the data on partners was scattered across different Excel tables: some information was with the sales manager, some was with the launch manager, and some was with other employees. As a result, it was quite difficult to evaluate the work of each individual establishment.

We wanted to scale up, and for this we needed to accumulate everything in one place. And partners complained: it was difficult to find information in Yandex. Disk. It became clear that the situation needed to be changed.

Our goal is to automate all processes as much as possible. So that franchisees could instantly receive useful information and improve the work of their establishment. After all, the better the processes of a particular establishment are structured, the more successful the network itself.

We began to study automation software that was already on the market, from 1C to programs in the field of additional education. However, no program could completely cover all our needs.

Then we decided to create software that would be cooler than anything that already exists on the market.

How the IT system of Myata is structured
Currently, Myata has its own IT infrastructure - an automated system for the franchise business, which includes several entities. This is software that simplifies and structures the interaction of all participants - the management company (MC), partners and our guests.

The system consists of:
administrative panel of the MC,
personal account of the partner in the CRM,
application for guests,
statistics portal,
and information telegram bot.
First of all, we structured the data about our partners - we combined disparate Excel tables into a visual system.

For the franchisees themselves, we created a separate personal account of the partner in the CRM. Here we have collected in the knowledge base all our standards and regulations of work, technological maps, and in general all the necessary information for the operation of the establishment.

Now it is a multifunctional service — here you can interact with guests, pay royalties, get support from the management company and even create push notifications for the application.

Thanks to the CRM, the franchisee has constant access to all documentation and an expanded knowledge base.

The database contains everything you need for successful work: information about contracts and suppliers, about useful services, about network standardization, research, regulations and much more, it’s impossible to list everything. For example, we have prepared all the marketing materials in advance — a franchise book, a brand book, seasonal menus, posters, guides on different promotion channels. The franchisee does not need to invent anything himself — just take what’s ready, study and use.

Even the uniform for employees can be ordered directly within the CRM.

When we roll out a change or innovation in the CRM, we always explain it — we prepare training videos, articles for the knowledge base and guides.

And then we announce the new materials in the Telegram bot.

For ourselves as a management company, we have implemented an effective analytics system in the CRM — with its help we track all changes and the dynamics of the development of the outlets. We collect extended information about the franchisees, their establishments and guests.

We systematize all this on a statistical portal, access to which is limited. Here we process all the numbers and analyze how successfully the network is developing and how to improve its performance.

Plus, we have developed a loyalty system for guests — the Myata Loyalty application. After registering in the application, the guest gets access to a flexible loyalty system, personalized discounts and bonuses. And in Myata Loyalty you can also get information about all the establishments of the chain in the Russian Federation, view photos, book a table and call a taxi.

It was important for us that the guest could come to any Myata and use a single loyalty system.

The loyalty system is useful not only for guests, but also for franchisees — it helps to attract new customers and retain old ones. If the guest is satisfied, he will come to Myata again next time - because here he already has cashback and points.

With the help of the application, we collect analytics about guests: we know when the guest first came to Myata, to which particular establishment of the chain, how many points he wrote off or accumulated in our loyalty system.

The application is the same for everyone, but the guest databases are isolated. This means that the franchisee cannot access the client database of a neighbor and use it for his own purposes. Each Myata sees only its guests.
In fact, there were many difficulties. For example, our franchisees can use one of three accounting systems - either iiko, or Quick Resto, or R-Keeper. These programs are needed for financial accounting, table registration, working with consignment notes, inventory, calculating salaries.

Therefore, it was necessary to make an application for guests so that it would work equally well with any of these systems.

In March 2022, one of the popular accounting systems suddenly left Russia, and franchisees lost customer databases accumulated over the years. But with the help of a single CRM system, we were able to quickly restore everything and save the franchisee's business - all guest contacts were stored on our servers.

We are constantly improving our software at the request of partners. A request appears - we immediately see it and process it. For example, earlier in the CRM system it was possible to simply pay royalties. A flurry of questions rained down on how to correctly generate acts, where to send them later, and so on. That's why we automated it and made it so that the acts and all closing documents could be generated directly within the system, in one click.

You could hire a whole staff of accountants to prepare closing acts for all franchisees. But we automated this process and saved man-hours and employee salary costs.

We see that partners have a lot of similar questions on a certain topic - we refine the franchisee system according to their requests and needs.

And what's next?
This year, we plan to develop our application so that Myata guests in other countries can use it. Plus, we want to offer our IT solutions to other market participants. Our applications and CRM system are suitable for absolutely any franchise in HoReCa - you just need to replace the knowledge base with your own. We will be very happy if our software helps the franchising market in Russia develop and ultimately improves the economy of our country.

How to create a recognizable brand from scratch, and then scale the business and launch a franchise? Ilyas Valiullin, founder of the Myata chain, talks about why the lounge business is more profitable than a bar or restaurant and how the industry is changing.

The first establishment under the Myata Lounge brand appeared in Kazan in 2014. Today, it is a federal-scale franchise, represented in 120 cities in Russia and the CIS. Myata has 400 outlets, and in the coming years, Ilyas Valiullin expects to expand to a thousand establishments. The history of the large chain began with the desire to create a cozy place for himself and his friends. Ilyas and his team learned from their own experience how difficult the lounge business is and the intricacies of launching your own chain.

Create a “third place”

— How did your business start and what is its essence?

— Myata appeared in 2014 in Kazan. We wanted to create a place for young people and middle-aged people, where they could spend time in a relaxed atmosphere without any obligations: there was not enough space outside the formats. I was 24 then, and I wanted to create a place where you come first of all to relax, and not to eat or drink. I wanted to create a place where you can just talk, play a console or board games. There are many of them in all our places, and the choice is large - from chess to Monopoly. Of course, over time, we added various tools to make the rest more complete. There was food, a bar, and much more to make the guest as comfortable as possible. Now "Myata Lounge" is a leisure establishment in the catering industry, where there is a full menu, a bar, hookah services.

- How quickly did the idea of ​​​​creating a "third place", a kind of leisure club, justify itself? How quickly did success come?

- Our first point in Kazan reached operating profit in the first month. We immediately bet on strong marketing and were right. Of course, there were hookah clubs in the city, but they did not offer guests either comfort or service. We decided to create a new generation hookah bar and tell everyone about it. The news spread quickly, people paid attention to us, our idea worked. So we began to develop very actively in other cities and open new franchise establishments.

Package offer

— How soon was the first franchise sold?

— We negotiated even before the opening of our first outlet. Friends and acquaintances saw what we were doing and wanted to repeat the project in their cities. But the first franchise establishment opened, probably, three to five months after our launch. The first cities were Voronezh, Astrakhan, Yoshkar-Ola. So we began expanding throughout the country. Now in Russia we have about 280 franchise outlets. And about a hundred more in the CIS countries. In total, about 380 establishments.

— How did you manage to package the franchise so quickly?

— Probably, my previous experience in the IT sphere played a role. We started with the identity, the visual component of the brand. We developed a logo and different options for its use. The first version of the brand presentation was 70 pages long, as a result of annual revisions, today we have more than 200 pages of step-by-step instructions for franchisees for all occasions: what exactly to do and in what sequence to launch their “Myata Lounge”.

— What is the payback period for projects within the “Myata Lounge” franchise?

— The average payback period for partners from the moment of opening is from one to two years. To be more precise, 15-18 months. At the same time, we have partners who paid off in 7 months with investments of 15 million rubles. “Myata Lounge” is a high-margin business. With proper management, about a year and a half from the moment of opening is enough to return the invested funds. Over the past year and a half or two, everything has become more expensive. Our business is sensitive to the population's solvency. Almost 300 establishments throughout Russia allow us to see the dynamics of indicators. We know how holidays, long weekends, and big events affect revenue. But in our establishments, prices for tea, hookahs, bars, and food do not change much: we are interested in projects that could provide people with more comfort.

— Tell us more about your franchise package.


— The royalty is 4% of the revenue. Another percentage is a contribution to the company's marketing budget. That is, only 5% of the revenue goes towards monthly payments. The budget for opening one outlet in the regions is approximately 10-15 million rubles. In Moscow, we try to look for partners with a budget of 15 million rubles, and those who are ready to invest more are a priority — 25-35 million rubles at the start. The size of the lump-sum payment is related to the format of the establishment. There are currently four formats within the brand. The first, with a contribution of 1 million rubles, is "Myata Lounge", an establishment near home with a small area. They are usually located near residential complexes, where you can have a good time, make an appointment, play a console. The second format is "Myata Signature", the lump-sum payment is 1.5 million rubles. The format is focused on parties and DJ parties. Much emphasis is placed on a quality bar with good cocktails, including non-alcoholic ones, and a large selection of tea. "Myata Platinum" is our premium format. The lump sum fee in this format is 2 million rubles. Here, the level of tableware, the kitchen, bar, and area are different. We select partners more carefully. The entry threshold in Moscow is from 25 million rubles, in the regions - from 15 million rubles. The fourth format is "Myata Cyber", modern computer clubs with a lounge area. The lump sum fee is 1 million rubles. We do not take on unnecessary obligations and do not promise to do everything for the franchisee, but we consult them in detail on all aspects of the work. In addition, we began to interact with suppliers to conclude federal contracts so that our partners can save money on the purchase of tableware, beer and soft drinks, tobacco, and consumables. We also provide marketing tools, teach how to attract the first audience, retain and grow it.

Marketing and digitalization

— What do you offer your franchisees as marketing support?

— We have a lot of marketing and advertising activity. The marketing budget is formed from monthly marketing payments of franchisees and contributions of the management company. It amounts to tens of millions of rubles per year, which allows us to actively attract a new audience. Our loyalty system unites more than 150,000 clients through the mobile application. They can accumulate points and spend them in Myata establishments. We attract new users of the application by working with million-follower bloggers on YouTube, leisure media, and partners. One of the largest marketing areas is working with Yandex. For example, we create points with the logo of our establishment on Yandex Maps. They are easy to spot if you drive near one of the Myata. We also interact with 2GIS. We spend a lot of money on advertising in Telegram channels. Every month we try to find new tools, test them and leave only the most effective ones.

— To what extent has the digitalization trend affected you and do you use any digital tools in interaction with partners?

— Our IT system is my favorite topic when talking about Myata Lounge. We are included in the register of domestic software and have passed IT accreditation, because we created, one might say, the first service in Russia for interaction between a management company and its franchisees. All interactions with our partners and with guests of each establishment are carried out through this system. Each partner can register their guests within the system. At the same time, they have the opportunity to work with their guests directly: through push notifications, information, our CRM system. All training materials, messages, correspondence, documentation, invoices go through the IT system. I cannot imagine how else it is possible to interact with such a large number of partners without losing the quality of communication. Our IT system is connected to the accounting system in each establishment. It is integrated with Iiko, R-Keeper and Quick Resto, so the revenue and financial indicators of each establishment are displayed in the system, and they cannot be adjusted. Visual display of this data helps to make decisions quickly: for example, non-compliance with network standards forms a red risk zone.

Where are we now

— What features of the lounge business could you note and at what level is this market segment now?

— Russia is the leader and the most advanced country in the production of tobacco products for hookah and the hookahs themselves, as well as all accessories for them. We are ahead of the rest of the world in this area. To be honest, not everyone understands that modern hookahs are level 2.0, this is a technical breakthrough. Tobacco from Russia is head and shoulders above the products of Egypt and Turkey, their quality has been appreciated in the market of the United Arab Emirates. We are currently doing a project in Dubai and we see this with our own eyes. On the one hand, hookahs have given hundreds of entrepreneurs the opportunity to open and develop their business, investing in local production of necessary goods. Young people now have the opportunity to receive high-quality, understandable service at affordable prices, and not huddle in the entrances. The law has not yet fully regulated the definition of hookah clubs. We are considered either a public institution

Kazan businessman opens 3D-printed restaurant in Dubai

Kazan businessman, founder of the Myata chain Ilyas Valiullin, opened the first establishment in Dubai, which immediately entered the Guinness Book of Records as a restaurant with the largest 3D-printed structure.

On April 4, the founder of the Myata chain Ilyas Valiullin opened the first establishment in Dubai - a lounge bar under the Myata Platinum brand, which is designed for residents and guests of the Arab metropolis. In Russia, Myata establishments, having started their history in Kazan, have spread widely and quickly developed from student leisure to places for business meetings. At the peak of development, there were about 300 establishments in different countries, various formats appeared in terms of price range and level of comfort, and currently the first establishment is operating in the UAE.

— Why did you decide to go to Dubai and open a new premium establishment there?

— We have long wanted to present our Russian brand on the international stage – it is not only foreigners who enter Russia with their products. Dubai’s attractiveness is only growing every year, creating favorable conditions for cooperation with our country.

The UAE suited us according to many criteria – a large number of Russian tourists, direct flights, a developed economy, and a growing demand for the lounge format. And already in the first month of operation, we noticed an increasing interest of foreigners in Myata Platinum. On the opening day, April 4, there were 5% foreign and 95% Russian-speaking visitors. At the moment, the share of foreigners has increased to 35%, and 65% are Russians and residents of the CIS countries. The foreign audience is increasingly interested in our product. I think this will become a trend, and in six months the ratio will reach 65% to 35% in favor of foreign guests.

We set the task of attracting a new audience, without relying on Muscovites coming to the Emirates. If we focus only on them, then such a business model would not be scalable. In this case, we would be limited by the flow of Russian-speaking guests that we have today, and this is only 10-15% of the population. But it is important for us to attract a different audience - about 3.6 million people live in Dubai and another 18 million tourists from all over the world per year. On average, this is 1.5-2 million people per month, depending on the season.

Dubai-style business

— Is it difficult to open an establishment in Dubai?

— It was incredibly difficult. In Russia, doing business is much easier and more convenient. We built a restaurant in Dubai for almost 15 months. In Russia, we would have built two in this time - construction takes a maximum of 7-8 months. But the cost of its construction is two or even three times higher. Yes, the average bill is of course also 2-3 times higher, but that's another story, the main factor now is time.
To conduct construction, you need to get a huge number of licenses, each of which takes a very long time to obtain, licenses for opening and launching are associated with complex bureaucratic procedures. We received 23 licenses for our establishment, each of which was issued by a separate government agency. There were times when we were refused, we had to wait, correct the comments, and reapply.
At some point, we began to give up, because we did not understand what would happen next. We were not given deadlines, dates, we waited and received in response "come tomorrow". Sometimes we simply agreed that an inspection would come to check us for compliance with fire safety requirements, and it took two weeks. We already had everything ready, and we were forced to stand idle waiting for it. In Russia, all this is simplified as much as possible.

The first establishment under the brand "Mint Lounge" appeared in Kazan in 2014. A few months later, the founder Ilyas Valiullin created a franchise, and establishments began to open in neighboring regions. Today, they operate under a franchise in cities in Russia and the CIS. "Mint" has about 300 points, some of which are in the process of opening. In April 2025, the first lounge bar was opened in Dubai.

— Are there any specifics of doing business in this country and did it affect the format of your establishment?

— Dubai has a completely different audience: it is not as spoiled as in Russia. But at the same time, Dubai has a huge selection of entertainment, so you have to fight for each client and do something incredible. There are almost 5 times more people in Moscow, which automatically increases attendance, and in Dubai it is necessary to create and declare uniqueness. It is important to be "the best of the best". And we were able to do it.
We got into the Guinness Book of Records as a restaurant with the largest 3D printed structure in the world. Thanks to this, we immediately took off on the Internet - people started talking about us and coming.
We place a lot of emphasis on the service itself, the quality of the products, the cuisine from a professional chef and a strong bar. We took a person who is in the TOP-30 bartenders of Dubai into the team. We have a strong product that needs to be constantly improved so that people recommend us to each other.
We do not yet fully understand the specifics of the Dubai visitor, we need more time to understand where it comes from. In Kazan, everything is simple - word of mouth works, in Moscow - it is mainly Yandex.Maps. And here you need to try everything.

Expansion into the regions of Russia

- You started your journey in 2014 with the opening of the first establishment "Mint", which after a short time became a chain. And almost immediately sold the first franchises to neighboring regions. How can we explain the high interest of other regions in this format?

- Starting our work in 2014, we created a place comfortable for young people and people who did not want to go to restaurants and bars in the evenings, preferring to spend time in the company of friends. Our format turned out to be at the junction between the then popular anti-cafe, restaurant and bar. In "Mint", you could comfortably spend time playing board games, signature teas, hookah ceremonies - such a relaxed format. One of the advantages of our establishment was a pre-determined price tag: everything was at fixed prices, and visitors could plan the amount spent in advance, which was especially important for students. And we were able to quickly broadcast this unique format to neighboring regions.
Now we have grown and turned into an establishment with a wide range of customer needs. Now "Mint" can be called a restaurant-type establishment with signature cuisine and a full-fledged bar. Our format has expanded, and prices can vary from 2 to 10 thousand for a hot dish, for example, a steak.

— In which regions are the largest number of your establishments currently operating, and what could this be due to?

— Of course, it is Moscow - the fastest and most dynamic city on Earth. A huge number of meetings and business negotiations take place in the capital of our country, and more and more people choose our establishments to hold them in an informal setting. The situation is different in the regions - we work as establishments for leisure and recreation. Our representation in the regions is almost the same - we have about 80 establishments, that is, about one in each region.
Their number is constantly changing. At the peak of our development, we had 400 establishments, of which about 100 were in the CIS countries. Of the three hundred Russian ones, 180 were in Moscow, 50 in the Moscow region and about 70 in the regions.
At a certain point, we did a lot of work to restore order within the network, improving quality. We identified a large number of establishments that needed to be reformatted and changed. Some had to be closed, terminating franchise agreements with partners who did not meet the network standards. There were 120 such cases in Russia, and 50 in the CIS countries. At the same time, we found partners and opened new ones.

— How many partners do you have now and how do people find out about you?

— There are currently 250 establishments operating in Russia, another 24 are in the process of opening, and 22 remain in the CIS. Thus, about 300 of our establishments will be operating in the summer. We are constantly working on quality and continue to terminate franchise agreements with some partners.
The reduction in the number of partners in the CIS is explained, oddly enough, by rapid growth. At one time, thanks to a wide and extensive advertising campaign, we received a huge number of applications, and actively opened establishments. But soon the downside became apparent: being in Russia, we could not always monitor the quality of the outlets. Now we are focused on the Russian market.

— There are several Myata establishments of various formats in Moscow. How is your business developing in the capital?

— The first Myata in Moscow appeared in 2015. The success of this project generated rapid interest in franchises, and the following year we opened about 30 establishments. Back then, we wanted to grow quickly, but now we think differently.

Moscow has a fast growth rate, and the need for lounge-format establishments has increased over the years. But we began to regulate the number of establishments - we open not as many as the market demands, but as many as we can handle in terms of quality control. We have a large team that is involved in the opening process, and we work at a pace that does not harm quality, gradually introducing new establishments to the market. We monitor the quality of repairs, design, content, provide support to partners, and monitor compliance with standards.

Moscow vs. Dubai

— Let's go back to Dubai. What prospects do you see for payback, compared to Russian terms?

— I think that 4 years is the optimal indicator in Dubai. In Russia, the payback periods of our establishments are significantly lower - on average, 2.5 years. Here we have created the most premium segment. There are no establishments of this format in Russia, and I can safely say that "Mint" in Dubai is one of the premium establishments in the world lounge industry.
We have a unique design: when entering, the visitor is between gorges inside the canyon. All the interior walls are printed on a 3D printer from recycled plastic. There is nothing purchased here, everything is made by hand - both the floors and the ceiling - and this is one of the features of the establishment. All this is complemented by the play of light, which is a bold design decision made by a special company. All the lamps were handmade.
We chose Mexican and Californian cuisine, and for this we invited a chef from California, a Mexican by origin, who had worked in Moscow. We introduced a huge number of signature cocktails to the menu, and launched a bar laboratory. We built a hydroponic system where fresh mint grows, and every 5-6 days we can get fresh leaves, adding them to cocktails. In Russia, this does not exist yet.

— In Russia, there is currently a shortage of qualified personnel in almost all industries. How is this issue being resolved in the UAE?

— Professional employees are always and everywhere hard to find, they are already employed. We brought 10 people from Russia, and the rest of the team was recruited in Dubai. Now we have 60 professionals in their field working for us. We had to poach someone and wait about six months until their previous contracts expired. We continue to work on building a professional team, gathering the best representatives from the industry. We mainly employ foreigners who have moved to Dubai.

— Can Moscow and Dubai be compared in terms of doing business in your area? What do they have in common? What are the differences?

— In Moscow, bureaucratic issues are easier to resolve. In Russia, it is generally easier to start and run a business. However, the undeniable advantage of Dubai is a higher average bill, other revenues and indicators that differ greatly from Moscow. Everywhere has its advantages - both in Dubai and in Moscow.

It is very important to learn to understand this market, and not try to break it for yourself, to be able to adapt to its requirements. It is important for us to learn to work in this established large market. We certainly did not come there to change it for ourselves or try to rebuild it to our Russian habits. This will never work. Our task is to learn to work by their rules, but at the same time, to bring something new within the product itself, and not within the business processes. I think six months will be enough for us to learn to feel this market. So far we are only taking the first steps.

In 2024, the Myata lounge bar chain launched 30 new franchise locations and increased revenue by 22%. Kaya Popova, head of the marketing department at Myata, summed up the results of the outgoing year and shared plans for 2025

In 2024, we observed a steady trend towards personalization of services in the lounge industry and the creation of a unique atmosphere in each establishment: guests increasingly value high-quality service and a wide range of products. In 2025, we expect this trend to continue to develop, as well as increased competition in the industry. At the same time, the franchising market is also demonstrating stable growth: interest in franchises will continue to grow, especially in the services segment. This is due to the desire of entrepreneurs to minimize risks and receive support from an experienced company.

Despite the difficult economic situation, in 2024, Myata was able to increase revenue by 22% compared to last year. This result was possible due to the active development of the franchise network: in a year we launched 30 new franchise establishments in various regions of the country, including opening in new cities - in Magadan, Angarsk and Rostov-on-Don. In addition to expanding the geography, the network improved the quality of service in the establishments through strict control and standardization: lounge ratings, audits, test purchases and mystery guests.
"Myata" was also able to enter the outdoor advertising market and launch it on taxi media facades, in cinemas and on billboards. This is a big step for the development of the industry, since this market was previously inaccessible to lounges.

Next year, we plan to continue expanding the network, paying special attention to standardization and quality of service. The plans include the launch of another 50 franchise establishments. New establishments will be opened according to a different concept, which we will talk about in more detail in the new year.

On behalf of the entire team of the Myata network, we would like to wish readers, potential franchisees and entrepreneurs success in all their endeavors in the new year! May 2025 bring new opportunities for development and prosperity. Be brave, realize your dreams and achieve your goals!