Lakeside Shawarma Carleton Place continues expanding with a new McNeely Avenue restaurant
A chance detour while planning a family wedding has turned into a growing local restaurant success story for Lakeside Shawarma owner Moe Hajo.
Lakeside Shawarma officially opened its newest location at 545 McNeely Ave. in Carleton Place, marking the third restaurant for Hajo, who first entered the shawarma business more than a decade ago almost by accident.
“It’s a long story,” Hajo said with a laugh. “Me and my wife were driving around planning my daughter’s wedding, and we got lost.”
That wrong turn led the couple to Bridge Street in Carleton Place, where Hajo spotted an empty restaurant space for lease.
“I told my wife, ‘I think I open a pizza shop,’” he recalled.
But it was his wife who steered him in a different direction.
“She said, ‘No, no, no. You don’t have any pizza here. Open shawarma,’” Hajo said. “I said, ‘I don’t know anything about shawarma.’ She said, ‘You’ll teach yourself.’”
Twelve years later, Hajo said the original Bridge Street location has become “the most successful business in Carleton Place.”
The new McNeely Avenue restaurant joins existing locations in Carleton Place and Almonte as the fast-growing community continues to expand.
“Carleton Place is the fastest-growing community in Canada,” Hajo said, citing Statistics Canada figures. “So when this opportunity came, I said, ‘You know what? Let’s do it.’”
Helping lead the new restaurant is Ahmed Omar, who brings more than 12 years of shawarma experience from Ottawa.
“Ahmed is running this place over the counter,” Hajo said. “He’s younger.”
Omar said he is excited to welcome customers into the new location and bring his experience to the growing business.
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