The World’s Largest Restaurant

The “Bawabet Dimashq” restaurant, located in a suburb of Damascus – capital of Syria – is officially listed as the world’s largest restaurant according to the latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. The restaurant is also known by the name of “The Damascus Gate”.

The family-owned restaurant which opened three years ago can seat over 6,000 diners. It serves a variety of culinary meals in six separate restaurants: Indian, Chinese, Gulf-Arab, Iranian, Middle Eastern and Syrian. Only non-alcoholic beverages are served.

During the busy summer months up to 1,800 staff are employed in the 54,000 square metres dining area and 2,500 square metre kitchen. The owner’s son and General Manager of the restaurant, Muhannad Samman, says: “The secret of feeding so many people is to divide up the restaurant into smaller sections and every person in the restaurant has their own task to fulfil. The kitchen is a like a production line where one chef can prepare 25-30 helpings of popular dishes, such as hummus, in one minute – that’s one bowl every two seconds. And there is absolutely no compromise on the standard of food or service. In this part of the world, all people care about is their stomachs, so the food has to be the best”.