Beirut’s $13 Sandwich Highlights Lebanon’s Economic Divide

Nicole Hardy · 2026-10-25T23:20:28.639Z

Twenty thousand of those sandwiches sold shows some still have cash while the rest face empty shelves after the GDP collapse.

Beirut’s $13 Sandwich Highlights Lebanon’s Economic Divide — Photo: RDNE Stock project / Wikimedia Commons (Pexels)

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The Glow Paradise in Beirut launched the Chic Taouk as a healthier take on shish taouk, priced at around $13, roughly double a typical wrap. Managing partner Hrag Jeghalian said it sold more than 20,000 sandwiches in 11 days and called the social media debate "natural marketing." Reactions split between those accusing overcharging and those saying the item was for customers who could afford it. Economist Sami Nader told Reuters: "So you see people in the restaurant, but what you don't see is that 22 restaurants closed last month." He said the middle class has "disappeared" after the 2019 financial collapse, the 2020 Beirut Port explosion, and two wars in under two years. Fouad Fakhreddine said: "Everything has become expensive, and people can't keep up." "We are now getting paid, then getting in debt over that just to get by," he said, describing "a class that is living, and a class that is not dead and waiting to die from the unbearable situation it is in." World Bank figures show GDP down nearly 40% since 2019 and inflation expected at 17.5%, more than quadruple the global rate the IMF flagged in July. UNICEF said in September four in five households struggle to afford basics. Private generator rates jumped nearly 20% in August 2026 and about 60% above February 2026 levels per the energy ministry, often several hundred dollars a month against a $400 minimum wage.