Moroccan Immigrant Achieves Restaurant Ownership Dream in Iowa

From employee to forklift operator to American hot dog, Otmane Benjilany has become the owner of a restaurant. The adventure began 15 years ago. This Moroccan left Morocco for the United States. He settled in eastern Iowa. In 2009, he worked full-time in a factory, and was a weekend American hot dog forklift operator.

Otmane sold Moroccan shish kebabs downtown in Cedar Rapids for years before turning his business into a food truck in 2015, reports the Kcrg.com website. Since then, the business has been operating from a 14 x 7 trailer. Four people work inside on busy days. Over the years, the business has thrived. "Now we have about 2,400 square feet (222 m²), so a lot of magic is going to happen here," he says proudly.

Otmane will open the first O’s Grill restaurant specializing in gyros at 3911 Center Point Road NE in Cedar Rapids, on Halloween. A long-cherished dream for the one who arrived in the United States and could only say two words in English, namely: thank you and hello. "I feel very lucky and I’ve always heard about the ’American dream’, I didn’t know what it was, now I feel it and I live it," Otmane rejoices.