Tracing its heritage to a restaurant in Berlin, Germany in 1989, the first site opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2013, the company was purchased with a majority share in 2017 by the Sarwar family (Hero Brands) and moved its headquarters to Glasgow, Scotland.

The company operates more than 160[3] restaurants throughout the United Kingdom, Sweden, North America and the Middle East.

[6][7][8] It developed its offering over the following decade, until Farshad Abbaszadeh launched the first "Doner Kebab" franchise in Dubai in 2013.

Sarwar later purchased the international rights to the brand from Farshad Abbaszadeh, CEO and Founder of German Doner Kebab.

[8][13] The chain was then bought by the Sarwar Family in 2017, which moved its headquarters to Glasgow, Scotland, in the United Kingdom.

[7][11] In July 2022, Imran Sayeed, chief executive, expressed his desire for the company to be made public and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in the following three to five years, as the chain sees North America as its "next growth engine".

[2] GDK's first store in the United Kingdom, was opened on 6 July 2015, on Bull Street in Birmingham, England.

[17][18][19] In September 2019, GDK's Fulham Broadway site was classed as London's number one place to eat on Tripadvisor.

[38] In 2021, the chain teamed with Emirati social media influencers to promote its product "Boss Box" in the UAE.