Having something for everyone is a bold claim. Especially as a newcomer on the scene. And as a declared purveyor of healthy food, it can get even trickier. For Patrick Mika, Catering and Marketing Director for Mezeh Mediterranean Grill, healthy food for all is a welcome challenge. Initially driven by making people happy with cooking, Patrick had his sights on culinary school. Instead, he ended up going to business school and working at a local restaurant, Moe’s, as a way to earn extra money. It was here he realized being the best chef wasn’t the only way to make an impact, and found management to be his real strong suit. A short while later, the franchise owners that managed several different concepts of restaurants, including Moe’s, hired Patrick for their corporate entity. Ever since, he’s overseen the catering and marketing efforts for fifteen different restaurants across five different brands, including Mezeh. This experience helped inform many lessons on bringing healthy cuisine to the Northern Virginia area. Including catering to different diets. “We like to tell people that we have something for every pallet or dietary restriction. One of the things [we] didn’t realize is once we say [something like] gluten free, then we have people clamoring for more info on what’s in our food. And, rather than give a blanket answer and say we only respect vegetarians [for example], we run back to the research and development table and make recommendations based on their dietary needs.” Another big lesson for Patrick and the team at Mezeh is realizing every market is different. There is no universal truth to execute or pitfall to avoid. Different customers, perspectives, and obstacles have helped them grow from five locations to ten in the last year. And setup the first corporate office. To achieve this, taking feedback from guests and making incremental improvements has been instrumental. It’s part of why Mezeh is so passionate about getting involved with their local community and participating in fundraisers, kids’ soccer programs, and summer camps (to name just a few examples). Getting to know the local community is a major part of helping build it up and make it better. In fact, Patrick and the team are working on a scholarship program they hope to have ready by next summer. Long term, Mezeh has their sights on taking the world by storm! But first, Patrick hopes to see Mezeh through to their goal of a whopping 500 units nationwide. You can learn more about Mezeh, including food options, locations, and others services at: www.mezeh.com
