New Mediterranean restaurant Hummus and Pita has officially opened in downtown Overland Park.
Where exactly? Located at 8039 Santa Fe Drive, the restaurant celebrated its grand opening this summer in the space that had been previously occupied by Snack Shack.
- Snack Shack moved to downtown Mission earlier this spring, opening in the former Town Topic space at 6108 Johnson Drive.
Key quote: “Business has been really good. It’s been more than what I expected,” owner Dhiaa Eid said of his first weeks in business. “First of all, downtown Overland Park does a lot to support their local businesses… It also means a lot that the community has shown us support. It means they care about you, they want you to stay and they like your food.”
Background: A former partner and cook at nearby Sinbad’s Grill off Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, Eid said he is bringing decades of experience to the new restaurant.
- Eid began cooking at his father’s restaurant in his native country Jordan at the age of 6, where he learned to perfect items like hummus and falafel.
- He also cooked at KC Smoke Burger on 39th Street in Kansas City, Mo., before cooking at Sinbad’s for nearly three years.
The menu: The menu at Hummus and Pita features a variety of Mediterranean staples, including gyros, shawarma, wraps, falafel, baba ghanoush, hummus and salads.
- Several of the restaurant’s menu items are made from scratch by the restaurant’s team on a daily basis, according to Eid.
- Since opening, one popular dish among customers has been the chicken shawarma wrap, which comes with chicken shawarma, tomato, onion, pickles and garlic sauce on a tortilla.
Staffing issues at the restaurant
Although business has been good, Eid said the biggest struggle Hummus and Pita has faced since the restaurant first opened was not having enough staff on hand.
- “It was tough at the beginning, but now it’s getting a little bit easier for me,” Eid said. “I was able to hire more people, and I got some help from friends.”
- The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 9 p.m. Friday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
