Dahiyeh, Lebanon – Ahmad Wehbe didn’t expect his restaurant, Fries Lab, to survive Israel’s war on Lebanon.

The restaurant in Haret Hreik, Dahiyeh – a neighbourhood heavily targeted during the war –  was hit by an Israeli strike in late November.

“I woke up to a call from a friend in Qatar,” Wehbe, 28, told Al Jazeera. “He said my restaurant was on a map of targeted buildings published by the Israeli army. I rushed to check.”

When he arrived, all that was left of his tiny, open-kitchen burger joint was a pile of rubble.

“I was sad but not devastated,” he said. “As long as my family and loved ones were safe, I knew I had to move on. I couldn’t dwell on something I expected to happen.”

Lights amid destruction

Haret Hreik’s main street still sports bright, colourful signs and exteriors of popular restaurants like Falafel Khalifeh and Al Agha.

As daylight fades, the restaurants’ vibrant neon lights take over, masking the scenes of destruction all around.

Not all of them survived – Wehbe is among many restaurant owners who lost businesses as Israel destroyed whole swaths of Dahiyeh, although he was a bit more fortunate.

As soon as a ceasefire deal was announced on November 27, people returned to their Dahiyeh homes, salvaged what they could, and those who could afford repairs reopened their businesses.

Wehbe’s restaurant was a complete loss, but his delivery-only kitchen remained intact, allowing him to keep the business running.

Food is a passion for Wehbe, who has been blogging about his love of food on Instagram for a few years, but he still works at a media analysis company.

“I didn’t study at culinary school, but I have a passion for food. I love street food and understand the analogies and combinations of flavours,” he said.

Fries Lab’s delivery branch is on a corner near the destroyed location, sitting, intact, next to a badly damaged building bearing the scars of Israeli strikes.

Seven delivery drivers wait outside, taking orders in rapid succession as staff work inside at full speed, preparing multiple orders of fries and burgers layered with colourful sauces.

Their signature chicken wraps overflow with mozzarella, fried chicken, and homemade condiments, all in generous portions.

Despite the kitchen rush, everyone had their role – grill station, fry station, assembly, quality control – the space’s quiet only disrupted by delivery drivers asking when their orders would be ready.

Outside, one batch of delivery drivers departs as another arrives.

“We’re busier now than before the war,” Wehbe said. “I opened a temporary kitchen in Hamra during the war, but the orders there didn’t compare to the orders to Dahiyeh.”

‘We knew we’d reopen’

Al Qaysar, in Chiyah, is also up and running again.

It had only been open for 10 days before the war forced it to close – 10 days after the ceasefire it had new windows and was open again.

The restaurant sits on the old Saida road, a busy entry point to Dahiyeh, and escaped with only its windows broken, although the buildings around it were severely damaged.

“We knew we’d reopen as soon as the war ended. That was non-negotiable,” Zahraa Hammoud, who co-owns Al Qaysar with her brother Ali, told Al Jazeera.

But now, the atmosphere inside is calm, with Western classical music playing softly in the background.

The scent of shawarma greets visitors at the door, blending with the savoury aroma of grilled chicken and BBQ wings, a popular menu item often seen leaving the kitchen in large batches.

The space is filled with chatter as families and friends discuss politics – the presidential elections being the most frequent topic – and family, checking on each other’s siblings and loved ones.

Near the road, passing cars swish by, while inside, the open kitchen gives diners a view of the action as their food is prepared.

At the larger family tables, there’s a spread of traditional Lebanese mezza like hummus and tabbouleh, with farrouj – chargrilled chicken – taking centre stage.

Smaller tables, often occupied by friend groups, are piled high with wings, arriving in a steady rotation from the kitchen.

Though not intentional, the layout divides the restaurant into two sections: friends usually sit in the section near the road, while families prefer the more intimate setting inside.

The challenges of rising from the rubble

While Dahiyeh’s restaurant industry remains in high demand, the lack of clarity about compensation for damages leaves many owners in limbo, economic expert Ziad Nasser El Dine explains.

“Many owners are still searching for affordable spaces to reopen or struggling to fund repairs,” Nasser El Dine told Al Jazeera.

Wehbe estimates his losses at $25,000 and is unsure if he will receive any financial compensation. Still, he plans to open a new Fries Lab across from his old location.

“It’s tough because material costs have skyrocketed after the war, and I’m alone in this, so I’m using all my savings,” he said.

Still, he’s confident his new location will succeed and even hopes to turn it into a franchise.

The Hammouds also had their challenges in reopening Al Qaysar, as many of their Lebanese staff had fled the area, and Syrian staff – who had been in Lebanon throughout Syria’s war – have gone home.

Overall, they lost about eight staff members, Zahraa estimates. They were quick to hire new staff and kept the same menu and prices, with special offers to attract new customers.

Nasser El Dine says the future of the industry depends on how fast residential areas can be rebuilt and what solutions can be found for returning displaced people whose homes are destroyed.

In areas like Dahiyeh, home to nearly a million people, many rely on fast food for its affordability and convenience, he notes.

“Since Lebanon became cash-only during the economic crisis, demand for low-cost dining options surged,” he added, referring to the crises that have gripped Lebanon’s economy since 2019, pushing most Lebanese over the poverty line.

Wehbe, who opened Fries Lab in 2022, says the surge in new restaurants in Dahiyeh, which is predominantly Shia, over the past three years because “the Shia love to eat,” he joked.

The government is working with the World Bank, which is also considering an emergency aid project for areas that need it most, to assess the damage.

“The people of Dahiyeh love life. They enjoy going out and trying new places,” Hammoud said, adding that they were seeing increased footfall in Al Qaysar.

She believes it won’t take long for Dahiyeh’s restaurant industry to recover, as people have already “shaken the dust off themselves and started to look more cheerful”.

As customers fill the restaurant, Zahraa juggles multiple roles, liaising between staff and customers and checking on orders in the kitchen before switching gears to become the social media manager, pulling out her phone to capture content. It’s rare to see her sit down.

“The loss is huge, and all these martyrs died to ensure we can keep going – to live, work, and maintain our dignity,” she said.

“The enemy [Israel] invested all its effort and money to destroy us, but we’re here to show them that it takes us less than a month to get back on our feet.”