One of the Valley’s most beloved and enduring restaurant chains was born from a trio of Arizona State University students searching for a healthy place to eat near campus. When they couldn’t find one, they built it themselves. In 1994, ASU engineering students Bassel Osmani, Fouad Khodr and Nelly Kohsok opened the first Pita Jungle at Apache Boulevard and McClintock Road in Tempe. Their recipe was simple: fresh, Mediterranean-inspired meals made from scratch. The concept was an instant hit with students, who were eager for something beyond fast food and pizza – the only campus-adjacent offerings at the time. “We introduced legumes, grains, vegetables and healthy meats and fish,” Khodr says. “We created a menu based on the Mediterranean diet, but we tweaked it with American flairs – different kinds of salads, pasta and hummus. At that time, nobody knew what hummus was.” In those early days, the founders were the only staff and relied on word of mouth to grow the business. Though Pita Jungle now has 20 Valley locations, you might still catch Osmani, Khodr or Kohsok in the kitchen or greeting guests. “We’re very much involved… we do the menus, we do the operations, we make sure we meet every manager,” Khodr says.

Since 2011, Pita Jungle has won Best of the Valley Readers’ Pick: Best Middle Eastern/Mediterranean Restaurant nine times, an honor Khodr credits to the team’s commitment to keeping things fresh, both on and off the table. They release four seasonal menus each year, while also making subtle plating and interior design changes. Through it all, customer service has remained at the company’s core just as much as its fresh, quality ingredients. “We are always reinventing ourselves,” Khodr says. “But we keep our identity.” pitajungle.com