This Restaurant CEO Created His Own National Pita Holiday (and Turned It Into a Business Strategy)

Mehdi Zarhloul chased the American Dream — and caught it. As the founder of Crazy Pita, he grew his restaurant brand into a Las Vegas favorite, expanded with new concepts like Salad Madness and Chicken Genius, and even opened inside a Walmart.

Watch now for the story of how Mehdi Zarhloul built a thriving Las Vegas restaurant group, created his own holidays, and proved you don’t have to wait for permission to succeed.

Sponsored by:

• TOAST AllIn1 Restaurant POS

Chapters:

[01:34] - Coming to America at 16

[12:17] - Building Crazy Pita from the Ground Up

[16:03] - Creating His Own Holidays

[20:41] - Believing in the American Dream

[26:40] - Celebrating Your Own Success

SPONSORS:

RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —

Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

• Toast AllIn1 Restaurant POS

Episode Links:

Mehdi Zarhloul LinkedIn

Mehdi Zarhloul Instagram

Crazy Pita Instagram

Crazy Pita TikTok

Crazy Pita Facebook

Crazy Pita LinkedIn

Salad Madness

Chicken Genius

Key Takeaways:

Celebrate Your Own Success: Mehdi Zarhloul didn’t wait for recognition. He created it. By leaning into his National Pita Day, and later, National Crazy Pita Day, he turned self-celebration into a business strategy.

Culture Drives the Brand: Whether inside a fine dining room or a Walmart food court, Mehdi built Crazy Pita on the idea that culture and hospitality are the heartbeat of every successful business.

The American Dream Is There for the Taking: From immigrant beginnings to multi-location ownership, Mehdi’s story proves that in America, opportunities are not handed out. They are claimed by those bold enough to go after them.

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ABOUT MEHDI ZARHLOUL —

Born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco, Mehdi Zarhloul immigrated to the United States at the age of sixteen to live the American dream and pursue his culinary passion. In 2006, Zarhloul moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he opened Crazy Pita Rotisserie & Grill. Crazy Pita quickly became a local favorite, known for its fresh-casual Mediterranean cuisine, friendly service, and welcoming atmosphere. Building on that success, Zarhloul also launched two new brands, Salad Madness and Chicken Genius, expanding his reach while staying true to his commitment to hospitality and quality.

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —

Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and Cali BBQ Media. Every week host and restaurant owner Shawn Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.

Published by Entrepreneur Media

Produced by Cali BBQ Media