Back in 1979, Mohammad Ghaziri, a Beiruti citizen with a fearless entrepreneurial spirit came with the idea of establishing Barbar. Amid the intensity of theLebanese war, Ghaziri started with a small man’ousheh bakery to serve residentsin his city. The shop, which opened facing the landmark Piccadilly theatre in the heart of Beirut, gained fame for its mouthwatering varieties of man’ousheh: thyme, minced meat, and other. Yet, Barbar’s hit was the man’ousheh with super melting akkawi cheese, deliciously topped with sesame seeds. And the man’ousheh was driven to rapid fame. In 1986, it was the introduction of the infamous shawarma, the broasted chicken and the hamburger, followed, in 1988, by a fruit cocktail and ice cream shop offering a myriad of exotic juices. Then civil war ended and business in Lebanon boomed. In 1993, the crunchiest falafel of Beirut were born. In 1997, it was time to reinvent BBQ then expand into a wide selection of mouthwatering sandwiches in 1999. As growth follows success, Barbar Spears saw the light in 2001.
