Fast-Casual Lebanese Import Semsom Plans to Paint New York City With Hummus Next Year

Two sisters from Lebanon are hoping to translate a proper Middle Eastern hummus joint into a New York fast-casual restaurant. Their first location of Semsom (sesame in Arabic) is slated to open at 2 Astor Place early next year, with four more locations to follow next year and three or four more the year after that. According to the Post, the two have their eyes set on touristy locations like Times Square and Madison Square Park for starters. The menu at all these new locations is apparently being designed specifically for New York, but do expect it to include the standard shawarma, falafel, and kabobs.

The plan's ambitious, but one of the sisters Christine Assouad Sfeir has some experience to go on: She's the chief executive for Dunkin Donuts in Lebanon. Plus the sisters already operate 40 outlets of Semsom around the Middle East. If all goes as planned, the pair will then go on to cover the country with 200 locations by 2020.