Al Salam is a local Mediterranean restaurant/venue that specializes in a wide variety of food items including Western, Italian, and Egyptian options.
Al Salam Restaurant is an attempt at a more casual dining experience for all people in the local community. Everything inside their business is locally made and produced, including art work from local artists such as Rahman Hameed, poetry work from Aima Azhar, to marble and granite designs from Artisan Marble.
Al Salam truly strives to provide a unique and memorable experience to their customers and clients through amazing food and personalized, genuine care towards our customers.
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When did you start your business? Was there something/someone who inspired you?
Al Salam Restaurant is a brand new business. We opened our doors on August 10th, 2020! It is the sister restaurant to Al Salam Pita which has been open since 2009 (11 years strong now). Al Salam Restaurant was inspired by myself and my two brothers (Wajih, Kal, Amein Araji, or the Araji Bros).
We noticed a gap in casual dining catered specifically to the Arab and Muslim community of Edmonton. A business dedicated to providing service and quality at an affordable rate that you can expect at some of the higher end restaurants in the Edmonton area.
Would you say you reached all of your goals since you started or do you have more to achieve?
Our goals for this restaurant are never ending and each time a goal is reached it sets the tone for the next one. We are incredibly glad and proud of the accomplishments we have made with Al Salam Restaurant, but this is only the start!
Our main goal is to provide a unique and personalized service to our customers and visitors. We strive to have one of the most affordable rates for private events in all of Alberta and to provide a personalized service you would not expect or receive from any other business in the Edmonton area at our price point.
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What are the ups and downs when dealing with the Arab community?
There are ups and downs dealing with any type of community. There is no universal way of satisfying everyone and we strive to adapt to the unique needs and demands of the community we serve.
What would you change if you had to do it all over again?
If we were blessed with the opportunity to start over, there are some minor changes that we would make more in behind the scenes of operating as well as location.
What challenges has Covid-19 brought to you and your business and how did you overcome them?
Opening in the middle of a global pandemic has affected us tremendously in positive and negative ways. We are unable to utilize the space we have due to current and future unpredictable restrictions put in place by the provincial and federal government.
We stand by the decisions of local and federal government for the greater good of our community but the consequences of a growing pandemic are very unsuitable and damaging to the hospitality industry. Revenue, commitment to clients, and ability to provide a comfortable and welcoming environment to consumers is non-existent in Edmonton's current climate.
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