Özcanlar Köfte

A Story of Flavor Spanning Over 70 Years: Özcanlar Köfte

When you hear the name Tekirdağ, the sea, the unique atmosphere of Thrace, and, of course, köfte come to mind. However, for those who want to get to know this köfte culture a little better, what awaits them is not just a restaurant, but a story spanning more than 70 years: Özcanlar Meatballs.

The Özcan brothers’ story begins in 1953, when brothers İsmail and Arif Özcan entered the meatball business. In those years, Tekirdağ Köfte—prepared using traditional local methods in small restaurants—gradually became one of the city’s icons, and the Özcan brothers were among those who contributed to the development of this delicacy. The family’s approach, however, has remained unchanged over the years: maintaining the same standard of flavor takes precedence over increasing production.

For us, Özcanlar Köfte is more than just a restaurant or a köfte brand. It is part of Tekirdağ, Thrace, and a culinary heritage passed down to us from our family. The köftes we used to prepare in small eateries during our early years are now produced in much larger facilities. However, even as our production scale has grown, we have not allowed the character of our köfte to change. While we produced about 50 kilograms of köfte per day 70 years ago, today we produce over one metric ton; yet we do so without compromising the standards we have set.

At the heart of our flavor, there are three elements that are important to us: Thracian meat, prepared Tekirdağ-style and expertly grilled. We use meat from cattle that we raise and feed with forage grown on our own land. After letting the meat rest, we carefully select the best cuts for our meatballs; we trim them of any sinew and grind them twice. We then prepare our special blend, a recipe passed down within our family for generations, and knead our meatballs to the perfect consistency.

 Of course, when people hear the name Özcanlar, the first thing that comes to mind is Tekirdağ Köfte. However, over the years, we’ve added other flavors to our menu as well. In addition to Tekirdağ Köfte, we offer a variety of options such as Kaşarlı Köfte, Kasap Köfte, Çiftlik Köfte, Süleymanpaşa Köfte, and Özcanlar Special. Alongside our köfte, we continue to bring the beloved flavors of Thracian cuisine to life. Hayrabolu Dessert, cheese halva, and oven-baked rice pudding—prepared using our 100-year-old family recipe—are just as much a part of this story as our köfte.

At this point in our journey, one of the most precious things for us is seeing the children—and even the grandchildren—of the guests who sat at our table years ago return to Özcanlar. Because we believe that a flavor only truly endures when it becomes a memory.

This story, which began in 1953 when two brothers opened a small restaurant, has grown into a much larger family today. We’re still pursuing the same goal: “How can we do better?”

Rather than explaining our answer to those who don’t know us, we prefer to show it at the table. Because the best way to understand Özcanlar Köfte is to discover Tekirdağ’s unique köfte flavor through our story.

A taste that has remained unchanged since 1953, a story that continues to grow, and an Özcanlar journey that begins anew at every table…

Take the first step toward a profitable restaurant investment with a 70-year-old, established brand

At this stage, we are launching our franchise model to bring the Özcanlar Köfte experience to our guests in new cities and at new locations. For us, franchising means more than just opening a restaurant under a brand name. It means sharing our more than 70 years of experience, our production capabilities, and the corporate culture we’ve built over the years with new investors. Because as Özcanlar Köfte grows, our top priority is ensuring that, no matter where we are, we bring the same standard of flavor and the same spirit of hospitality to our tables. Today, we’re offering entrepreneurs the experience we’ve cultivated in our own restaurants—paired with the right location and business model—and our goal is to create an Özcanlar Köfte model tailored to our investors’ region, target audience, and investment plan.

We believe that every location has its own unique character. For this reason, rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all restaurant approach, we develop concepts tailored to the location’s potential and the investor’s goals. Our official franchise model is organized into two concepts: À la Carte Restaurants and Self-Service Restaurants. With the À la Carte Restaurant concept, you can choose elegant family restaurants located on your city’s most prestigious streets, while the Self-Service Restaurant concept is ideal for shopping malls or areas with high foot traffic. When selecting locations and storefronts, we consider criteria such as street visibility, pedestrian and vehicle traffic, the area’s demographic profile, shopping mall visitor demographics, and regional potential. At this stage, we conduct our analysis for the desired location or storefront—if available—and evaluate the findings together with our investors. Mutual benefit is one of our top priorities because, for us, a franchise is much more than a financial decision—it is a partnership based on a shared vision.

When investing in a restaurant, it’s important to consider not only the present but also long-term sustainability. At Özcanlar Köfte, we aim to grow alongside our franchise partners and bring the experience, product standards, and corporate culture our brand has built over the years to new locations. To this end, our experienced team provides support to our investors at every stage of the process—from start to finish—including staff training, product and service standards, pre-opening preparations, operational monitoring, and supply chain management.

Join the Özcanlar Köfte Family and Become a Partner in a Profitable Investment