Today we’d like to introduce you to Hrant Arakelian.
Hi Hrant, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Liz and I have been in the industry for more than 20 years and ever since we started dating, we had a dream to open up a small Middle Eastern restaurant. We looked at spaces over the years but nothing either felt right or worked out for us. So, we shelved the dream for a while, and I continued to run kitchens and Liz managed bar at F-Scotts and later at Lockland Table.
I got a job as the Executive chef at Holland House where I met the landlord, Cees. After several years I left there while Liz continued to manage and run the bar program at Lockland table. Once we had heard that Holland House was closing, we got in touch with Cees to see about taking over the space. Funny enough we had always looked in the windows of the building even before Holand House opened thinking how cool it would be to open a restaurant in that space and when we had the chance to, we jumped on it.
Seven years later, and through the long years of covid we were able to open our second location Vega Shawarma, a more casual quick take on what we do at Lyra. A casual healthy and quick meal is something we felt like the East Nashville neighborhood needed.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road at all, our first weeks of Lyra we were not able to get a liquor license, one of the hardest things was to see guests turning and leaving because we did not have a cocktail menu. Even after that we struggled to get traction, we did not offer the traditional “Middle Eastern dishes” that the public was accustomed to, instead we focused on a more modern take on super classic fare.
Thankfully after a year and a half we started to gain popularity, business was good, guests were happy. In February of 2020 I remember looking at Liz and saying this is our year! Then in March East Nashville was hit by a tornado, thankfully Lyra was spared but our community was hit hard. Then after the cleanup, and power was restored we were hit with the pandemic. We scrambled as all restaurants did, trying everything to keep our staff employed and keep the doors open. We were lucky that Lyra had a huge patio so we were able to safely seat a good number of guests and keep our staff working.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Hospitality, a solid blend of creative/artistic and business
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
We don’t really believe in the idea of luck, things happen and how one reacts determines the outcome.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lyranashville.com / www.vegashawarma.com
- Instagram: lyra_nashville vegashawarma
