The goal, co-owner Zaid Bayan said, is to deliver an unparalleled culinary experience.
“We are always trying to raise the bar—not just for ethnic markets, but for the grocery industry in general,” he said.
Zaid and his brother, co-owner Ibraheem Bayan, are the children of Sara’s founders and Jordanian immigrants Waleed Bayan and Khaloud Mirza. They joined the ownership team in 2016 but have been involved in the business since they were teenagers.
“We grew up in the business working in different departments,” Zaid said. “Little did we know we’d be running it.”
At Sara’s, customers can find an assortment of freshly made food and imported goods from countries in the Middle East and around the world, including Lebanon, Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Jordan, Syria, Spain and more.
“One of our goals is to share the wonderful flavors that Mediterranean cuisine has to offer,” Zaid said.
The business is known for its name-brand, paper-thin pita bread, which is manufactured in Richardson and made with non-GMO, unbleached flour and unrefined sea salt. Sara’s meat department is also certified zabiha halal, which means the animals are humanely raised and slaughtered; this, the brothers said, results in a product that is healthier to consume.
The Bayans aim for Sara’s to exemplify the value of a true neighborhood market, where customers have a personal relationship with their butchers and have access to produce from local farms.
“We’re not here to just sell groceries. We are building a sustainable and reputable brand,” Ibraheem said. “This [specialty market] concept gives [us] the opportunity to be creative and innovative.”
They also said they hope that inspiring customers to demand fresh, high-quality and fairly priced food becomes a catalyst for much-needed change in the industry.
“The only way to get the manufacturers, the suppliers [and] the farmers to raise their standards—the control is with the consumer,” Zaid said. “If [customers] choose A versus B, and A is a better product, they’re going to be forced to provide a better product and a better standard.”
Sara’s Market & Bakery
750 S. Sherman St., Richardson
972-437-1122
www.sarasmarketbakery.com
Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
