Veteran restaurateur Ali Hijazi has sold Zamaan Grill in the Colonnade on W. Eisenhower. The full-service restaurant, which opened in 2011, is now closed while Fred Ansari readies a rebrand: the fast casual concept Hummus Express.
“It’s been the hardest thing to do to find dependable workers,” Hijazi says. “It’s just unbelievable.” Loyal customers and a supportive landlord led him to persist in recent years, when he added a Persian twist to the Mediterranean cuisine.
But now he’s glad to focus on his remaining establishments, both on Plymouth Rd.: Zamaan Cafe and El Limón, a fusion of Lebanese and Mexican. Ansari previously ran the short-lived La Piazza Pizza & Subs near El Limón in the Plymouth Road Mall.
Related: Lebanon Meets Mexico at El Limón
Multistate operator Ascend Cannabis closed its five-year-old dispensary at 2019 W. Stadium in January. About ten such retailers have closed in Ann Arbor since the beginning of 2025 as a glut of cannabis production has accelerated competition and pricing pressure. About twenty dispensaries remain in the city and Pittsfield Township. Industry challenges continue, as Michigan on January 1 implemented a 24 percent wholesale tax on the prices retailers pay for adult-use products. That’s in addition to the 10 percent retail excise and 6 percent sales taxes.
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