Customers flood restaurant run by Umm Walid and family

ABHA – Huge numbers of customers are travelling to a village near Al-Souda Park to visit a popular restaurant where all members of a family work together. The owner, Umm Walid, was able to have her sons, daughters and grandchildren all work under one roof, attracting customers with fresh dishes from the Kingdom’s south. The restaurant also offers fast food, and many customers return multiple times to enjoy the food with its characteristic southern Saudi flavor. Customers stressed that once the restaurant opens after the Asr prayer, workers hardly have time for a break because of the large number of orders. The restaurant regularly runs out of stock by midnight, when they close. Umm Walid said she was happy with the restaurant’s success and said that every one of her family members knows their role and does a great job. “I make traditional dishes from the south on hot coals while my sons Walid, Wasim and Mubarak prepare a number of dishes on the stove. Uhoud and Fatima prepare the dough and bake the bread while the grandchildren take orders from customers and work on speed of delivery,” she said. The restaurant has been running for four years now, but started on a much smaller scale than its current operation. “I have been located in Alasirah village since it opened nearly four years ago and I now have a lot of customers. Some people request that I participate in a number of festivals outside the Asir region,” she said. Umm Walid recently participated in festivals in Dammam, Al-Khafji and Riyadh, in addition to a number of festivals in the city of Abha and other cities of the region. The restaurant sees customers from as far off as Tabuk who make sure to drop in for a meal while visiting Asir. Umm Walid said she was thankful to Prince Faisal Bin Khalid, emir of Asir province, for his support for productive families through festivals and other initiatives.