Lebanese food and beverage concept Zaatar W Zeit will debut it first flagship store in North America in Vancouver, west Canada, in December. The expansion plan has been on the F&B brand since 2017. 

The branch will be 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. It is also “one of the world’s most livable cities in addition to it’s 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 20 outlets in Lebanon and more than 70 outlets throughout the Middle East, including 20 in the United Arab Emirates.