In 1999, Med Mix was founded in the heart of Pioneer Square by owner Otmane Bezzaz. Bezzaz then decided to open a new location on 23rd and Union in the spring of 2012. The new location left as fast as it arrived in 2013, the Central District was shocked with the news that an act of arson had burnt down the entire restaurant. “That crime hurt me very [badly],” Bezzaz said. In spite of such a setback, Med Mix prevailed, and a new location was opened in 2018 just off 23rd and Jackson.
According to Bezzaz, Med Mix has “food from different regions of [the] Mediterranean.” These dishes, such as chicken and rice, combine cuisine from Mediterranean countries like Spain, Morocco, Lebanon, and Greece. To Bezzaz, the source of the ingredients is a crucial part of Med Mix’s success. “We don’t buy our products pre-made…we make everything from scratch…we make sure our products have no additives in [them], we don’t like that,” Bezzaz said. From the Tzatziki sauce in the lamb gyros to the hummus in the kofta kebab plate, everything in Med Mix is made from organic ingredients. Bezzaz works with his wife to manage the restaurant and cook for it. Bezzaz helps with making the Falafels, Tzatziki sauce, and the spices in the chicken and rice, while his wife helps make the Baklava, Hummus, and many other things.
As a small business, Med Mix has encountered many challenges in the past and even currently. “The challenge is the labor right now,” Bezzaz stated, referring to the increasing cost of labor. The issue of labor becomes more pronounced in the winter, but because of Bezzaz’s experience in the food industry, Med Mix can survive. Beyond that, during Covid Med Mix received some help from the government, yet from the city of Seattle, it got no money compared to other restaurants getting thousands of dollars of aid from the city. The Pioneer Square location also struggled in Covid, “Pioneer Square was completely dead…we [lost] money there,” Bezzaz said. In order to keep the location alive, Bezzaz made sure to use the profits from the Jackson street location to keep the Pioneer Square location going.
Med Mix is a cornerstone in the Seattle community, as for 25 years it has served happy customers and continues to do so. “Any non-profit organizations [that comes] to us…we [give] our donation to them, ” Bezzaz said. Prices are also kept on the lower end as Bezzaz wants more people in the community to enjoy his food. He wants to be able to help his community as much as possible. Med-Mix, through all its struggles, has persevered and now is a staple in the central district.
