Houston’s Newest Restaurant Suffers a Setback on Opening Day with Burglary.

On the opening day of its business, a small, locally-owned shawarma restaurant in west Houston, Shawarma Land, was robbed. The owners, located at 8571 Westheimer, reported that the thief left behind broken glass and made off with their cash register containing over $1,000 in cash. The owner, Mohammad Assaad expressed his sadness over the incident stating that he had worked hard to save every penny for the restaurant and the robbery damaged his property.

Despite being located in a crime hotspot area according to the ABC13 Neighborhood Safety Tracker, Assaad was surprised that the break-in occurred on the first day of business. He mentioned that neighboring businesses had also been targeted before but not on their opening day. Nevertheless, Assaad quickly bounced back and expressed his determination to continue running the business despite any obstacles. He had spent years renovating and perfecting the shawarma recipes for the restaurant. While the incident was disheartening, he remained focused on serving his diverse customer base in the busy area he had chosen for the business.

Houston police are currently investigating the burglary and as of now no arrests have been made. For updates on this story please follow Alex Bozarjian on Facebook and Instagram.