Due to residents’ favorable response to the shawarma, pita, hummus, and fries, Naf Naf Grill is pleased to announce it is doubling its Minneapolis presence in 2016. With three restaurants slated to open throughout summer, Minneapolis has become a key growth market for the Middle Eastern fast casual restaurant. Minnesotans will notice Naf Naf Grills opening in Woodbury, Downtown Minneapolis, and in the Mall of America.
The first new location to open in the area will be in the seminal new Culinary on North food court in the Mall of America, which is slated to open in spring. After that, a Woodbury location situated in the City Place shopping center at 265 Radio Drive will be serving fresh, authentic Middle Eastern cuisine in early summer. Following in the footsteps of the U.S. Bank Plaza location, Naf Naf Grill will open its second Skyway restaurant in the City Center at 33 S. 6th Street.
Naf Naf Grill stormed onto the Minneapolis restaurant scene and built a cult-like following in 2015 with prosperous openings in U.S. Bank Plaza in Downtown Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, and Maple Grove. The authentic Middle Eastern restaurant serving up shawarma, pita, and falafel also opened new locations in Madison, Wisconsin, its home base of Chicago and announced expansion on the East Coast with two locations in Philadelphia.
“In the few short months Naf Naf Grill has been in Minneapolis, Minnesotans have warmly welcomed the Naf Love,” says Sahar Sander, co-CEO of Naf Naf Grill. “We loved the vibe, culture, and people of this city well before the doors opened to our first Minnesota location in July 2015, and that love has grown with each location we open. We look forward to bringing the Naf Love into a landmark location like the Mall of America along with another Skyway location and one more suburban restaurant. We are on our way to becoming the go-to for a fresh, Middle Eastern meal in Minnesota.”
The “Naf Love” is a term the restaurant uses to describe the love and passion it pours into the food, customers, and employees. It is the driving force behind the success of Naf Naf Grill. It takes the time to slow-cook shawarma throughout the day and baking pita fresh daily, while making fries and salads with only the best ingredients. The company is seven times larger than it was only six years ago and continues to grow in the Midwest and beyond.
When entering Naf Naf Grill, customers are treated to a show that starts with watching fresh pita bread baked throughout the day right in front of their eyes. Then, they dig in. The steps are simple: start with a pita or bowl of basmati rice, romaine lettuce, or hummus and then add in chicken shawarma, steak shawarma, or falafel. The customer then gets the option of adding in chopped or purple cabbage salad, sumac onions, and pickles before finishing off the dish with garlic sauce, tahini sauce or s’khug, a Middle Eastern hot sauce. The shopper can finish up by tacking on naf fries, lentil soup, or basmati rice for a side dish.
