Hummus and Pita, a new Mediterranean restaurant, is gearing up to open in the space in downtown Overland Park occupied until recently by Snack Shack.

Why it matters: The brick storefront at 8039 Santa Fe Drive, on the corner of Thompson Park is still associated for many with Snack Shack, which called the cozy space home for 10 years while gaining a large and loyal following.

• Snack Shack moved to downtown Mission earlier this spring, opening in the former Town Topic space at 6108 Johnson Drive.
• Hummus and Pita now plans to open in Snack Shack’s former digs by mid July, according to its owner.

Hummus and Pita’s story: Dhiaa Eid, former partner and cook at nearby Sinbad’s Grill off Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, is the owner of this new Mediterranean restaurant.

• Eid, originally from Jordan, said he is bringing decades of experience to the new restaurant. (He says he and his original founding partner at Sinbad’s have parted ways, leading him to want to open Hummus and Pita.)
• He began cooking at his father’s restaurant in Jordan at the age of 6, he said, and has perfected items like hummus and falafel having grown up making those dishes.
• Prior to Sinbad’s, Eid said he spent months working in the Indiana restaurant scene for a friend to learn more about customer service in the U.S.
• He said he also cooked at KC Smoke Burger in Kansas City, Missouri, before cooking at Sinbad’s for nearly three years.

The menu: Eid plans to feature a number of staple Mediterranean dishes, including (of course) hummus and pita.

• Gyros, falafel and chicken shawarma will also be on the menu, Eid said.
• Eid said he’ll continue to cook authentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes — many of which are inspired by what his brothers cook at his father’s restaurant in Jordan — using his own recipes.
• Since he cooked at Sinbad’s for nearly three years, using his recipes, Eid said there may be some overlap. Still, Eid said he has a taste for cooking and a knack for perfectionism that will set Hummus and Pita apart.

Key quote: “I have a rule I always follow: any customer who walks in and they ask about the quality of food, my rule is, ‘If you don’t like it, don’t pay for it,'” Eid said. “When it comes to the hummus, because that’s like the top, I literally say to people, ‘If you ever had hummus like this before, I swear to God I’m not charging you for it.’”