BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (WXYZ) — Sameer Eid, the founder of the popular Mediterranean restaurant Phoenicia in Birmingham, has passed away, his family confirmed on Friday.
Eid family spokesperson Justin Near, from Near Perfect Media, said that Eid passed away surrounded by family at the age of 85.
Eid is the founder of Chickpea Hospitality, which operates Phoenicia, Forest, Leila and Wilder's.
Watch Below: WXYZ feature on Phoenicia and Sameer Eid in 2021
According to the Chickpea Hospitality website, Sameer Eid was born in Marjayoun, Lebanon and immigrated to the U.S. in 1961 to study banking.
He moved to the Detroit area thanks to his cousin and found a job in the drapery business. He became a restaurant owner, he says, when he walked into his favorite Lebanese-owned diner in Highland Park and walked out owning it.
"In the five decades since, Sameer continually improved Phoenicia while growing a fiercely loyal regular clientele. To this day, Sameer still wakes up at the crack of dawn a few days a week to visit the Detroit Produce Terminal, where he inspects and hand-selects produce for the restaurant, maintaining a fanatical level of quality and consistency," his biography reads on the site.
