Restaurant Bills Rise in Damascus
Restaurants across Damascus raised prices on chicken sandwiches and fast-food plates in recent days even as the wholesale cost of live broiler chickens dropped, prompting visible irritation among shoppers preparing for Eid al-Adha. Owners attributed the increases to climbing operating costs rather than holiday demand, and pointed to higher prices for cooking gas, electricity, and labor as the main drivers.
Menu Prices in New Pounds
A grilled chicken now sells for 1,200 Syrian pounds (SYP), reflecting an increase of 100 SYP, while a shawarma sandwich reached 250 SYP and a slim finger sandwich climbed to 170 SYP. An Arabic-style shawarma plate is listed at 350 SYP and a broasted chicken at 1,200 SYP, with a side of fries priced at 450 SYP and four pieces of fried potato at roughly 100 SYP.
Lower-cost items moved in step. A potato sandwich now lists at 150 SYP and a falafel sandwich at 100 SYP, with most outlets clustered around the same posted tariff.
Owner Cites Fuel and Power
A restaurant owner in Damascus's al-Midan neighborhood said the increases reflect rising operating burdens, including the cost of gas cylinders, monthly electricity invoices, and worker wages. He insisted his restaurant adheres to the displayed price list and that small differences between shops reflect service or extra toppings.
The owner rejected the idea that the increases stemmed from holiday demand, saying pricing is built from actual production and operating costs rather than seasonal opportunity.
Gap Between Live and Cooked
Poultry farmers continue to wait for live-chicken prices to fall further, but the spread between raw cleaned chicken and the cooked restaurant version has widened. The gap between a kilogram of cleaned chicken and a kilogram of grilled chicken now exceeds 950 SYP, while the price of a single Arabic shawarma sandwich is closing in on the price of a kilogram of chicken cuts.
Consumers Push Back
Customers say the gap between falling input costs and rising plate prices is hard to square, with many describing repeated price moves as fatiguing during a stretch already shaped by holiday spending. Restaurateurs continue to point to fuel and power bills as the binding constraint, leaving the pre-Eid market with cheaper birds at the farm gate and dearer meals at the counter.