nothin Turning 2, Pitaziki Shows Some Food Love | New Haven Independent

Turning 2, Pitaziki Shows Some Food Love

Customers could get a meal for the cost of a drink.

The sign read: Free Rice Bowl Day: From 2 – 4 p.m. Get a free Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowl With The Purchase of Any Beverage.”

Now how does this work?” a skeptical woman asked a black t‑shirt clad employee.

The employee explained that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. If she simply purchased a drink, she could have an entire meal, specifically the chicken shawarma rice bowl, for no additional cost.

Abe Antar Photos

The crowd lined up for chicken shawarma rice bowls Saturday

Still looking stunned, she got in line with the 50 or so people ahead of her at Pitaziki Mediterranean Grill at 170 Temple St. . During the city’s last Saturday of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Pitaziki Mediterranean Grill at 170 Temple St. showed its customers some food love. On the fast-casual” downtown restaurant’s two-year anniversary, customers got the gift of a full meal.

Badawi

Co-owner Gasser Badawi said people thought he was crazy when they learned that he would spend two hours giving away food for the cost of a drink. He said he was happy to do it.

It’s been two years, and we’ve been doing really well in New Haven,” the Career High School graduate said. Badawi said the restaurant gives back in other ways, such as donating its daily leftovers to organizations that feed the homeless. But he wanted to do something more.

New Haven is home to me,” he said. I’ve always wanted to own a business all my life, and to be able to do it in the heart of downtown New Haven is great.”

Chicken shawarma sizzling

Badawi, who is first generation Egyptian-American, said he started the business with his dad Khaled, who trained at a culinary school in London. Together they developed the concept for a fast-casual restaurant in the vein of mega-chain Chipotle and local powerhouse Tikkaway. Instead of Mexican or Indian food, Pitaziki features the kinds of comfort foods that Badawi grew up eating such as shawarma, or spit-roasted meats that are thinly sliced and served on a pita, in a rice bowl or on a salad.

If you’re vegetarian you can get dishes like falafel, humus and baba ganoush. Every dish that goes into building the pitas and bowls is prepared daily.

Badawi estimated that in the two hours of the giveaway, the restaurant served more than 230 people, many regular customers and some who just saw the sign outside or heard about the event through social media or word of mouth.

Badawi said he and his father are thinking about whether to expand. But they’re cautious, he said.

New Haven is a place we know inside and out,” he said. Badawi also pointed out that the city provided a lot of helpful advice that have played a role in the business’s success. We don’t know other towns as well, so we continue to focus on New Haven. A lot of things look simple and easy, but nothing is ever as simple as it seems.”

Hit play to see a video of Pitaziki preparing one of its popular chicken shawarma.

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