Lebanese Zaatar w Zeit debuts in Vancouver

Lebanese food and beverage concept Zaatar w Zeit opened its first flagship store in North America in Vancouver, west Canada, in November 2019. The new branch is located on 531 Granville Street, a business area near universities and tourist attractions. The project is Zaatar W Zeit’s own initiative, and the format is a hybrid one, combining both dine-in and grab & go models. In an interview with Hospitality News ME, Elie Ghobeira, marketing manager at Zaatar W Zeit, explained that they picked Vancouver because it is Canada’s third largest city and “one of the world's most livable cities in addition to its ethnic mix and food scene.” Ghobeira explained that in addition to the time-zone difference, managing the whole entity overseas and shipping all main ingredients to Canada were the main challenges they faced. “We are not only targeting the Lebanese community in Vancouver, as it is very small, but rather all students, office workers, tourists and foodies,” he said. Zaatar w Zeit, a commercial brand of the Lebanese company Breakfast & Co. S.A.L., is an urban eatery franchise founded in Lebanon in 1999 and operating with 23 outlets in Lebanon and more than 57 outlets in GCC including 20 in the United Arab Emirates and one outlet in Canada.