Stranded Abroad, Founders of Sanlitun Mainstay Biteapitta Seek New Ownership

Fans of long-time Middle-Eastern restaurant Biteapitta were saddened to hear last night that the founders are looking for a viable way to continue the business.

The message, forwarded in various WeChat groups by founder Avi Shabtai, details how he and his wife have been stranded in Israel for the past four months and that "Running our business from afar is proving quite challenging," adding, "given that at this point we will most likely make a permanent move back to our homeland, we are in the process of assessing alternative options for Biteapitta. Our obvious sentimentality towards our 'baby' leaves us reluctant to simply close the business after so many years."

The news comes as another blow for the F&B scene in Beijing, and another potential casualty to add to a growing list of closures that we're likely to witness in the coming months as rental contracts expire, or like in the case of the Shabtais, the owners simply can't get back into the country.

Now they're looking for someone to take over full ownership and operations of the business.

Shabtai got his culinary start in Beijing making bread in a tiny pita bakery on Lady Street in 2004, and quickly built a following among foreigners given that the city was largely devoid of non-Chinese-style bread at the time. The restaurant we know as Biteapitta soon followed, opening next to the bakery and selling a number of signature Middle Eastern dishes. In 2005, they decided to become a fully operational restaurant.

Speaking of those humble beginnings in an interview with the Beijinger in 2016, Shabtai said, "From the get-go, we were confident in our product, and that it would adequately supply a mostly unfulfilled market for Middle Eastern food in Beijing. The constant positive response and feedback from our clients, as well as annual recognition from the local media, has been our main source of encouragement as we strive to maintain our brand."

That unwavering need for authenticity over the past 16 years is no doubt a large part of what has helped Shabtai's business survive where so many around him, especially since cleaned up Dirty Bar Street, have failed.

Later in the 2016 interview, Shabtai stated: "The food industry is both physically and mentally demanding. Even though it might seem easy to succeed, there is no formula for instant gratification; only commitment and a lot of hard work will lead to success." Sadly, in this case, even that might not be enough.

If you'd like to get in touch with Shabtai, reach out via Biteapitta's official WeChat (ID: biteapitta), or simply show your support by heading to the restaurant and enjoying some of the best falafel, pitta, and hummus Beijing has to offer.

Read Shabtai's message in full below:

Dear Friends,

I hope you and your families are doing well during these challenging times.

I wanted to reach out as we all have something in common – we share a love and passion for the culinary world and more specifically the Beijing F&B scene.

As some of you know, I have lived in Beijing since the year 2000. Along with my wife, we own and operate Biteapitta in Sanlitun. Since 2004 we have had the pleasure of sharing our passion with thousands of customers; serving hummus, falafel, pitta, and other Middle Eastern delights from our homey restaurant. 

This 16-year journey has taken us into our 60s, and we have currently found ourselves in Israel for the past four months with no viable option to return to China in the near future due to COVID-19. 

Running our business from afar is proving quite challenging, and given that at this point we will most likely make a permanent move back to our homeland, we are in the process of assessing alternative options for Biteapitta. Our obvious sentimentality towards our “baby” leaves us reluctant to simply close the business after so many years.

We are therefore looking for someone to take over full ownership and operations of the business.

If any of you, or anyone you know, shares our love for hummus and would like to discuss this opportunity further, please PM me. I’m happy to provide more details and answer any questions that you may have.

All the best,

Avi

READ: These Are the Beijing Venues So Far Laid to Waste by the Coronavirus

Images: Trip Advisor, Kipp Whittaker, Happy Cow