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'I'm overwhelmed': Owner of vandalized Middle Eastern restaurant thanks supporters

Isam Saed's hands moved quickly as he took an order for the day's special, got it to the kitchen and rang up the customer.

<p><span class="cutline js-caption" style="display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold;">The Middle Eastern Bakery and Deli saw a boom in business Monday, after news of their damaged windows spread on social media.</span><span class="credit" style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">(Photo: Yihyun Jeong/The Republic)</span></p>

Isam Saed’s hands moved quickly as he took an order for the day’s special, got it to the kitchen and rang up the customer.

A coworker squeezed behind Saed in the small space between the kitchen wall and the counter to deliver a large tray of freshly made falafel and a generous portion of Lebanese chicken. This chain of action between the duo, seemingly second nature, had continued since the doors of the Middle Eastern Bakery and Deli in central Phoenix opened its doors Monday.

An interview with The Arizona Republic seemed unlikely as the line zigzagged around the store, spilling out the door and into the parking lot. At the first sign that the crowd might be dwindling, another car would pull up and add another three, four, five people.

“I’m sorry,” Isam Saed said. “I’ve got to take care of everyone first.”

The smell of freshly baked baklava and marinated lamb lingered and teased in the air outside. As they waited, the customers looked at the cracked windows that make up the large open front of the business.

The windows were why they were there.

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