Falafel and Shawarma lovers in Texas, get ready to indulge to your heart’s content. After seeing significant success with its Irving location, the restaurant specializing in authentic Mediterranean cuisine, is planning several franchise openings in late 2021 and 2022.
The first Shawarma Press Mediterranean Eatery and Café within the Lone Star State is located at 411 E. Royal Ln. in Irving and has built up a strong customer base since it opened in 2017. Per a Community Impact report, the brand’s second Texas location will open at 6001 N. Central Expressway, Plano, in the Walmart Supercenter by the end of the year.
Other franchise locations are planned for Arlington, San Antonio, and Georgetown in 2021. Additional locations will be added in Irving, Frisco, and Mansfield in 2022, as well as locations in Oklahoma and Florida. Shawarma Press Founder and CEO, Sawsan Abublan, says at least seven of the franchises will operate inside Walmart stores.
“It’s a great opportunity that presented itself to our brand and we’re very excited about that,” Abublan told What Now Dallas.
Founded by Abublan and her husband, Dr. Ehap Sabri, the brand started with a dream driven by a craving for authentic, freshly prepared Mediterranean food. Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Shawarma Press remained opened and bounced back quickly thanks to its loyal customer base.
“Our customers in Irving have embraced our traditional wraps as well as innovative ‘fusion’ offerings such as the spicy Tandoori Press™ and Tex-Mex Press™ Shawarmas,” said Abublan in a press release. “Because our fresh menu items are made in-house and appeal to a wide variety of diverse palates and dietary preferences, we’re poised for rapid growth and expansion during the next few years.”
Providing more nutritious offerings than many fast casual restaurants, Shawarma Press follows Halal guidelines and is committed to using high quality ingredients, premium beef, and 100% natural chicken raised with no steroids, hormones, or antibiotics. All dishes, including hummus, falafel, and sauces, are made from scratch.
The star entrée is clearly Shawarma. But the menu also features a variety of wraps, appetizers, salads, home-baked pastries, desserts, and numerous vegan options. For those who may not be familiar with Shawarma, Abublan explains that “Shawarma” is the wrap, and “press” refers to the grill or griddle used to make the wrap crispy.
Abublan is thrilled by the opportunity to expand Shawarma Press and introduce the Mediterranean food concept to more people.
“We’re very excited to reach beloved customers in their city. For the past few years, we’ve had customers drive long distances in and outside of DFW. So, we’re very excited to be closer to their hometowns,” she said. “We promise the same high quality foods that they’ve experienced at the Irving location. We’re going to maintain the same look and feel in the new locations.”
Note: This article has been updated since its original publication to include comment from the owner.
