The blueprint:
- Döner Haus is opening a 1,300-square-foot Wantagh location
- Franchisee Hamza Jalili owns Bayside and Wantagh restaurants
- Founder Nikolaus von Solodkoff launched his first store in the East Village
Döner Haus, a quick-service German street food concept, is opening its first Long Island location in Wantagh.
The growing chain will make its debut on Long Island on November 13 at 3336 Jerusalem Ave., a 1,300-square-meter space carved out of the neighborhood next door to Kwong Ming’s party room.
Wantagh Restaurant is owned and operated by franchisee Hamza Jalili, who also owns Döner Haus in Bayside, Queens. Jalili plans to open another Long Island location in Park City in the next few months.
“We are proud to bring some German talent to Long Island and show the community what Döner Haus is special: We do one thing and we do it right,” Jalili said in a company statement. “We have seen guests in Bayside come curious and return as usual, so we are excited to see the same energy in Wantagh.”
With roots in Germany’s Turkish immigrant community, the German-style Döner offers handheld kebabs made with seasoned halal meat sliced from a vertical rotisserie on toasted Turkish bread with red cabbage, lettuce, tomato, onion and creamy garlic sauce. The new Wantagh restaurant will serve Döner Sandwiches, Döner Wraps and Döner Boxes, and guests can choose from chicken, beef or a mix of both. Döner Boxes offer a choice of fries, rice or salad.
German-born founder Nikolaus von Solodkoff opened the first Döner Haus in Manhattan’s East Village in 2023 and began franchising the concept the following year. The company has six restaurants open in Manhattan, Queens and Los Angeles with franchise commitments for 55 more.
The all-in cost to open a Döner Haus franchise ranges from $360,000 to $586,000, including an initial franchise fee of $35,000, according to the company’s website.
To celebrate the first Long Island location for the German franchise, the new Wantagh location will be serving up $1 Döner Kebabs for a pre-opening deal from 6pm to 9pm on Thursday, Nov.12.
Wantagh Döner Haus will be open from 11 am to 11 pm on Sunday to Wednesday and from 11 am to midnight on Thursday to Saturday.
Tom Caliendo of Tide Realty Group represented tenant, when Derek Weinberger served as the in-house representative for the landlord, MGD Investments, on the Wantagh lease.