People passing through Park Royal with an appetite will have a new dining option featuring Lebanese flavours in a convenient format.
Named after a popular thyme and olive oil spread, Zaatar W Zeit (pronounced zaatar-wu-zayt) is a large restaurant group with 80 locations in the Middle East and North Africa that’s made its first foray into North America with a location in downtown Vancouver, and another set to open at West Vancouver’s largest retail centre by the end of summer.
The new eatery will be tucked next to Thule in Park Royal South. The planned location will look much like the Zaatar W Zeit downtown, with a minimalist interior of white walls, tile and wood accents.
It’s a counter-service format, and customers are given buzzers while they wait for their order to be ready. The menu features a selection of fresh wraps – which are all-baked in house – salads and hummus dips. Beverages, including beer and wine, will also be served.
Indoor dining space will be limited to around 15 seats, but the business intends to eventually add a patio.
After the downtown Zaatar W Zeit, the West Vancouver location will be the second non-franchised restaurant outside of Lebanon, says business director Joanne Zarifé.
Of several possible locations, the company identified a strong need on the North Shore, she said.
“There are a lot of people in our Google Analytics, who look for look for the location through Google from West Van,” Zarifé said, noting the large Persian population. “Persians are very familiar with our foods, so we get lots of requests to deliver to the North Shore and we cannot since the delivery doesn’t reach there."
At Park Royal, Zarifé hopes the high-traffic placement will attract many new eyes to the Zaatar W Zeit brand. She said that the restaurant has been very popular with teens internationally, and expects the youngsters who frequent Park Royal to also enjoy the concept. Another demographic the business is targeting is young moms who might spend time at the mall in the morning.
“We want to be trendy and hip,” Zarifé said. “We want people to feel cool when they come – we even have a set of charging stations on every table so they can just charge their phones. We have Spotify music. We have an amazing loyalty program.”
If all goes according to plan, the Park Royal location will open mid-September.
