Shawarma Press, a rapidly expanding franchise of Mediterranean cuisine, has opened within a Walmart store in Arlington, Texas.
Following a successful opening in San Antonio earlier this month, the Arlington location is the second of seven Shawarma Press restaurants planned for operating in Walmart stores throughout Texas in 2022. Additional restaurants planned at Walmart stores include locations in Plano, Georgetown, Lufkin, Temple, and Wichita Falls, Texas.
"Our guests say they appreciate that our dishes are made from scratch, including our famous hummus, falafel, and sauces that are available for take-out or dine-in at Walmart," said Sawsan Abublan, CEO and co-founder of Shawarma Press, in a statement. "We also use only high-quality ingredients, including 100 percent natural chicken and premium beef raised with no hormones, steroids, or antibiotics, and everything is prepared and humanely handled according to Halal guidelines."
The newest Shawarma Press franchise is a 2,500-square-foot restaurant with dining area. Menu items include appetizers like grape leaf rolls, falafel bites, seasoned French fries, homemade cheese and spinach pastries, as well as fresh salads, soups, wraps, bowls, baklava, and ice cream.
Since the first Shawarma Press debuted in Irving, Texas in 2017, the star of the menu continues to be shawarma. The popular Mediterranean wraps are prepared with thin slices of all-natural chicken or premium beef stacked in cone-like shapes, then slowly roasted in juices on a rotisserie.
Abublan noted that customer favorites include authentic beef, and chicken shawarmas, as well as the original "fusion" offerings, such as the spicy Tandoori Press and Tex-Mex Press Shawarmas. Vegan options include a "secret-recipe" falafel and hummus, and a wide variety of salads and bowls.
She added that finding traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes was challenging when she first arrived in the states from Jordan. "When my family moved to Texas 25 years ago, it was impossible to find shawarma and the beloved Mediterranean foods we craved," explained Abublan. "We identified a need, and we are now pleased to be the first to offer authentic, fast casual Mediterranean food to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and to have the opportunity to expand throughout Texas and eventually to other states."
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