FLORIDA — Fast-casual Mediterranean cuisine may soon be served at a Florida Walmart store near you.
Shawarma Press, which serves Mediterranean fare such as shawarma wraps, cheese and spinach pastries, French fries, falafel bites, homemade hummus, baklava, and more, has announced it has plans to open locations in Florida this year. Some will be inside Walmart stores.
“During the next five years, our expansion plan is to open more than 100 Shawarma Press locations inside Walmart stores throughout the country as well as stand-alone locations to provide healthy and authentic Mediterranean cuisine to the masses,” said Dr. Ehap Sabri, PhD, Shawarma Press cofounder.
Shawarma Press follows Halal guidelines and uses high-quality ingredients, premium beef, and 100% natural chicken raised with no steroids, hormones, or antibiotics, according to the company.
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The menu includes a variety of wraps, appetizers, salads, home-baked pastries, desserts, and numerous vegan options. However, the star entrée is Shawarma, which tantalizes customers with thin slices of beef or chicken stacked in a cone-like shape as it slowly roasts on a vertical rotisserie.
Since opening its first Shawarma Press restaurant in Irving, Texas, in 2017, the leader in fast-casual Mediterranean cuisine has rapidly expanded in multiple locations throughout Texas, including several operating within Walmart stores in Plano, San Antonio, and Arlington.
Additional restaurants are planned in Irving, Frisco, and Mansfield in 2022, as well as locations in Oklahoma and Florida. According to Shawarma Press Founder and CEO Sawsan Abublan, at least seven of the franchises will operate inside Walmart stores.
“We are proud to serve fresh, homemade menu items with only high-quality ingredients, including 100% natural chicken and premium beef raised with no hormones, steroids, or antibiotics, while preparing and humanely handling everything according to Halal guidelines,” said Abublan.
“And it doesn’t hurt for customers to know that the Mediterranean Diet has been named the healthiest way to eat in 2022 based on rankings from US News and World Report.”
Shawarma Press has been named to fastcasual.com‘s Top 100 Movers & Shakers list. Selected annually from thousands of fast-casual restaurants nationwide, the list recognizes the industry’s most successful brands based on criteria such as profitability, expansion, creativity, and dedication to innovation, leadership, and resilience.
“We are humbled and thrilled by this honor,” said Abublan.
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In addition to mouth-watering shawarma wraps made with premium beef or all-natural chicken, the extensive menu includes a variety of appetizers such as cheese and spinach pastries, French fries, falafel bites, and delicious homemade hummus that has quickly emerged as a customer favorite. Fresh salads, soups, bowls, and desserts such as premium baklava and ice cream are also available, along with vegan options and an informative, interactive nutrition calculator for anyone concerned about allergens or adhering to a special diet.
