The World's Largest Restaurant



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This is the world’s largest restaurant.
Most people don’t know about it as it’s in the most unexpected place; Damascus, Syria.
It’s called Bawabet Dimashq which translates to Damascus gate.
It served different types of cuisines including Indian, Chinese, Iranian, and, of course, Syrian and Middle Eastern cuisines. It had 6 themed sections and many decorative features such as waterfalls, fountains, replicas of famous archaeological ruins in Syria, and a big children’s playground
It had the potential to serve 6014 guests all at once. It occupies 54000 square meters. The kitchen itself is 2500 square meters. During the peak times in the summer there would be around 1500 employees to serve the customers that could reach up to more than 4000 at once.
The restaurant’s kitchen was said to resemble a mini production factory. The equipment and the preparations’ dynamics made it possible for each chef to serve up to 30 of the popular dishes such as hummus in one minute which means a plate was filled every 2 seconds.
Even though it was quite successful back in the day, it has been closed since 2012 as the area was affected by the armed conflict and was occupied first by the opposition fighters and later by the military forces who used the abandoned restaurant as a base for their operations.
I went there once with my family in 2005 as it was famous for being the biggest restaurant in Damascus. I had no idea at the time it was the biggest in the world. We only heard about that in 2008 after the owners had contacted the Guinness world records. I was shocked to know that. I knew we loved food and gatherings, but I didn’t expect it to be to that extent.
What I found even more interesting when I was reading about the restaurant is the fact that it had a unique piece of a meteorite on display that supposedly fell down in Siberia in 1947. It had been in the possession of the Soviet Union before it was purchased by the restaurant’s owner, Shaker Al Samman, in exchange for 15 million dollars.
Odd, I know. He must’ve been obsessed with standing out using his wealth. First with the restaurant and then by this.
Anyway, now since the conflict had cooled down, I’ve heard there are a few restaurants in that area getting refurbished and might re-open soon. So, who knows? The biggest restaurant in the world might be open to the public again soon.
It’s worth mentioning that Damascus used to receive a lot of tourists during the summer, especially from Arab Gulf countries since its weather is cooler and it’s a cheap tourist destination. So 4000 visitors were achievable for a restaurant of that size and fame.


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