Family fare: Mezza Lebanese Kitchen looks back on homegrown success

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For more than 30 years, Mezza Lebanese Kitchen has served up fresh, authentic Lebanese food for customers in Atlantic Canada and beyond. When Tony and Peter Nahas took over the restaurant group from their parents in 2012, the brothers decided to put their own spin on the family business. 

“I wanted to change the way we were doing things,” says Peter, Vice President of Business Development and Franchising at Mezza. “I said to Tony, ‘If we’re doing this, we’re going to do things our way and bring the business to the 21st century.”

Over the past 10 years, Tony and Peter have done just that, expanding Mezza from three restaurants in Halifax to a large network of franchise locations throughout the Maritimes. Today Mezza is one of the largest and fastest-growing Lebanese restaurant chains in Canada, with a motto that pays homage to their homegrown roots: “Eat Like You’re Family.”

With kitchens opening in other provinces and plans to expand nationwide, Mezza is looking toward a bright future – and reflecting on its 30-year history of culinary success.

BACK TO THE BEGINNING 

When Tony and Peter took over the business, the millennial entrepreneurs already had more than three decades of combined experience in Halifax’s restaurant industry.

After emigrating to Halifax from Lebanon, their parents began running Tony’s Donair in the Halifax Shopping Centre in 1990. The restaurant became a local favorite and was responsible for introducing shawarma and other Lebanese dishes to Atlantic Canada.

Growing up, Tony and Peter would work at the family restaurant after school. They bussed tables, rang up customers, and learned how to prepare mouth-watering Mediterranean dishes like souvlaki, falafel, and tabouli.

“My elementary and junior high schools were literally next door to our location in the Halifax Shopping Centre,” says Peter. “After school ended, my brother and I were always helping out at the restaurant.”

In 1997 and 1999, the family purchased two Venus Pizza locations in Halifax: one on Gottingen Street and another on Barrington Street, respectively. They also decided to rebrand Tony’s Donair in the Halifax Shopping Centre to Venus Pizza in 2000.

After graduating from secondary school, Tony took a more active role in the family business and began to work full-time in the Halifax Shopping Centre.

“I was working at the shopping centre with my mother every day,” says Tony, now CEO of Mezza. “My dad was at the locations downtown and on Gottingen Street.”

But Tony had his heart set on working downtown. After persuading his father to let him take over the Barrington Street location, Tony began managing the downtown restaurant. In his early twenties, Tony was suddenly running a restaurant on his own.

“I had to learn everything on the fly, from hiring employees to learning how to make the new dishes on the menu,” says Tony. “I would work from 9 a.m. to 4 or 5 a.m. four days a week. My friends would be going out to nightclubs and bars late night, and I would be on Barrington Street working.”

While Tony gained firsthand experience running the Barrington Street restaurant, Peter would eventually take over the Halifax Shopping Centre location. As a college and graduate student, he balanced his studies with managing the restaurant.

“I would close up at the library at midnight and then go straight to the mall,” says Peter. “At 2 a.m., I would be doing payroll or scheduling or reporting. Then I’d go home to sleep and be in class at 8 a.m.”

After emigrating to Halifax from Lebanon, the Nahas family began running Tony’s Donair in the Halifax Shopping Centre in 1990. The restaurant became a local favorite and was responsible for introducing shawarma and other Lebanese dishes to Atlantic Canada. PHOTO CREDIT: Contributed

AN IMPORTANT DECISION 

In 2012, Tony and Peter reached a crossroads. A recent graduate from Dalhousie’s Master of Public Administration program, Peter was ready to leave the restaurant industry behind and move from his hometown of Halifax to Ottawa, Ontario.

Meanwhile, Tony had opened his own restaurant on Quinpool Road, a popular contemporary Lebanese restaurant called Mezza Mediterranean Grill.

When their father approached them about taking over the family business, the brothers saw an opportunity. Together they developed a business plan and a simplified menu and set out to bring authentic Lebanese cuisine – and a taste of Halifax – to more people throughout the country.

Ten years later, they are doing just that. Mezza has developed a successful franchising model that balances fast and friendly service with healthy, home-inspired Lebanese food. Ingredients are locally sourced, and its authentic sauces, dressings, and spice blends are prepared in-house.

Tony and Peter designed this system to complement Mezza’s growth without sacrificing the consistently high quality of its food and service. Mezza now operates 13 kitchens in Nova Scotia and even an international location in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“At the end of the day, what we’re looking to do is to really showcase that a brand from Nova Scotia can make it anywhere,” says Peter. “We are looking to continue growing this company across the country, sharing that Haligonian flavor and Lebanese food culture across the country.”

In November 2021, Mezza opened its first New Brunswick location in Moncton, which is also the first to feature a drive thru. The restaurant group recently announced plans for further expansion, with kitchens opening in Fredericton, N.B., Stratford, P.E.I., and other cities throughout Atlantic Canada.

As Tony and Peter share their culinary creation throughout the country and beyond, the thought of home is never far away.

“There’s a good feeling of course of watching the business grow, but what makes it even better is doing it with your brother,” says Peter. “How much more can you ask for?”

Become part of the Mezza family and open your own franchise location. For more information on Mezza’s successful franchising program, visit mezzalebanesekitchen.com.