Today we’d like to introduce you to Kameel Srouji.
Kameel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Nazareth, Israel as the youngest of 11 children. Growing up, I would watch my Mom cook and became fascinated with food and nutrition. I moved to America when I was 25 in search of a better life for myself and future family.
I started working in New York, then Canada then settled in Atlanta. I opened my first restaurant, Cafe Aviva in the 1980s in Midtown Atlanta, off Crescent Avenue. I then opened 4 Kameel’s Cafe concepts throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s. I sold my restaurants, and only did catering for a little out of a small kitchen off Peachtree Industrial.
I realized I missed the energy and customers that having a restaurant brings, so I opened up my most recent concept, Aviva by Kameel, in October 2012. This has proven to be my most successful concept yet, and we are expanding in Spring 2019. My wife, Dana, and son, Nas, are both parts of the business.
Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road. When I immigrated to America, I had zero contacts. It was very difficult leaving my family and way of life back home in search of a better life. At one point, I had 3 jobs and was working up to 20 hours a day.
Working with family is also a major challenge as it’s almost impossible to separate work and life when the family’s involved.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Aviva by Kameel – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I opened Aviva by Kameel in October 2012. Aviva means spring, and it couldn’t be more fitting for the theme of my restaurant. I would call it the classic Mediterranean with a healthier, more modern twist.
People’s tastes have changed. Greasy, fast food is going out of style as more and more people are becoming health conscious. Lots of people are Gluten Free and Vegan. We have numerous options for people with dietary allergies and special diets. At Aviva, we only cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We even fry our falafels in 100% Olive Oil because we refuse to use anything less than the best.
Over the past 6 years at Aviva, we have established an amazing level of trust with our customers. I tell my customers that if I won’t feed something to my family, I won’t serve it to them (the customer). Myself and my entire staff treat our customers like friends and family. Our customer service is the best you’ll find at any restaurant, whether it’s fast-casual or sit down.
On top of our customer service and delicious food, another thing that sets us apart is our cleanliness and attention to detail. We spend hours every night deep cleaning our kitchen and food line because we believe that all of this great food starts with a clean kitchen.
We also use separate grills and utensils for meats and veggies because we want to avoid any cross contamination between meats and veggies out of respect for our Vegan/Vegetarian customers.
We are the number 1 rated restaurant on Yelp and Trip Advisor and made Yelp’s List of Top 100 Places to Eat in America at #3 for 2017. I am very proud of my business and have so much love for my customers and employees.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like a lot of things about Atlanta. I love our diversity, the people, in general, are extremely nice. But most of all, I love that Atlanta is my home, and has enabled me to have such an amazing business!
I’d say the traffic is not my favorite. Even though I live in Buckhead and work downtown, 75/85 can be a real pain sometimes!
Pricing:
- Chicken Shawarma $10.25
- Falafel $8.95
- Vegan Baklava $3.65
Contact Info:
- Address: 225 Peachtree Street Suite B30 Atlanta, GA 30303
- Website: www.avivabykameel.com
- Phone: 4046983600
- Email: orders@avivabykameel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avivabykameel/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AvivaByKameel/?rc=p
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/aviva-by-kameel-atlanta
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
