ashakouri1

[quote name='Tangiers']Yes, I hear Tangiers does consulting, too.Is that true Tangiers?Yes, it is.[/quote]Do you have a website I can look at or a contact number you can send me?

[quote name='Maad']Don't forget to keep in mind your local laws about smoking in places where food is served...it may limit your food options.    [/quote]Yeah I know, I still have a lot of research to do. If I really want to open it up I have to talk to the fire inspector, and the city to see if they will allow me to have a hookah bar.

[quote name='inimicus']I would love a hookah lounge/venue to open up near here.  Two things I enjoy... hookah and live music. I am a lot of a dreamer, and not enough of an entrepreneur.  Otherwise I'd look into doing it myself.[/quote]Where is near here? You live in los angeles?

I rather not sell Mediterranean food right away when I open up the hookah bar.  I want to leave space for a stove and open grill and all those things required for a Mediterranean chef.  I rather just do the SYSCO route for a few months and see how successful the place will be.  However, if it were successful I would want a chef who is decent and knowledgeable.  Like you, I am picky about my food, and places like Gypsy and Habibi in Westwood have terrible food, particularly Habibi. Is there a site or place I can go to hire or try out Mediterranean chefs?  Were would I find out chefs or line cooks?

I found a good location in opening a hookah bar and I am really interested in doing it, but I had some questions and hopefully this board can help. I have already looked around and found some wholesale hookah sites, and honestly the cost of a hookah is minimal to the tobacco and charcoal. And I was wondering do I go to the manufacturer directly or to a distributor? Do I go to Al Fahkher or someone like hook-wholesalers for the supply?Also one other aspect, which I am completely lost in, is the food aspect. I want to serve items like hummus, labneh, French fries, and if the business is successful than I would like to move on to skewers of chicken and shwarmas, etc. But I honestly don't know where to begin. Do I need a chef or cook or are there suppliers out there like SYSCO that sell the supplies like humus and frozen skewers and stuff and I just heat it up. Cause I live in Los Angeles, and I visit Gypsy Cafe and Habibi, and Gypsys doesn't have that many choices and Habibi's Food is terrible. So i just wanted to know if they have cooks or order pre-made supplies and heat them up.If anyone has any tips or has started a business up already I would really enjoy the help.

[quote name='wyteboy']Habibi ma'assel sucks man, it's horrible,  It tastes semi-good for like 10 minutes and then gets horrible harsh.  that's cause they put the coal directly in the center, put a windscreen on top so they never have to come back to your table. their service is awful, that plais is terrible.[/quote] Is the coal not suppose to be at the center? ALso is is better to have those metal creens that you put the coal on or have aluminimum foil and have a lot of small holes in it? ALso is bigger holes better than smaller holes or vice versa?

I was also thinking about opening one up and wanted to know how difficult the permits are in getting a hookah shop, and the hassle from cities since this is 18 and over only. And how I would be able to setup the food, cause I don't know if a cook is needed or pre packaged material is just opened and cooked. 

The Spot, is located on Ventura Blvd in Encino. The hookah is somewhat better than Gypsy and Habibi, also the price is a lot less. No $15 minimum per person, or 1 hour limit in seating. Bigger, free parking, and also a lot of fine armenian girls. Recommend over Habibi, because at UCLA it is so hard to find parking and at the end of the night the bill is like $30 for something that costs maybe 0.50 for them. 

Just wondering if anyone knew who the suppliers of Gypsy Cafe, Habibi Cafe or The Spot was in Los angeles? Also if someone wants to open up a hookah cafe, where would he be able to get other supplies to make the food like shwarma, kabob, hummus, etc. Is a chef necessary or is there pre-packaged material for this?