Meddys

Alex Harb grew up in Lebanon and came to America when he was just 20 years old. Today, he is the founder and owner of Meddys restaurants, but he hasn’t always been in the restaurant business.

Starting out, Alex embarked on numerous business ideas. Some were successful, and some nearly bankrupted him. Eventually, he noticed a void in the market for Mediterranean food. With a loan from INTRUST Bank, he tapped into his roots and opened Meddys—a polished, fast-casual restaurant serving authentic Mediterranean classics.

Quality is key at Meddys. Everything is made fresh every day, and nothing is purchased frozen. “I grew up eating this food,” says Alex, “so the integrity of the food and the product is very important for us.” Over the years, they’ve perfected their menu, but Alex admittedly had his fair share of ups and downs.

“When I first started Meddys, we had a rough start because there was a lot of unknowns, and there was a lot of things that I didn't know that I had to learn the hard way,” Alex explains. It took roughly two or three years for the restaurant to gain traction. During that time, he went to the patrons for guidance. “We always try to go back to the guest and simply just give them what they want.”

He also attributes much of his eventual success to the connections he made through INTRUST Bank. “Their connection and their relationships with other businesses really facilitated and helped us establish relationships with other businesses to help us grow. ... Anytime I needed to find a product, or I needed to find a vendor, they were able to connect me with that business and make the introduction.”

Though his restaurants were successful, when COVID-19 hit, Alex experienced unprecedented hardships. He, again, looked to INTRUST Bank for assistance. “At the beginning of Covid,” recalls Alex, “they were really there for us. ... Trust me when I tell you most banks only have an umbrella for you on a sunny day. INTRUST Bank had an umbrella for us on a rainy day.”

Now, several years after the start of COVID, Meddys has seven thriving locations in the Midwest, and Alex and his team have plans to open six more in the next 12 months. “Meddys has evolved tremendously since day one,” says Alex. “I really learned the concept that I got to put all my eggs in my team’s basket.” And Alex considers INTRUST Bank a part of that team. “They believed in us. They believed in the concept. And they really stood by our side.”

“Every business goes through ups and downs, and it's very important that we learn from the downs and make it,” says Alex. “My end goal is to one day look back and say, ‘Wow, that was exceptional.’”