A nineteen-year-old high school graduate opened Sizzling Bites Halal Grill, South Side Bethlehem’s newest restaurant, on May 13. All halal served is made on-site from scratch and is inspired by generations-old recipes.
Abdul Awali, a Liberty High School graduate, opened Sizzling Bites with the help of his father and his younger brother, age 17.
The quick-service eatery is open Sunday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Their operating hours are extended by an hour on Fridays and Saturdays.
The restaurant was designed to cater to a younger generation, Awali said. This is evident through its menu of various platters, its close location to Lehigh University and Moravian University, and its late hours intended for after-bar meals for college kids.
Its interior is eye-catching, with posters featuring menu options, bright red accents, and light-up signs.
Awali, who immigrated from Afghanistan with his family just a few years ago, was a resident of New York City before moving to the Lehigh Valley. It was there that Awali gained his initial restaurant experience while attending school.
It was difficult at first, Alwali said. He struggled to balance his school and work schedule, and working in the restaurant was an added challenge while still speaking broken English.
His only goal was to speak well enough to be permitted to work front-of-house and gain some experience with customer service. He studied hard to learn the language, and eventually, he was able to reach his goal and serve customers.
Operating Sizzling Bites has had its own challenges. With everything ready to go the day before opening, a truck drove into the restaurant’s exhaust fan and completely destroyed it. The repair was originally said to take a week. To Awali’s surprise, one of his contractors agreed to fix the fan before the grand opening. Thanks to his help, the opening was smooth sailing.
Despite setbacks like these, Alwali’s passion for the industry remains. “It’s hard, it’s really hard, but I love it. I love doing it,” Awali said.
The thing he loves most about his job, Awali said, is seeing the smiles on customers’ faces while enjoying their meals. “That’s all that matters to me,” he said.
Sizzling Bites’s future plans include offering all Lehigh Valley college students fifty percent off their platters. The deal is said to be available for two weeks this December, but it is not yet officially confirmed.
