Local Business Spotlight | Istanbul Cuisine | Flower Mound

Love Mediterranean food? Have you tried Istanbul Cuisine in Flower Mound? If not, you are missing out! As we’ve mentioned before, we love going out into the community to meet new people and we found a gem of a man on our lunch date a couple weeks ago! And, we love supporting local businesses.

A little history

Since the age of eleven, Cengiz, pronounced ‘Jen-geez’, has spent his life working in a restaurant. His father had him standing on a milk crate washing dishes before he moved on to food prep, bussing tables, and serving. He much preferred to be out of the kitchen because he has such a deep love for people.

While in Turkey he befriended a wonderful and well established factory owner from New Jersey. She saw his obvious passion for serving people and a skill for hospitality and told him that he was going to work in her new restaurant in Florida. She wouldn’t take no for an answer! So, off he went, at 30 years old, to a new land and new opportunities. 

When he arrived at the new restaurant he was more than a little surprised to find no cook, no servers, and no staff at all except for him. She really was new to the restaurant business, he thought…very new. Cengiz took it in stride and went on to handpick a staff that propelled the restaurant into a wild success. People crowded in, night after night! 

Long Island served as his home for 17 years while he opened over nine restaurants with his mentor. When asked about his success, it all boils down to the simple fact that he just loves people. His desire is to build trust with people, to be real with them, to listen and hear what they say. People want to be known and understood and that’s just what he does.

Family

Twenty years ago Cengiz met his wonderful Peruvian wife, Susan, in New York when some of their friends decided to place match maker. Together, they have a wonderful son whom they are super proud of. As you may have guessed, family plays a huge part in their lives and in the restaurant business. 

Fresh, quality, outstanding

His love for family and people spills out over his operation. We’ve read several reviews about how Cengiz has gone above and beyond to meet the needs of his customers. When people think of Istanbul Cuisine – Mediterranean Grill they think of fresh food, quality ingredients, and outstanding service. Those are exactly the words we use to describe this restaurant. Ever since we discovered it last month we can’t stop thinking about going back. Another great thing we love is that the food is different from other places and is so delicious.

Istanbul has been open for a few months now and we’ve frequented the establishment several times. Each time, the service and food blew us away. The moment we walked in and saw Cengiz we knew we wanted to feature him and his story with our followers. If you come to Flower Mound, you owe it to yourself to stop by! You won’t be disappointed. Say hi to Cengiz and Susan for us. Let him know how you found out about his restaurant. He loves people and wants them to enjoy themselves and to be happy. So, what are you waiting for? Head on over and grab some delicious food!!

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