Crave Mediterranean Café has officially opened its doors in south Springfield, slinging out southern European classics like gyros, falafels and shawarmas.
The restaurant, located at 1111 E. Republic Rd. Ste. 164, will host a soft opening Oct. 18 followed by a grand opening later in the month, said Bakr Razooqi, Crave co-owner. The dine-in restaurant aims to be Springfield’s go-to for Mediterranean cuisine.
Razooqi owns the restaurant with his cousin and business partner, Ahmed Razooqi. The partners signed the lease in August 2024 and started the sweat-equity process of renovations, which took a couple months of full time work for the partners.
Crave has been a long time coming, Razooqi said.
“Starting three years ago, I’ve been thinking about this,” Razooqi said. The co-owner just moved his family to Springfield to start Crave.
Kansas City restaurant roots, family starts a new chapter in Springfield
Crave Mediterranean Cafe is next to Sidebar at the strip mall off Republic Road, west of National Avenue. (Photo by Shannon Cay)
It’s not Razooqi’s first restaurant: He’s owned and operated a Mediterranean restaurant called Jerusalem Cafe in Kansas City for six years. Razooqi’s wife, Jaclyn, who runs the books for the company, grew up in Springfield. Trips back to the Ozarks implanted a desire to open a Mediterranean restaurant here, Razooqi said.
“There’s nothing like (Crave) here,” Razooqi said. “In Kansas City, we have a lot of Mediterranean restaurants.”
“It’s going to be really new for me. I’m excited and nervous about it.”
Crave will serve Mediterranean classics, including a wide range of gyros, as well as falafels, hummus, kebabs and more. The “Crave Mediterranean Dinner” feeds up to three people and includes two different entrees, appetizers and a dessert.
“Kebabs, some gyro meat on top, shawarma, chicken, you choice of rice or fries,” Razooqi said. “It feeds two to three people.”
Five-year lease and a steep investment
The business partners signed a five-year lease in August, paying just over $7,000 per month in rent, Razooqi said. The business co-owner said Crave has cost about $120,000 to start.
“We spent a lot of money” on starting Crave, Razooqi said.
The 3,600-square-foot restaurant is open seven days a week. Monday through Saturday, Crave is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. On Sundays, the restaurant closes at 8 p.m.
The shopping center Crave is housed in is owned by Gallery Eleven, LLC, and had an appraised value of $3.5 million, according to Greene County Tax Assessor’s Office data. Gallery Eleven is registered to Lloyd J. Carmichael, according to Missouri Secretary of State records.
Crave is in the process of hiring employees, Razooqi said. The restaurant owner said he plans to have about three employees on top of the co-owners, who will both manage Crave.
“There’s a lot to learn” ahead of the soft opening, Razooqi said. “We’ve been prepping for three days.”
Ryan Collins
Ryan Collins is the business and economic development reporter for the Springfield Daily Citizen. Collins graduated from Glendale High School in 2011 before studying journalism and economics at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He previously worked for Bloomberg News. Contact him at (417) 849-2570 or rcollins@sgfcitizen.org. More by Ryan Collins