Hey, friends! Did you miss our last WCBC happy hour? I’m here to give you a little recap of our most recent event at Olive Mediterranean Grill. This past Thursday Windy City Blogger Collective members were invited to dine at Olive’s 111 W. Illinois location in River North to learn about of all things OMG.
What is Olive Mediterranean Grill?
Olive is a fast-casual restaurant serving authentic, fresh Mediterranean cuisine. Their menu is inspired by the flavors, spices, and aromas of Mediterranean food and they’re focused on being as transparent as possible when it comes to each and every one of their menu items. All their ingredients are premium quality, natural and responsibly-sourced. Plus, they have some great vegetarian options!
About the Brand
Faisal Ghani is the man behind the Olive Mediterranean Grill franchise. He started working at Jimmy John’s when was 19 years-old. 20 years later he has become the largest Jimmy John’s franchise owner in the country. Throughout those years he had learned what it takes to run a successful business and now uses that knowledge to build the OMG brand.
A few years ago while traveling through Turkey, Faisal was inspired by the Turkish culture and cuisine. He realized just how unhealthy the average American’s diet was compared to those living in other countries. This inspired him to open his own restaurant focused on making healthy options more affordable.
“We carry everything a mom and pop sit-down Mediterranean restaurant would carry. We’ve just shaped our menu in such a way that your not stuck ordering one thing, you’re able to get a variety every time you order.” – Faisal Ghani
While some would compare OMG to Chipotle, the only similarity is their mindset of serving the face-paced generation. Olive is more so focused on the process. Faisal has made it his mission to source all the ingredients locally because the quality of food comes first, not the bottom line.
It’s safe to say they have stayed true with their mission. We were able to sample all of their food such as their Bake Falafel with chickpeas, vegetables, and spices, Baba Ghanouj, roasted egg plant, yogurt, Tahini, and fresh parsley. Let’s not forget their famous Pita Pies (which are baked fresh every day) they have a few different options including Chicken Shawarma, Mediterranean Chicken, Steak Shawarma, Steak Kabobs, or Spinach and Feta. What’s the secret to creating the BEST hummus? Apparently, it’s by adding Lemon Olive Oil. This dip is borderline addicting.
Throughout the tasting, we were able to chat with new and old members, sip wine and chat about recent blog endeavors. Kit always gives great advice when members’ are curious as to how to become more successful at blogging.
Overall we loved spending time at Olive, the food was amazing and the company was even better! Thank you again to Faisal, James, and the whole OMG team for putting together a delicious menu tasting! And if you haven’t made your way over to Olive Mediterranean Grill do so ASAP! You won’t regret it.
We hope to see you at our next event!
Written by: Ashlee
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