America’s Mediterranean lunch bowl is booming as NAYA races toward 200 restaurants

Founder Hady Kfoury launched NAYA in 2008 nearly broke—buying equipment on eBay—and built the menu from his mother's Lebanese recipes.
The single 54-seat restaurant grew to 48 company-owned locations with strong same-store sales; Kfoury is targeting 200 stores by 2030 and even an IPO someday.
NAYA is benefiting from a broader trend: customizable Mediterranean bowls are now a lunch staple and Americans are far more familiar with dishes like shawarma.