Doner kebab restaurant SpireWorks to open in Westwood
SpireWorks, a doner kebab restaurant that cooks meat on a vertical rotisserie, will open Wednesday in Westwood Village. (Alyssa Dorn/Daily Bruin)
By David Yaghutiel
Nov. 13, 2016 11:07 p.m.
A new doner kebab restaurant featuring international flavors will open its doors in Westwood on Wednesday.
Bob Kaufman, founder and chief executive officer of SpireWorks, said his travels to Turkey, where doner kebabs originated, inspired him to open a restaurant in the United States. Chefs cook doner kebab on a vertical spit and slice the meat off to serve it.
Jeff Rosenthal, the restaurant’s chief operating officer, said he and Kaufman traveled to Turkey and Germany, tried more than 50 different doner kebabs and worked with Michelin-star chefs to create their menu.
The restaurant names its meals after destinations, including “New York,” “Baja California” and “Little Italy.” Each destination pairs doner kebab with different regional ingredients. The “Bangkok” includes tamarind chutney, coconut curry crumble and pickled red peppers with sambal sauce, for example.
The restaurant offers Dutch baby potatoes as an alternative to french fries, and also serves Japanese coffee and rolled pastries filled with sweet cream called “SpireCakes.”
The restaurant is decorated with pictures of destinations abroad and the overhead menus are designed to look like arrival boards at transit stations. Kaufman said he wants customers to feel like they are on vacation when they eat at the restaurant.
Kaufman and Rosenthal said they opened SpireWorks in Westwood because it has a large community and attracts visitors. They will open another location in Eagle Rock this winter. Rosenthal added he thinks SpireWorks will appeal to UCLA students.
“This kind of food is extremely approachable and it’s completely customizable,” Rosenthal said. “It fits the student lifestyle because they can make it their own.”
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SpireWorks employee Tara Colella said she thinks the restaurant’s prices are affordable for college students.
The restaurant is also seeking to obtain a license to sell alcohol, Rosenthal said. He added they hope to eventually sell high-end wine and craft beer on tap.
Rosenthal said he hopes doner kebabs will become as popular in the United States as they are in Europe.
“Doner is the most popular fast food in Europe but it hasn’t hit the U.S. in a big way,” Rosenthal said. “We see it as an emerging food trend.”
The restaurant will serve free food on its opening day.
