Nayef Dergham
A 24-hour ceasefire in a bloody civil war. A father tells a son and daughter to gather what they can — they and their mother are leaving Lebanon and its civil war that night. A harrowing taxi ride through back streets to Syria. Then to an older sister and her husband who live in Greensboro, NC.
The weary travelers finally have a chance to call home and tell their father they made it safely. He is emotional. The taxi driver, he’s heard, was shot by a sniper and never made it back. He did not know their fate.
Now their fate is secure. In Greensboro, Nayef Dergham ’94 and his sister finished their education, safely away from the bombs and bullets.
His brother-in-law opened a restaurant called Pita Delite, on Westridge Avenue in Greensboro. Nayef’s older sister ran it for a while. Eventually, Nayef and brother Kamal would take it over and run it.
It was there he had one more brush with violence: The Goatee Bandit robbed a nearby bank and hid behind the restaurant. It was during Nayef’s final exams at UNCG. “I went after him. He shot at me and missed.” He then went to take a final exam. He returned to have the FBI show him the bullet holes in the wall very near where his head had been. “He’s still in jail,” Nayef says.
Nayef did not plan a career in the restaurant business. After graduating with a major in sociology and minor in international business, he had an opportunity marketing vertical blinds in Dubai, where his other brother lived. He sold a lot but ultimately returned to Greensboro. He and his brother Kamal operated the first location while opening up a second Pita Delite, on Cornwallis. Then another, on Highway 68. One at Friendly Centre. Finally, one in Raleigh. Two franchise locations are open in Wilmington.
The secret to their success? Customer service, with sincerity, he says. “It’s the ‘Hello’ place.” As Nayef walks around the Cornwallis restaurant during lunchtime, he greets customers at several tables.
Customers want to see a smile. They want attentiveness. “I love to help people.”
In coming to the States, he found a land of opportunity. His mantra is, “Treat others like you want others to treat you.” That includes customers, cooks, managers – everyone. “Treat them with love and respect.”
“I believe in karma. You do good, that good will come back to you.”
How do you get through rough economic times? Loyal customers. “You take care of them, they take care of you.”
And if you don’t take care of the customer? “Someone else will.”
