Boustan Restaurant, which opened its first eatery in 1986, is bringing a modern, revamped shawarma menu to the east end, and looking to expand fast.
The first Scarborough location opened a week ago, and is already making waves in the community.
Emad Saad took over the Boustan name and set it up as a franchise five years ago, but was hesitant to come to Toronto without making the brand a more cohesive, streamlined entity.
“We were catering to the brand to be more consistent across the board, that would be consistent from coast to coast and across borders,” Saad says. Once they felt comfortable with the new changes, they decided to expand, making Scarborough their first GTA pit stop.
Scarborough proved a desirable location for Saad, Director of Marketing Joseph Audi and the team because of the area’s population. “It’s a multi-ethnic area, it’s very diverse population,” Audi says. “So let’s go in the area that understands that our cuisine, and if we prove ourselves there, we can prove ourselves anywhere.”
Their mission has been successful so far as, with doors open for only a week, there are lineups outside the door. A big part of their success, Saad says, is the way the food is prepared.
“At Boustan, we try to have the top ingredients. There’s a lot behind the scenes in the way the chicken is done,” he says. “It is only Canadian chicken that is air-cooked and not flooded with water. That’s why we are able to have such flavourful chicken.” Noting that chicken is one of the most popular meats in Canada, Audi adds that the chicken dishes, including shawarma and kebab plates, are where they focus a lot of their efforts. “Chicken is one of the top products that a new customer is going to try, so we ensure that it is going to exceed a customer’s expectations,” he says.
But, in response to a growing number of diverse eating habits, Boustan has developed vegan options, too. Saad and the team decided to stray away from Beyond Meat products because of the high sodium count and other harmful ingredients, keeping health-conscious consumers in mind. Their solution was a shitake mushroom shawarma plate. “It took a year of development,” Saad says, noting that the vegan meal is quickly becoming one of the most popular menu items because of how it is cooked. “We don’t just offer new items for the sake of offering them.”
Another vegan item is the lentil soup, developed in-house about two months ago. The menu changes are all part of Boustan’s new mission and drive, and aim to create a cohesive, modern menu that rethinks traditional shawarma plates to include modern, health-conscious dishes. “Our menu is going to really evolve over the next year or two, it’s going to be even more exciting and bold and different,” Audi says. “We’re not just going to be the shawarma place down the street, it’s going to be a more worldly place. We’re really picking up on bringing the customer on a journey around the world.”
“We’re keeping our core and vision and mission and authenticity in terms of flavours, but we’re on a mission to give the customer a new taste. We’re trying to create more of an experience,” Saad adds. “Food is a pleasure, it’s something that we enjoy. It’s not just about making money, it’s something that we enjoy eating and we enjoy doing.”
The first opening at 2072 Lawrence Ave E, in the Wexford Heights Plaza, is the first of many expansions Boustan has in store. They’ve already started work on a second location in York Mills, and have plans to open locations in Scarborough, North York and Hamilton. They’re already looking beyond Toronto, too, with plans to open locations in Vancouver and in the USA.