The Wrap and Roll restaurant on Fort Street across from the Royal Jubilee Hospital is popular for its falafel and shawarma wraps.
The popular kitchen is not open on Saturdays to give owners Mohammed and Fatima Aziz a break. But they’ll be open this Saturday, Aug. 8, with all proceeds going to support victims and victim families of the devastating Beirut explosion in Lebanon on Tuesday.
Wrap and Roll restaurant in the Jubillee neighbourhood of 1885 Fort Street is usually closed on Saturdays.
Tomorrow, they are open noon to 7 p.m. and every penny from falafel sales are going to benefit victims and families of those affected by the Beriut explosion. pic.twitter.com/V6YMB2eB0i
— Oak Bay News (@OakBayNews) August 7, 2020
“They need a lot of help. It’s sad,” said Omar, son of Mohammed and Fatima. “I have friends there who have been through wars, civil war, and the Israeli war, and they have not been as affected as they have with this blast.”
READ ALSO: Searchers in Beirut recover more bodies, days after blast
The restaurant was buzzing for the Friday lunch rush – a revolving door of patrons who work in the area and tradespeople who make a point to stop by.
Omar explained that the way Lebanon works, a lot of people commute into Beirut to work. So when the blast happened, it affected a lot more than just Beirut.
“When I saw [the explosion] I was shocked,” Omar said. “You don’t expect that kind of stuff to happen. With COVID, the country was already in really bad shape. This blast is basically salt on the wounds.”
READ MORE: ‘I didn’t want to die,’ Beirut resident recalls moments after blast
One man from Mohammed’s village Ketermaya was working as a security guard in Beirut when he was killed. And there are dozens more stories like that, Omar said.
