The feast after the fast: Windsor-Essex restaurateurs gear up for busy Ramadan

Ramadan, a month of fasting, reflection and prayer for the Muslim community, has started, and the Windsor-Essex community has been getting ready.

Ramadan is a holy month for Muslim people in which they fast during daytime and eat a meal — known as iftar — once the sun sets.

Lina Abbas is the manager of El-Mayor, a family restaurant that has been in business for 27 years. She said running the restaurant during Ramadan is “amazing.”

“It’s beautiful. We are so excited about it. Like we wait for it, it’s once a year,” she said.

“Believe it or not, some of our customers they do really wait for the late dinner because they want to come and see [the] atmosphere around, you know, people waiting, eating and enjoying their meal.”

Abbas says that food is obviously a focus of iftar, but gathering with friends and family is just as important.

Abbas said as Ramadan goes on, the restaurant gets busier and busier, with people planning meals together later in the month.

She said that food is obviously a focus for breaking the fast at iftar, but gathering with family, friends and members of the community is just as important.

“As soon as you just have your juice and your salad and soup that’s it, you’re full,” she said.

“But it’s just like the gathering, the going out. Like Ramadan is about giving, caring, sharing feeling with others.”

Eddy Hammoud owns Eddy’s Mediterranean Bistro and Tabouli by Eddy’s. Every week for Ramadan this year, he plans to feed a family in need and collect donations for the community.

“The whole purpose of Ramadan is for reflection, for us to be thankful and also be thoughtful of the less fortunate,” said Hammound, who added he wanted to accomplish the goals of Ramadan by giving back.

He has been in the restaurant industry for 16 years, and although he has to work with food all day during Ramadan, this has not bothered him.

“The reason I got into the restaurant industry is I love making people happy, feeding someone and making their day and you know them enjoying the food and join the atmosphere,” he said.

‘There’s a bigger meaning to this’

Zafar Iqbal, who co-owns Eastern Flavours on Walker Road, said eating from a buffet after a long day is “something else.”

“In all seriousness, it doesn’t really bother you because there is a bigger meaning to this. Staying hungry is just one small part of it,” he said.

“The month of Ramadan is not just about fasting and being hungry. By doing that you actually go through the experience and see what people around the world who can’t put food on their table go through.”

His restaurant has been offering a buffet in the evenings for iftar for five years and he said customers already know what to expect and start showing up 15 minutes before the start time.

He said his menu is just as diverse as the Muslim community, with plates from India, Pakistan, the Middle East and more.

He’s especially excited about this year’s Ramadan, because people who do not fast will have a chance to “be part of the buffet.”

Therefore, he expects his restaurant will be busier than usual for the month.

Iqbal said the Muslim community in Windsor is “very connected” and has even offered a 30-day calendar outlining what time the sun will set and come up each day.