Today we’d like to introduce you to Dale And Ree Erdman.
Hi Dale and Ree, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Riham and I (Dale) met at SVSU 2012 fall Spanish 111 class. Riham walked into the class and asked if this was Spanish 111? I replied no, this is German 220 jokingly. We became friends instantly. Riham was attending SVSU through a scholarship from Fulbright. She was teaching Arabic Language and Culture 1 and 2 while studying Spanish and some other courses to finalize her doctorate degree in ESL. Riham was scheduled to return to Egypt May 2013 and had a going away party for her students and friends. Riham served Koshary which is the national dish of Egypt. I took just one bite of her koshary then flew to Egypt that July to propose to her. We were married September the 14th of 2013, and Riham got her visa to come back to the US in March 2016. We got started on Egyptian Koshery right away in May of 2016, got our LLC and landed our first gig at the Saginaw Farmers Market Memorial weekend. We got into Midland Farmers Market a week later. We joined Davison Farmers Market , which is year round, January 2017. In June 2018 we opened in SVRC Marketplace until June 2020. We opened our first brick and mortar restaurant in September 2020 until June 2024 when our lease expired. We really liked what Jordan Dice had been doing with the Midland mall so we got into the food court June 2024 and are currently here.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was a very smooth road until COVID 2020 hit. Between our government demands and people scared to leave their house it was not easy.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Egyptian Koshery?
We started the business with the idea of catering to the vegan and gluten free people. To our surprise it’s just not enough to be authentic Egyptian, while offering vegan dishes with some vegetarian and gluten free options. We had to add meat options to our menu but are still happy with being a vegan restaurant with some meat options.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
It takes more than just passion and dedication to operate a small business, you really need to believe that what you offer will change people’s lives for the better. After all, knowledge is the key to happiness.
Pricing:
- We price based on our worth, we make a lot of our stuff from scratch.
- We do not buy from wholesale suppliers and resale.
- We do not need to cover the cost of labor, it’s just Riham and I.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.egyptiankoshery.weebly.com
