Bashar Dumar moved from New York City to Sugar Land in 2005 with no experience in the restaurant industry. Ten years later, Dumar has garnered popularity with his homemade Syrian cuisine featured at Dumar’s Mediterranean Grill.

Despite his lack of experience as a restaurant owner and a chef, Dumar has developed an extensive menu while also preparing and cooking each meal served at his restaurant.

“I never learned how to take shortcuts in restaurants,” he said. “I only go by taste and if I do not like it, the customer will not taste [the food]. The dish must pass through me to go to the customers.”

Dumar opened the eatery in 2008 with his wife, Ilham, as a Mediterranean grocery and deli while he looked for a job in the jewelry industry. However, the homemade recipes he served at the deli gained popularity, and Dumar expanded the restaurant space and tripled the size of the menu to include additional Syrian dishes, such as lamb shank, beef and lamb kabobs and shawarma plates.

As Dumar expanded the menu, he also added American dishes, such as hamburgers and cheesesteak sandwiches. He said he included American dishes to broaden his customer base by having a diverse menu selection.

“Although [these menu items are] not Mediterranean, I added American dishes because sometimes a family will come in, and they do not know if they want to eat Mediterranean food,” he said. “They want something they know, and I have those choices.”

Despite continued growth and expansion, Dumar said he did not see an increase in business until last year. The restaurant’s increased sales volume is due to the growing popularity of his homemade gyro, which has earned the reputation among his customers as the best gyro in Sugar Land.

Dumar said preparation is the key difference with his gyro when compared to other Mediterranean restaurants. He said he avoids using lettuce and pickles and uses Greek pita bread instead of Arabic pita bread due to vibrant flavors and thicker bread.

“They are meant to be together because it melts in your mouth,” he said. “I do not say it is the best gyro in Sugar Land. It is the customers [who] say it is the best.”

Because of the success Dumar’s Mediterranean Grill has experienced in the last year, Dumar said he is looking to open a second location in the Greater Houston area, perhaps in Kingwood, The Woodlands or near the Texas Medical Center. Dumar does not want to open another location in Sugar Land because he said he wants to expose other communities to traditional Mediterranean cuisine.

“I am looking in some high-traffic areas that [do] not have our kind of food right now,” he said. “The restaurant business is very hard, especially if you want it the way you want it. [Business owners] have to work hard.”