Written by Giovanna Zavell, DSMG Contributor
For Salah Salah, owner of Gursha Ethiopian Grill, it’s all about getting people through the door. From there, the service and food take over and turn new customers into regulars. Before you know it, the community turns into family.
First Came the Grocery Store
The grocery store business has been an important part of Salah’s family for generations. And moving to Iowa added a new chapter to this family history. In 1998, Salah and his family moved from Somalia to pursue schooling and better opportunities in America. His father followed two years later and began working at Walmart to learn the trade.
“I told him ‘dad, there’s nothing here. This could be an opportunity for you to open a business,’” Salah says. “A year later, in August of 2001, he opened a grocery store.” Hilal Groceries specializes in Halal meats and a variety of Middle Eastern foods and spices.
Salah never saw himself continuing in the footsteps of his father. He was more interested in hotel and restaurant management. He pursued the hotel route and worked for Sheraton for six years. Deciding there was not a lot of room for growth, Salah changed his career to work in automotives. He worked at Action Auto Body for 11 years. But, his father’s store was quickly becoming busier and in need of help.
Salah jokes that when he was younger, he didn’t help out much in the store, and never intended to run a grocery store one day. “Five years before I left Action Auto Body, I started working for my dad part time,” Salah says. “My brother was there helping, but the store was getting busier and busier, and my brother was running his own business as a contractor. So he left to pursue that and I had another career change.”
Since taking over the grocery store seven years ago, Salah has remodeled and increased the variety of items sold. “My dad served an older generation,” Salah says. “I told him there is a new, younger generation we can reach.” Pre-made meals were added to the shelves to make eating favorites from home easier for the younger generations who may not know how to cook these authentic meals.
Customers continued to increase, and so did their needs. One of the most demanded items, and a partnership pushed Salah to take the risk of opening a restaurant.
Then Came the Restaurant
“People would come into the store for the injera and ask if there were any restaurants in town that sold it,” Salah says. “I thought, ‘well, that wouldn’t be a bad idea.’ plus, I knew someone looking to open a restaurant.” That someone was Safia Umar.
Safia, who moved from Ethiopia, had been a longtime customer at Hilal Groceries. For a time, she even supplied the store with injera, an Ethiopian flatbread. She enjoyed cooking, and was looking to open a restaurant, but was having difficulty finding a space. That is, until an opportunity with Salah arose.
Fernando, a long time customer of the grocery store and friend to Salah, and owner of Fernando’s Mexican Grill told Salah he was relocating his business to the new development up the road. This meant a ready to go restaurant space would be available soon. It was a no brainer. Then the pandemic hit, and plans were delayed.
“Fernando came around again in May, letting us know his plans to move were a go, and asked if I was still interested in the space,” Salah says. “I said ‘damn right I am, but I’m not sure with the pandemic.’ I knew it would be a bad investment, though, and we were still hearing the demand for Ethiopian food from the community.” So he took the risk.
In October of 2020, he and Safia moved into their new space, did some remodeling and worked on the menu. Safia spent time working on her recipes, learning to make dishes in larger quantities than she was used to and finding ways to ensure the food stays fresh and tasty throughout the day. Three months later, on January 18, 2021, Gursha Ethiopian Grill opened for business.
“The first three months were crazy,” Salah says. “We were very busy and luckily, weren’t feeling any sort of effect from the ongoing pandemic.”
Coming Together Around Food
A majority of customers who visit Gursha are American. “We don’t see a lot of our people because our people cook at home,” Salah says. “But, we do see a lot of our younger generations come in after school or work and bring their American friends. It’s cool because they then get to share our culture with others through the food.”
Gursha stands for friendship and love. And that’s exactly what is built when sharing a meal from there with others.
Your Tastebuds Will Thank You
Like Salah said, the best thing for a restaurant is getting people through the door. The food and people inside will do the rest. Next time you are in Dogtown, be sure to stop by and give these customer favorites a try. Whether you eat meat or are a vegetarian, there is something for everyone on the menu. I tried a little bit of everything, and can promise you will want seconds before your firsts are gone.
- Ingera: Obviously you should try the famous spongy, flatbread that pushed Salah to open Gursha
- Doro Wot (#10): A drumstick and hard boiled egg, both topped with berbere
- Alicha(#4): A delicious mix of cabbage, potatoes and carrots all cooked with onion, ginger and turmeric
Hey Drake Students!
Did you know you can use your Bulldog Bucks at Gursha? Next time you’re looking for something new to try, walk on over to Gursha! Be sure to let them know Des Moines Girl sent you.
Gursha Ethiopian Grill
Sunday 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Monday CLOSED
Tuesday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Friday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Want more?
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