After Beirut Cat Cafe, Empire Metropolis Sofil, and many other businesses in Lebanon, The Gathering in Gemmayze shuts down. In fact, the number of shutdown food and beverage institutions reached 785 since the beginning of the Lebanese economic crisis in 2019.
And now we have to say goodbye to The Gathering, a very popular restaurant in the heart of Gemmayze in Beirut.
This place gave us nine years of amazing food from worldwide cuisines, as well as bringing people together around a big olive tree, in between 18th century stone houses.
The news was shared on the restaurant’s social media in a heartfelt Instagram post, saying: ‘Thank you for all the great memories. Till we gather again….”
For almost a decade, this place was the favorite of many residents of Beirut and surrounding, residents. Beautiful memories were created and shared in that place.
All the beautiful restaurants, cafes, theaters, and parks that have been part of the Lebanese lifestyle are closing down gradually, and some simultaneously.
They have brought a unique energy to the daily and nightly life of Lebanon. They are now falling victim to the state’s misgovernance and misuse of power.
And it’s not only local businesses but also international food chains. Recently, Pizza Hut closed all its locations in Lebanon due to delays in the shipments of essential main ingredients, and the crisis of the dollar exchange.
We can only hope for a miracle for this epidemic to soon become history so we can get back all our favorite Lebanese places, and Lebanon its unique lifestyle energy.