Muncheez Kicks Off Expansion Plan By Bringing Lebanese Bowls to Dupont
SOURCE: EATER
BY: TIERNEY PLUMB
Late-night Middle Eastern go-to Muncheez announced plans today to open a third area location this summer. The new store will move into the former DGS Delicatessen space in Dupont Circle (1317 Connecticut Avenue NW), joining existing sites in Georgetown and Tenleytown.
The new two-story location will be the brand’s biggest to date, operating daily from 11 a.m. until well past midnight. The shop is expected to start welcoming customers by late August, following a refresh of the DGS space that’s sat vacant since early 2018.
Manager Kenny Khoury tells Eater that Muncheez plans to follow its move to Dupont by adding two more D.C. locations next year. Foot traffic-heavy areas like 14th Street NW are prime target markets, he adds.
Muncheez specializes in shawarma slowly roasted on a rotating spit along with traditional Lebanese flatbreads, bowls, meze, crepes, and specialty manakeesh bread pizzas.
The local brand has gained traction amongst its core base of Georgetown students. Most of the menu costs less than $10.
The Dupont Circle location hopes to cater to a professional crowd at lunch — expect more catering options — and hungry bar-goers.
Founder David Nammour, a civil engineer-turned-restaurateur, plans to go green at the new location by composting food waste, offering compostable packaging, and recycling fryer grease.
The expansion news comes one year after its original Georgetown location (1071 Wisconsin Avenue NW) briefly closed for renovations that added more seats. When it reopened, the restaurant also added a lentil topping and spinach as a base for its bowls, and baklava for dessert.
Muncheez will make more menu changes in line with Dupont Circle’s opening, Khoury reports, only revealing that some items will go to make way for new additions.