Archive | Restaurants

The Cheesecake Factory Closing Down For Good in Lebanon

A friend of mine shared with me yesterday an end of work notice that The Cheesecake Factory employees were getting from their management which states that April 30th 2019 will be their last working day due to the restaurant closure. (You can check it here)

The notice attributed their closure to the bad economic situation that Lebanon is going through right now, but I don’t think it’s only that. I personally loved The Cheesecake Factory but always thought it failed to really compete with other american diners here for two reasons.

They never justified their prices

Items at The Cheesecake Factory are expensive if you compare their menu to that of other diners in the country. However their portions are really big and definitely meant to be shared.

Unfortunately, that’s was one thing people failed to get at the beginning, which left an impression that the restaurant is quite expensive while you can in fact share a main dish and a salad with another person and end up with almost the same bill you would get from Roadster or Crepaway.

They never bothered to convey that message to the masses and I never recall they promoted some special formulas for two like other diners do sometimes.

When was the last time they made an advertising campaign?

I recall they made a buzz when they first launched but that was it I guess. My timelines across the different social media platforms is always infested with sponsored posts from food places but I can’t recall the last time I saw an ad from The Cheesecake Factory. On the other hand, I have no idea if they follow the same strategy in the UAE but their outlets there are much busier and I remember I once had to stand in line for a good time to get a table. So I’m not sure whether they should be blamed or the Lebanese market simply has different preferences.

Anyway, as much as I hate to see it going, I think a lot of us were expecting it, and foreign brands who are planning an expansion to Lebanon should definitely take lessons from The Cheesecake Factory experience here.

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Review – Munchease Khaldeh

On the highway from Beirut to Saida there probably not a single restaurant or sandwich joint worth seeking for good food except for this burger place called Munchease.

Until last summer I never thoigh of checking it out even though a couple of friends kept talking about how good it is, but it wasn’t until they once dragged there me that I knew what I was missing!

I know there are several good burger places in Beirut but Munchease is probably the most underrated one among them. Passing on the highway you can’t miss it after COOP as it stands out with the wooden design and cool ambiance.

The menu is straight forward and is divided into 4 sections, starters, subs, burgers, and hot dogs. By now I can claim I tried almost everything they have and was never left disappointed except for when it gets too crowded inside (especially on weekends) even though the friendly waiters try their best to cope with everybody.

The portions are in general quite generous, and you can sometimes get enough with appetizers alone whenever you do not intend to go on an eating spree! My personal favorites are the mozzarella sticks, onion rings and chicken wings, and although they’re all fried items but they always served crispy and taste “clean” (or non-oily). I highly recommend you try the chicken wings by the way because they’re as good if not better than those served at popular american diners in town.

On to the burgers. They’re good, trust me, and I won’t go on to describe the bun and the patty because they’re just good! However, one thing you have to know about the people at Munchease is that they like their items to be overloaded with sauces and cheese. So the burgers they serve will always be messy (good luck avoiding to drip) and quite heavy with all the cheese inside. I personally always feel full with their decadent combo meals and never managed to finish the fries at the end.

For starters, I recommend you go with my all time favorite “Munchease Special” since it has the least amount of cheese, and make sure to try their different dips since they all taste good especially the honey mustard.

Price wise, value for money is quite fair compared to other places, a fulfilling meal for two with drinks will set you back around $20-25 which is far less that what you’d pay at other popular diners or burger joints.

Long story short, Munchease is worth the 10 minutes drive from Beirut to change from the usual places you’re used to, and with the summer season ahead, it’s also one of the ideal places to hit on your way back from the southern beach resorts.

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Divvy Showed Labor Day Love to One of Their Employees

It’s always nice to have all the effort you put into your job recognized by your employer, let alone getting rewarded with a trip to your dream destination!

For labor day, Divvy tricked one of their employees into thinking they were filming a short documentary and surprised him with a trip to Greece for all the good feedback they were receiving from their customers about him.

They definitely went the extra mile with their gesture but it is such things that help make employees feel a sense of belonging to their workplace and probably think twice before moving elsewhere.

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Calm Your Tits: Alcohol Prices Are Not Icreasing by 5 Times

Following MTV’s report about the suggested increase on tax for alcoholic products, people are for some reason believing that bottle prices are going to increase by 5 times, whereas if you listen well to the reporter then you will notice that it is actually the tax per 1 liter that is going to quintuple.

Take a 15,000L.L wine bottle (750ml) for example, once the decision takes effect it should cost 15,600L.L. Therefore, unless restaurants and bars want to take this as an excuse to tremendously increase their prices, your bill should not be impacted much especially if you are ordering by the glass.

So calm your tits, bars will not go bankrupt and you will still be able to afford your favorite drinks.

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The Backyard Hazmieh – A New Restaurant Complex in Town

Hazmieh--Backyard

The Backyard is a new open-air complex that is set to open next week in Hazmieh and comprises 17 restaurants and pubs in addition to a gym and a kids play area.

The concept is quite similar to that of The Village Dbayeh as it’s developed by the same people, but I’m more excited about the The Backyard simply because it’s closer to my place. The kids area also means I go there with my 3 year old kid without worrying about him getting bored quickly.

A good variety of names in the F&B industry will be ofered by The Backyard, and here’s a list I was able to get for the places that will be available there:

  • Abdel Wahab
  • Backstage
  • BarTartine
  • Brick Lane H
  • Classic Burger Joint
  • dip n dip
  • Divvy
  • Kitchen Yard
  • Le Bon Vivant
  • Lina’s Paris
  • Pablo Escobar
  • Olio
  • Roadster Diner
  • Starbucks
  • Trumpet
  • Tsunami
  • Zaatar W Zeit

The Backyard Hazmieh is located in Said Freiha street, and you can refer to the map available here for directions to go there.

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