Lebanon’s $13 chicken sandwich fuels debate over widening economic divide

Beirut, Lebanon. A chicken sandwich costing around $13 has sparked a social media dispute in Lebanon, exposing deep economic divisions seven years after the country’s devastating financial collapse. The Glow Paradise reported selling more than 20,000 of its Chic Taouk sandwiches over just 11 days despite criticism of the price.

Strong sales amid criticism

The health-focused restaurant introduced the Chic Taouk as a healthier version of shish taouk, the popular Levantine wrap, for customers watching their calorie intake. Its price is almost twice that of a typical chicken sandwich in Beirut.

Critics accused the restaurant of charging too much while many Lebanese households could barely pay for essentials. Managing partner Hrag Jeghalian nevertheless reported strong sales and characterised the online controversy as “natural marketing”.

Among Lebanon’s Instagram users, some described the pricing as theft, while others argued that the sandwich catered to customers who could afford it.

A diminished middle class

The dispute comes against a backdrop of prolonged financial instability, dysfunctional politics and conflict that have eroded much of Lebanon’s middle class. A smaller section of the population has retained the spending power to maintain an affluent way of life.

Sami Nader, an economist at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut, told Reuters that the crowds at The Glow Paradise obscured difficulties elsewhere in the restaurant sector.

“So you see people in the restaurant, but what you don’t see is that 22 restaurants closed last month,” he said.

Wider crises

Some participants in the debate questioned whether the attention given to the sandwich was misplaced as Lebanon faced more pressing problems, including Israel’s occupation of extensive areas of southern Lebanon and persistent shortages of electricity and water.

The financial collapse that began in 2019 followed decades of corruption and excessive expenditure by the ruling elite. Successive rounds of conflict have since further damaged the country’s economic prospects.