The Restaurant Owner Who Made His Business Kosher: 'The Person Who Criticized Me Probably Never Visited My Place'

There aren't many restaurant owners in Tel Aviv who are capable of making the bold move to turn their business kosher. It's no secret that the bustling city's eateries are busiest on weekends, so how can they allow themselves to forgo profits?

That's also why many were surprised about two years ago when they discovered that the popular 'Night Shift' restaurant in Tel Aviv became kosher. This week, the restaurant's name resurfaced in headlines when a negative and malicious post about it went viral on social media.

The writer, who did not view the restaurant's closure on Shabbat positively, commented on 'Night Shift's Facebook page: 'Things weren't going well, so you pulled a dirty trick and made the restaurant kosher.' He also added: 'You are using kosher certification as an advertising tool to attract a kosher-observant crowd. That's your right, but personally, I'm boycotting the place, both because, in my view, it's taking up valuable space in a leisure area (when it's closed during the peak time) and because you are willing to change the secular nature of the neighborhood just to make more money.'

'At Least I'll Know I Tried'

In a conversation with Gabi Gauli, the owner of 'Night Shift,' he notes that the post hurt him. 'But for some reason, I have a feeling that the person who published it never sat with us, probably doesn't know me and doesn't know that the kosher transition was a move that cost me a lot and required much courage,' he says.

'It was not simple at all, especially since it is a meat restaurant, where kosher certification requires a lot of investment because there are many stringencies, more than in any dairy restaurant, not to mention giving up on opening the business during Shabbat, the busiest day of the week. We have many regular customers who specifically come to us on Shabbat; some have been with us for years. The decision to give them up was very difficult.'

So what led you to make this decision, after all?

'It started about six years ago when I began to strengthen my religious observance. There's no great background story here; there wasn't a special event that shook me, but after years of routine, there came a moment when I suddenly strengthened and began asking existential questions. During that time, I started putting on tefillin and trying to listen to Torah lessons, and I also began observing Shabbat, stopping coming to the restaurant on Shabbat, but in practice, it remained open seven days a week, so I knew in my heart that it was as if I, as an owner, was desecrating Shabbat. I didn't feel comfortable with that.

'Additionally, as a family man, I couldn't really enjoy Shabbat because I was always worried. I may have been sitting at home, but my mind was on the business. I felt that this game didn't suit me, but I still didn't feel that I could bring about a change.'

About two years ago, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Gauli made the decision. 'During the lockdown, when all the restaurants were closed, I began to feel that nothing is in our hands. I can strive and make an effort, but the profits come only from above. In the end, I just took the leap. It was a big daring, but I convinced myself that if it didn't succeed - I would revert to the previous situation, and at the worst, I'd know I tried.'

30% Drop

Gauli first heard the reactions from his business partner, and they were actually encouraging. 'My partner is a traditional person; in the past, he wasn't a partner but one of the property owners, and even back then, he encouraged me to close on Shabbat and promised me a rent discount in return. At that time, I wasn't ready for it, but when I decided to make the move, he really stood by my side. The employees were in complete shock, but after the first Shabbat, they approached me and said that they couldn't remember when they'd had such a good rest.'

But the interesting thing is that the very point Gauli feared so much – the reduced profits, simply resolved itself. 'It was amazing - I saw on paper how 30% of the sales cycle dropped, but the profits didn't go down. It was mainly thanks to new patrons who started coming – religious people from all over the central region and the Dan bloc, and there were also large companies that wanted to hold events for their employees and insisted on holding them at a kosher venue. True, it has still not reached the high numbers of the weekend customers, but apparently, there's just blessing in the business.'

Were there other people who didn't take the restaurant's kosher status well?

'Yes, I heard a few more comments of that style, and there were customers who informed me that they wouldn't come anymore because they want a place to sit all week long, and it's inconvenient for them that we're not open seven days a week, but in most cases, we heard the opposite feedback – customers really complimented and wished us success. Now, it's the first time I'm exposed to such a harmful post, and honestly, I don't understand what its purpose is. I entered the Facebook account of that writer and saw that he used to live in Berlin. I'm curious if there was a business in Berlin that closed its doors on Sundays, would he be just as upset about it? I really don't understand what bothers him; I'm not forcing anyone to keep Shabbat, I just want to do what's right between me and Hashem.'