On Facebook, owner Ehab Enaia offered his fans short notice and a concise goodbye without elaborating on his decision. Reaching him by phone on Thursday, Enaia had a moment to elaborate about the closure and his future plans.
“With two young kids and a baby on the way, it’s too much,” he says. “It’s like I bought myself a big present and locked myself inside it day and night for three years. At the end of the day, nothing compares to family.”
While dreams of a future full-service Middle Eastern restaurant closer to the heart of town exist, Enaia says that a more realistic and appealing option might be a food truck that can do catering, private parties, corporate lunches and seasonal events.
One silver lining is the amount of business his and Scene’s announcement of the impending closure generated on his last day.
“We got hit like a tornado,” he said. “Honestly, I never thought for one second that there was all this love and support from people. It was insane.”
We’ll keep you posted on any future falafel developments.
This article appears in Sep 14-20, 2016.
And another one bites the dust. What a bummer. Best falafel and “noodge” in town.
Not enough parking and not enough foot traffic on that stretch of Lorain, near Fairview Hospital. So many good eating places seem to be going down the old poop chute. Sad nooze!
Chuckles the Clown
“It was a little tough time,” Enaia said. “My wife is pregnant, and we had to do it for now. We have two kids – 6 and 4 – and my wife is expecting. I need to be around.”
But the closure is more of a hiatus. Enaia said he will reopen in another location in “six months or less.”