One of the most intriguing and cruel events in nature is an attempt by a lion or young lions to take over a pack led by an old lion. It is a bloody war in which only one side wins, while the other is expelled in disgrace. Sometimes the older lion has the upper hand, but more often than not it is the young one who wins, takes over the pack and kills the cubs (yes, this is a terrible side effect of this battle) in order to establish a pack from his seed, in his image and likeness.
This is an extreme metaphor, which for some reason I remembered recently in the context of businesses. About six months ago I visited Toval Street in the stock exchange complex in Ramat Gan. For years, the secondary branch of “Shawarma Shemesh” was weak in the area, but then two young lions joined – “Effendi” and “The Prince”, equipped with a new weapon – calf wheels.
It was interesting to witness the development and follow it. According to the initial impression, the competition hit the sun. The branch, which was used to long queues at lunchtime, remained deserted. That, at least, was the feeling after several times I came to the area. It must have been established, because a few things have changed since then.
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I haven’t been in the sun for a long time. I admit, the anger at him became personal. This is shawarma I’ve been eating for years, but this place was for me the marker for the brutal price jump, along with its already very unflattering trademark – an extremely small portion. Pita for NIS 46, bread for NIS 56? Thanks, but no thanks. For the sake of fairness, we will point out that there are more expensive places (hey Dabosh, is there a reason for a turkey loaf for NIS 59 and a veal for NIS 61?), but the sentiment and the personal hurt increased. Sun has been erased from the map for me.
until last week. A mysterious WhatsApp came from a friend, a top shawarma spy who also happens to work in the area and discovered a sign posted outside. “On the occasion of the launch – Happy Hour between 12:00 and 15:00 – Turkey/veal shawarma in pita for NIS 40, bread for NIS 50.”
So little text, so much valuable information. Pita for NIS 40? At Shemesh’s? Veal shawarma? At Shemesh’s? The answer to life, the universe and everything else – with Shemesh? Well, regarding the last question, we all know that the answer is 42 and Shemesh is not the one who provided it, but surprisingly the other two questions were answered in the affirmative. I did what any grown man should do – I lost hours of sleep and at 1:15 pm the next day I already showed up at the stock exchange complex.
Why 13:15 and not 11:30 or 12:30, you ask? To give the place an objective chance, examine the amount of traffic during what should be peak hours. When I arrived I was second in line, there were no people after me, the place was almost deserted. I glanced across the road, to Effendi. It wasn’t full at his either, but there were a few more.
I can’t substantiate this scientifically, but my opinion is that the old lion, ie Shemesh, lost here, but the young lion didn’t really win either. Everyone stands their ground, and it’s a good thing (closing businesses is a sad thing), but I also believe – and again, the things are said in my opinion only – that this is the reason for the moves of lowering the price and combining the wheel that Shemesh took. They may have realized there that the reputation and the name will not be enough, certainly not in an era when people are tired of thinking about a small pita at a price close to NIS 50.
The excitement ran high. I’m really going to eat veal shawarma at Shemesh. The wheel wasn’t too big, which caused some concern, but she was dispelled at the first bite. This is a well-seasoned shawarma, soft, tender and salty. Here there is a caveat with an asterisk – the level of saltiness is high, so those who like their shawarma with a mild taste will not agree.
It was fun, but at Shemesh, as at Shemesh, the portion is small. Apparently there are diseases that cannot be cured. So I also ordered a half portion in pita with the old favorite turkey. It cost NIS 30, certainly not cheap, but closed a corner. All in all, I paid NIS 80 to get really full and that’s already a high amount, just to be fair I say that for an ordinary human the lapa might very well have been enough, and my capacity is not necessarily a scale.
Unlike many other places, the bottom line from the renewed visit to Shemesh is confusing. The taste of the turkey is classic, the taste of the veal is good. The size, as usual, is a disadvantage. And what about the price? It depends on when you came, because if you came during the hours outside of the sale or if you ordered at Walt, it skyrockets, while during these hours it’s great.
The KMA (quantity-price-quality) index for happy hour is 8 out of 10, outside of these hours it drops to the 2.5-3 area, with only the taste holding it back. After all, at such a price and quantity there is still no A reason to stop in the sun.
Will the range of discounted hours be extended? I would recommend the sun to do it, but it’s hard to know what day will be born. One way or another, if you plan to visit – not before 12:00, not after 15:00.