Q&A: Princeton Mamoun's Falafel Owner and Manager Hussam Chater

Ever since Mamoun’s Falafel opened its first New York branch in 1971, the food has been a hit. The chain was selected as one of “1000 Places To See Before You Die,” holds a four-and-a-half star rating on Yelp and ranks among the most popular restaurants in New York according to TripAdvisor.

Hussam Chater, the youngest of the namesake Mamoun’s four sons, recently opened a Princeton branch of the famous falafel shop at 20 Witherspoon St. Since its opening a few weeks ago, Mamoun’s Falafel has catered to the needs of hungry students and locals looking for fresh and reasonably-priced authentic Middle Eastern cuisine. Street sat down with Chater to find out how business has been and what keeps people coming back.

The Daily Princetonian: How did you decide to open a location in Princeton?

Hussam Chater: My father Mamoun first started his restaurant in New York, so we have always been familiar with New Jersey. BecausePrinceton is such a lovely town, we have always looked for an opportunity to open a location here.There was no magic scheme, no corporate thought-out plan.When an opportunity to purchase this building was presented to us, we just went for it.

DP: Tell us more about yourself and your family. Did you have any experience in cooking or in the restaurant business before?

HC: So my father Mamoun immigrated to the United States in the late ’60s— a typical immigrant story. He started therestaurantas a means to an end, so my three older brothers and me basically grew up in the business. The firstrestaurantopenedin Greenwich Village in New York City. We saw the restaurant grow as it opened the second branch in New Haven after the success of the New York branch.My father opened the second branch for my uncle, and my cousins run it now. There are four other branches run by my brothers and me, two in New York City and two in New Jersey —in Hoboken and New Brunswick.

DP:What are your day-to-day responsibilities as a restaurant owner and manager?

HC:We have a pretty hard work ethic instilled by my father. I am the first person to open the restaurant and last one to lock the door every day. Delivering quality food and good customer service have always been our priorities, and we make sure everything from food supply to workers is done the right way. My brother and I run this Princeton branch. Right now, there is more hands-on management, because it just opened. So my brother is now in the kitchen, but we switch our roles regularly.Hard work ethic is what drives us.

DP:What is your favorite part of the work?

HC:Seeing the customers happy and truly enjoying our food. Within the first week we had very good business, and it was very rewarding. We run our restaurants under the family name. Because it’s a family brand, wemake everything from scratch. Each meat, sauce and ingredient is made and selected by us. There is no prepared food. It’s rewarding to see customers keep coming back and receiving positive feedback.

DP:What are some of the challenges of being a restaurant owner and manager?

HC:If you own the business, there is no one else to take care of the problem. Sometimes dealing with employees and long hours is stressful.I get here around 8:30 a.m. for the opening and leave around 1:00 a.m. for closing. You just need to have a lot of patience.

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DP:How are the customers in general?What’s your secret to keeping customers coming in?

HC:Princeton customers are very articulate, intellectual and laid-back. It’s very different from Hoboken and New York.I guess there really is no secret other than being true to our own brand.

DP:What are your personal favorite and the most popular menu items?Imagine you are scheduled for the electric chair.What would your last meal be?

HC:Honestly, I eat everything on the menu. My lunch today was falafel with pickles. Tomorrow it might be shawarma.As for the last meal, it all depends on when I’m going to be sentenced. Probably a big plate of shawarma or meat combo to get a little bit of everything! For the most popular menu item, we can’t give a definite answer yet, because we have just started out.But combination plates with a little bit of everything and hummus are something people order a lot. Although it’s not easy to make, shawarma is very popular. We make it ourselves using special seasoning.

DP:How has your experience in Princeton been so far? Are there any memorable anecdotes?

HC:Because we have dealt with tougher markets for such a long time, we haven’t met anything that we could call a problem. It has been a great experience so far. I’m planning on getting more staff so that we can deliver big line orders quickly. I already know more than a handful of people on a first-name basis. Genuinely having conversations with them has already become a routine. I love interacting with students. I can tell on their faces when it's midterms.

DP:Mamoun’s has been recognized locally and has garnered quite a bit of student interest. Is there anything you want to say to students or want them to know about Mamoun’s?

HC:Don’t be intimidated by long lines! We get the food out quickly. Prices are fair, and we can satisfy varying diets. Come in and try the food. That’s all they need to know.