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Sharif and Laila Basharyar own Laila's Kitchen at 4 E. Franklin St. in Hagerstown. (Herald-Mail file photo / July 22, 2012) |
The owners of Laila’s Kitchen in downtown Hagerstown said they have no plans of closing anytime soon after announcing last month that they plan to sell the business.
Sharif Basharyar, and his wife, Laila, said numerous people have called to find out whether the restaurant was closed.
“For the time being, we are open,” Sharif Basharyar said.
Since 2007, the Basharyars have operated the popular Afghan restaurant at 4 E. Franklin St., across from City Hall.
Basharyar, 59, said he and Laila started to think about selling the restaurant in 2010, when he returned from the hospital after being treated for heart problems. They decided to make the decision official in November of last year.
The Basharyars don’t own the building, but they intend to sell the restaurant’s equipment, which includes grills, freezers and refrigeration units.
Sharif Basharyar said the $45,000 asking price is negotiable. He said the purchase price includes training the new owners how to prepare Afghan cuisine, such as chicken, beef and vegetable kabobs.
The Basharyars moved to the United States from Afghanistan in 1985 during the Soviet occupation of that country. They moved to Hagerstown in 2004.
He said they will continue to live in Hagerstown, visiting his brother in Las Vegas and their daughters in New York City.
Laila’s Kitchen is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
