Coronavirus: Dubai restaurant forced to close due to Covid-19 is back in business after social media support – The National

Coronavirus: Dubai restaurant forced to close due to Covid-19 is back in business after social media support – The National

News of a Dubai restaurant's plight went viral online, helping its owners to revive their business

















Owner Nour Assaf and husband Ahmed Tubasi were bouyed by an outpouring of social media support. Chris Whiteoak/The National







A Dubai restaurant forced to close it doors due to the Covid-19 outbreak was back in business just a week later thanks to the "power of social media".



Family-run Habet Barakah opened in September of last year only to hit hard times when the pandemic struck, leading restaurants to temporarily shut down operations as part of strict safety measures implemented across the country.



Owner Nour Assaf, a mother-of-three from Jordan, was devastated after her culinary dreams were seemingly dashed.



However, when news of her plight went viral online, she was inspired by the outpouring of goodwill to give the business a second shot.



"We were doing well at first and then Covid hit and the orders stopped,“ said Ms Assaf, 38.



During Ramadan she distributed free meals to needy families and had decided to shut down for good once the month ended on May 23.



"I was so upset. We had invested everything we had into