Rashid Salahat
Restoring A Staple In Our Community
All donations are tax-deductible: Donation Link
Local small business owner and father of four, Rashid Salahat, came to Raleigh from Jerusalem 30 years ago in pursuit of the American dream. As a long time Raleigh resident, and the owner of the Fayetteville Street Subway restaurant for the last 10 years, Mr. Salahat has been dedicated to serving Raleigh residents and visitors for years. Through natural disasters, COVID-19, and other hard times, his store and employees have served people in need. He never imagined his community and his store would be looted and vandalized. Now we’re asking the community to help Mr. Salahat rebuild. This is his story.
Words from Mr. Rashid Salahat:
“This business is the bread and butter to my family. It serves the community at large of downtown people and who rely on us in the hard days like snow, holidays, and inconvenience. We stay open all the time to serve the residents, law enforcement, and first responders. We serve the visitors to Raleigh from all over the country.”
Mr. Salahat went on to say, “During COVID-19, we refused to close and we took precautionary health measures and to offer something for community members. We welcomed the community to come into Subway to get what they need. We offered them great community service with no discrimination. We are able to give free water when we can, and out of my pocket, I have paid for many meals for customers over the years. As a member of the community, I’m disappointed justice was interpreted as breaking TVs, furniture, and stealing our equipment. That will not bring George Floyd back, God Bless his soul, but this is not the way to bring justice. Justice is standing with each other and changing the local laws and enforcement policies. We are color blind and serve each customer with respect and dignity. We are a business here in the community and support the fight for justice both in our community and nationwide. The employees were so dedicated to the community that they continued to work amidst COVID-19 and they did not want to close. What finally made them stop working was the tear gas spray.”
Call to Action
Mr. Salahat’s business was met with breaking-in, destruction of property, and theft of equipment as a result of the looting that took place in downtown Raleigh. This comes only weeks after Mr. Salahat’s business was forced to endure intimidation tactics, when ReOpen North Carolina protesters with weapons and firearms entered his restaurant, as shown in the News and Observer
Photos of armed demonstrators at North Carolina Subway draw national att…
A dozen people, mostly armed, walked through downtown Raleigh to oppose North Carolina’s coronavirus restriction…
Mr. Salahat’s heart for service and impact in the community has been truly saddened as he now has to rebuild. He is fervently dedicated to serving the community and supporting his employees. Now, it’s our turn to show Mr. Salahat that the community supports him.
Supporting Mr. Salahat as he rebuilds this beloved Subway strengthens our community and shows that we unite behind each other when times get tough, and gets him and his team back to serving the community one sandwich at a time. Organizations across Raleigh including Rotary International (District 7710), Carolina Peace Center, Victory International, and the Raleigh-Apex NAACP are uniting to help this small business owner reopen and continue serving our community.
On behalf of Mr. Salahat and his employees, we ask for your financial support as we unite to restore and rebuild one of the impactful businesses that serve our community. Thank you for your support and please share the word and invite others to contribute and share.