Number of locations 19 (as of April 2016) | Founded 1989 | |
Industry Quick service restaurant Founder Nezameddin "Mike" Daryoush Headquarters Washington D.C., United States | ||
Moby Dick: House of Kabob is a Persian kabob restaurant chain in the Washington metropolitan area. Named after a Tehran restaurant, the first restaurant opened in Bethesda, Maryland in 1989.
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History
Founder Mike Daryoush emigrated to the United States from Iran in 1975. He opened a small sandwich shop in 1987 in Bethesda, Maryland, serving a few Middle Eastern dishes. He changed to a Persian menu and added a clay oven in 1989. The name references one of the biggest kabob joints in Tehran, which was right near the American Embassy during the Shah's time. It was called Moby Dick, apparently because the owner really liked the book. The newest location opened in City of Fairfax, VA in 2016.
2000 shooting
On June 7, 2000, two jewelry salesmen were shot by a robber that had followed them into the Georgetown restaurant location. The shooting victims survived and the perpetrator, Zachary J. Wages Sr., was arrested and convicted of assault and robbery.