Los Angeles’s Wildly Popular Lebanese Mexican Restaurant Fatima’s Grill Is Opening in Dearborn | Eater Detroit

"One of Los Angeles County’s busiest restaurants with Lebanese-Mexican roots, this wildly popular chain is known for outrageous, colorful creations like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos-laced asada fries, halal shawarma platters, and birria crunchwraps. I report that founder Ali Elreda — who was born in Detroit and named the business after his daughter — started out with a halal meat market around 2014 in Bell with a small hot-food section, opened the first standalone spot in 2016 in Downey, and used Snapchat and Instagram to build a loyal following; today there are franchise locations in Montebello, Paramount, and Long Beach with planned outposts in downtown LA, Brooklyn, and Dearborn. I note the Dearborn expansion (address confirmed at 14600 Warren Ave.) makes sense given metro Detroit’s high demand for original, all-halal menus; Elreda says an opening date hasn’t been set but he’s hopeful to move quickly through health department approvals and emphasizes the need for more halal dining diversity given his family’s Muslim background." - Serena Maria Daniels