{"id":183562,"date":"2026-02-18T22:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T22:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/183562\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T22:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T22:42:10","slug":"why-east-bay-restaurant-lulus-is-swapping-mezze-platters-for-toum-caesar-bowls-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/183562\/","title":{"rendered":"Why East Bay Restaurant Lulu\u2019s Is Swapping Mezze Platters for Toum Caesar Bowls in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chef Mona Leena Michael\u2019s restaurant Lulu<\/a> is undergoing another transformation. Michael first launched her business as the Mana\u2019eesh Lady pop-up in Emeryville during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, serving mana\u2019eesh flatbreads. She followed it up with Lulu on Berkeley\u2019s Camelia Street in 2021, luring customers to her restaurant with gorgeous Palestinian by way of California mezze platters. Then, in 2024, she moved the restaurant to a new home<\/a> on Solano Avenue in Albany, essentially doubling Lulu\u2019s capacity and expanding the menu to include dinner.<\/p>\n

Now, Lulu is making another change: It relaunches in the same Albany space on Saturday, February 21, as Lulu\u2019s Little Kitchen<\/a>, a fast-casual counter serving toum Caesar salad bowls, braised lamb rice bowls, and roti wraps.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been busy to the point where we still need all the staff that we have, but people are just spending less money.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mona Leena Michael<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a transformation that\u2019s been a long time in the making, though it may have seemed sudden for the customers who\u2019ve grown accustomed to knafeh pancakes during Lulu\u2019s brunch hours. As Michael tells it, they\u2019ve been breaking even or losing money every month since they\u2019ve opened; the overhead is \u201cinsane,\u201d Michael says, and the reality is that check averages went down 20 to 25 percent in 2025. Restaurateurs know that summer months can be slow, but November and December typically makes up for that in private events, reservations, and catering. After an especially slow November and December, Michael knew things had to change.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been busy to the point where we still need all the staff that we have, but people are just spending less money,\u201d Michael says. \u201cInstead of people coming in and ordering three to five dishes, everybody\u2019s coming in and ordering one dish each. Cost of goods is going up. If you\u2019re a restaurant that takes care of their employees, it\u2019s expensive to take care of your employees. All these things combined, it\u2019s just not adding up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael wanted to ensure that the switch wouldn\u2019t make the restaurant unrecognizable to regulars. She knew that her food was accommodating to dietary restrictions. It\u2019s also a concept she initially planned for years ago \u2014 a fast-casual format \u201csimilar to Halal Guys,\u201d she says. But given the restaurant food she\u2019s made at Lulu, she wanted to build the menu with elements that worked well with diners, repackaging them into bowls and wraps. Think fattoush made with mixed lettuce, seasonal produce, and preserved lemon dressing; gluten-free fried chicken bowl with toum fries, fennel salad, and harissa yogurt; and braised lamb shawarma with tahini and toum, wrapped in roti. The ever-popular toum Caesar with crispy Brussels sprouts and lettuce comes down from its price of $21 to around $15, with an option for add-ons. On the weekends, Lulu will serve popular items like the knafeh pancakes and the shukaquiles, the restaurant\u2019s take on chilaquiles. The bread program has been axed for now, although they will continue to make the roti, and Lulu is sourcing pita from Simurgh Bakery<\/a> in Emeryville. \u201cThe idea was healthy, quick food, something that could be a part of a daily staple in people\u2019s lives, at a lower price point, and really focusing on the things that our customers really come back for,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Lulu\u2019s Little Kitchen<\/p>\n

Michael calls the decision to change the restaurant difficult \u2014 especially as it involves making tough decisions about staff. \u201cPart of the reason why I put this change off for so long is because you have this guilt of 25 people\u2019s livelihoods that are depending on this restaurant right now,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd it really, really fucking sucks to have to make these decisions of who\u2019s going to stay and who\u2019s going to go, and giving them enough notice.\u201d To make the transition, she gave employees a month\u2019s notice, connecting them with other restaurants in search of workers. For a normal Saturday brunch, she needed two servers, two bussers, a barista, three line cooks, a chef, a prep cook, herself, and a dishwasher. With the shift to counter service, that will go down to one person in front taking orders and making drinks, plus two people on the line (Michael and a chef), plus a dishwasher.<\/p>\n

Adding to the mounting issues were problems with the plumbing, leading to the discovery that the line is broken beneath the main prep kitchen. The initial plan was not to close for the rebrand and transition into the new format immediately, as they couldn\u2019t afford to shut down. But due to the timing of the break, which was discovered just before their last week of service at the end of January, they were forced to close for two weeks for repairs. The bad news was further exacerbated by the fact that Lulu\u2019s insurance denied an emergency claim to cover the loss of income due to the deteriorated pipes. The local health department approved them to reopen on Saturday, February 21, but the loss of income for the month totals between $80,000 to $100,000. Michael set up a GoFundMe<\/a> for $20,000 to help cover pay for employees who were unable to work for two weeks, as well as rent and utilities.<\/p>\n

There are still some unknowables about switching over to Lulu\u2019s Little Kitchen. There\u2019s the worry that customers won\u2019t like the counter service \u2014 that there will be disappointment over the food items that don\u2019t make it onto the new menu, or how it will be received. Michael\u2019s thought about it all, and recognizes she won\u2019t know about any of these factors until she\u2019s in it. But she\u2019s doing her best to remain true to the heart of Lulu. \u201cWe\u2019re not this whole new unrecognizable concept, your favorites are still going to be on there,\u201d she says. \u201c…all these things that were originally in our old location that people have been coming back for repeatedly are not going to be gone. They\u2019re just going to be in a different format \u2014 and more affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lulu\u2019s Little Kitchen<\/a> (1106 Solano Avenue, Albany) debuts on Saturday, February 21, and will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.<\/p>\n