Small Business: How a food truck tries to change your perception
Yaser Abouelela’s Zaroob Food Truck made its debut at Food Truck Friday in Dilworth in July with a goal deeper than just serving food. Abouelela, 38, wants to change the image of Middle Eastern people by serving quality authentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.
“Keep in mind that the image of the Middle Eastern people is not that great,” Abouelela said. “All my crew are from the Middle East. We are good people.”
He explained further: “Most people believe that if you speak Arabic and are Muslim that you are anti-American. That we are unsocial and secretive. That we are all in some way responsible for the violent actions of a few who want to cause and create fear, hate, and division among all of mankind. I believe it is my responsibility to show people that this is not true.”
Abouelela moved to Charlotte from Egypt 18 years ago. He has a degree in tourism and hotel management from Cairo University. He owned two cellphone stores for several years, and then sold them to open Charlotte Motors Inc. on North Tryon Street, which is still in operation.
Since operating the food truck, Abouelela has noticed that many people are curious about his food, but have not had an opportunity to try it.
“I have a lot of people who ask, ‘What is falafel? Describe it to me,’” Abouelela said. “A lot of people just don’t know. We give them samples, free of charge.”
Zaroob’s menu has 38 items including chicken kabobs, Adana kabobs, shawarma sandwiches, hummus, falafel and stuffed grape leaves; all priced between $6 and $10.
Abouelela posts the food truck’s GPS coordinates on social media.
Abouelela answered CharlotteFive’s questions for the small business series:
What does ‘Zaroob’ mean?
“Zaroob means, in the Arabic language, a very tiny road or path where you walk and you have to bump into the person next to you to walk on the path. And that’s exactly how the chefs walk inside the food truck. It’s really tight inside.”
What’s the most difficult part about having a food truck business?
“I think the difficult part is working inside the food truck. My partner [Karam Mabrauk] has been in the restaurant business for 20 years. When you work in a kitchen for a restaurant, you have your room, you have your sink, you have your walk-in freezer and walk-in fridge. It’s your place of work.
“Now we take all that and fit it inside 26 feet by 8 feet plus equipment. It’s really hard to work inside. The heat temperature is 120 degrees.”
What was important to you when developing your brand?
“I asked myself, ‘Do you want to open a food truck just to sell a $5 to $6 meal and just keep rolling and make money quickly? Or do you want to deliver a quality food with a better image about the Mediterranean food and the Middle Eastern people?’”
Have you had any unexpected customers?
“There are good days and bad days. We went to one of the breweries, and it really wasn’t a great day. We didn’t make enough to cover the food, but I made one contact with a lady that came to order the food. She came back and said, ‘Listen, I’m doing a wedding in October and I’d love for you guys to come and serve the after-party.’ Three weeks after that she booked us for the wedding.”
“Even if it’s a bad day, you never know who you’re going to meet and what kind of business is coming from them. Don’t give up.”
What’s your favorite place in Charlotte to chill?
“I actually like to go and smoke the hookah. I go with my friends. We chit chat, smoke the hookah and we play chess also.”
Follow Zaroob Food Truck on social media @zaroobfoodtruck.
Photos: Courtesy of Zaroob Food Truck
Family history and my own fascination with people and their motivations prompted me to begin this series about Charlotte’s small business owners. Industry, situation and questions will vary. Have a suggestion for a small business owner or entrepreneur to interview? Email it to vanessainfanzon@gmail.com with the subject line “Small Business Series.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2017 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Small Business: How a food truck tries to change your perception."