"There are big changes afoot at Byblos Mediterranean restaurants, the NOLA mini-chain with five locations. Back in April, Byblos transformed its Uptown restaurant to emulate like the trending fast-casual model. Now, the original Metairie Road location is reinventing its menu, adding new items that will push the restaurant’s focus more towards general Mediterranean cuisine. This shift means dishes like a kafta burger, paella, and stuffed prawns are being added, along with bacon-wrapped shrimp, grilled Gulf fish and roasted chicken. Executive chef Dustin Brien told Eater NOLA that the goal was to both attract a younger, more health-conscious customer while not alienating regulars. Only the things that haven’t been selling — eggplant crab cake, for instance, and some of their wraps — have been removed, but all the old favorites will stay on the menu, assures Brien. This is likely to be the first of more regular menu changes at the Metairie Road location — Chef Brien explained that Byblos is hoping to transition into a more sustainable and seasonal line-up. This is also the restaurant’s biggest menu change ever. There have been tweaks here and there, said Brien, every once in a while, but nothing as major as this. The new Byblos menu debuts at the restaurant on Wednesday, June 6th." - Alison Baitz