Falafel Inc.

Last updated
Falafel Inc.
Falafel Inc.
Restaurant information
EstablishedMay 13, 2017;8 years ago (2017-05-13)
Owner Ahmad Ashkar
Food type Middle Eastern
Location Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates 38°54′19″N77°03′55″W / 38.9054°N 77.0653°W / 38.9054; -77.0653
Website https://www.falafelinc.org

Falafel Inc. is a fast casual Middle Eastern restaurant chain in the Washington metropolitan area. The restaurant was founded by Ahmad Ashkar in May 2017, with the first location opening in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The chain has locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and California. The chain donates the cost to feed a refugee for one day to the World Food Programme for every US$ 10 in revenue.

Contents

History

Palestinian American businessperson Ahmad Ashkar began working on the concept for Falafel Inc. in 2015. [1] [2] Prior to developing Falafel Inc., Ashkar worked as an investment banker on Wall Street. [3] In 2009, he founded of the social entrepreneurship Hult Prize Foundation and worked as its CEO. [3] [4] Ashkar also sat on the advisory board of the United Nations Development Programme. [1] He co-owned a barbecue restaurant and was an investor in The Halal Guys. [1] Ashkar stated that he wanted to create a company to help refugees and pledged to donate the cost to feed a refugee for one day, 50¢ as of 2017, to the World Food Programme through ShareTheMeal for every US$10 in revenue. [5] [1] He decided to develop a falafel-focused restaurant due to the prevalence of falafel in refugee camps. [6] [7]

The restaurant's first location opened on May 13, 2017 in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. [1] By June 2017, the restaurant had donated enough to feed 10,000 refugees. [6] The restaurant's second location opened at The Wharf in the summer of 2018. [8] A location opened at Tysons Corner Center in Tysons, Virginia in September 2019. [9] A location in Westwood, Los Angeles opened in July 2021. [10] [11] It opened a location in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia in October 2022. [12] [13] In October 2023, it opened a location at National Landing in Crystal City, Virginia. [14] [15] In May 2024, it opened a location at the Mosaic District in Merrifield, Virginia. [16] Its first Maryland location opened in November 2024 at the Westfield Montgomery in Bethesda. [17] A location in Woodley Park, Washington, D.C. opened in February 2025. [18] It opened a location at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland in April 2025. [17] It opened a location in One Loudoun, Virginia in August 2025. [19] [20]

Food

Falafel Inc. serves Middle Eastern food in a fast casual setting. [20] Its main items are falafel sandwiches and salads. [1] Sides include tabouli salad, Pali salad, cucumber salad, and za'atar fries. [2] [21] The restaurant prepares six sauces, including a garlic sauce, a red sauce, and a "habibi" sauce. [21] [2] Drinks include Vimto and Barbican. [1]

Many of the restaurant's recipes originate from Ashkar's mother. [2] [22] The restaurant's za'atar spice blend is imported from a farm in Palestine owned by Ashkar's aunt. [21]

Accolades

The restaurant was awarded Washington City Paper 's Best Falafel Restaurant award from 2019 to 2025. [17] [23] It was ranked #31 on Yelp's Top 100 US Restaurants in 2023. [24]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Mega-Entrepreneur Launches Falafel Inc. in Georgetown to Support Refugees". Washington City Paper. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Krystal, Becky (2017-06-16). "This $3 falafel sandwich is one of the best cheap meals in Washington" . The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2017-06-16. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  3. 1 2 Buchmann, Arielle (2017-05-19). "'Food for good': Man opens falafel shop in DC to help refugees". WUSA9. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  4. ↑ Landsel, David (January 26, 2018). "This Washington D.C. Falafel Joint Is Feeding Refugees Halfway Around the World". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 2018-01-29. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  5. ↑ Krystal, Becky (2017-06-01). "More restaurants are lining up behind social and political causes — and it's paying off" . The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2018-12-17. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  6. 1 2 Soh, June (July 11, 2017). "Washington Shop Sells $3 Falafels to Feed Refugees". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  7. ↑ Luttrell, Cameron (2017-06-01). "New Georgetown Falafel Shop Helps Refugees". Georgetown, DC Patch. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  8. ↑ Hayes, Laura (2018-01-11). "Affordable Food at The Wharf is No Longer an Oxymoron Thanks to Falafel Inc". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  9. ↑ Hopko, Ashley (2019-09-12). "A Falafel Stand With a Cause is Now Open in Tysons Corner Center". Tysons Reporter. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  10. ↑ Kang, Matthew (2021-07-12). "$3 Pita Sandwich Chain From D.C. That Helps Feed Refugees Opens in Westwood". Eater LA. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  11. ↑ Mitchell, Allie (Jul 27, 2021). "Falafel Chain Serving $3 Pita Sandwiches Opens Los Angeles Location". VegOut. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  12. ↑ Cullum, James (2022-10-25). "Falafel Inc. opening on Halloween on King Street in Old Town". ALXnow. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  13. ↑ Moore, Susannah (2022-10-27). "DC-Based Falafel Inc. is Opening in Old Town Next Week". Alexandria Living Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  14. ↑ Spiegel, Anna (2023-10-06). "Outdoor food hall Water Park debuts in Arlington". Axios. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  15. ↑ Jarvis, James (2023-10-06). "Photos: What to eat and drink at the newly reopened Crystal City Water Park". ARLnow. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  16. ↑ Roth, Maggie (2024-08-27). "What's New at the Mosaic District? Keep an Eye Out for These 3 Spots". Northern Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  17. 1 2 3 "Falafel Inc Wins "Best of DC" Award". The MoCo Show. 2025-07-23. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  18. ↑ "Update: Open. Falafel inc signage going up across the street from the Zoo!!". PoPville. 2025-02-21. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  19. ↑ Wadsworth, Chris (2025-08-02). "Area's first Falafel Inc opens for business at One Loudoun". The Burn. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  20. 1 2 Leayman, Emily (2025-08-06). "Restaurant Known For Cheap Eats Opens At Ashburn Development". Ashburn, VA Patch. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  21. 1 2 3 Nania, Rachel (2017-05-30). "DC's new Falafel Inc. serves flavorful, cheap meals with a mission". WTOP News. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  22. ↑ Hodgson, Emma (2019-09-14). "Ahmad Ashkar's ambitious plan to change the world". Gulf Business. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  23. ↑ Taranto, Katie (2025-08-13). "Falafel Inc plans new Restaurant Row location in Crystal City". ARLnow. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
  24. ↑ Melton, Brittney (2023-01-27). "This DC restaurant made it on Yelp's 'Top 100 US Restaurants 2023' list". WUSA9. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
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