For students who live on the south end of town, the early commute to campus may seem boring. But every morning at the corner of Napoleon and South Main Street, a man parades around South Side 6 advertising authentic Lebanese cuisine specials.
South Side 6 is a one-stop party shop located at 737 South Main St. The store has a little bit of everything, ranging from imported and domestic beers and a selection of Cuban cigars to wine and ping-pong balls.
So Shaheen and his wife Amal bought the store in 1992, and have been cranking out jumbo gyros, one of the store’s specialties, ever since.
Shaheen has been managing the grill for nearly five years. He has no professional cooking experience and said he just cooks what sells.
‘Thursday is definitely the busiest day of the week,’ Shaheen said. ‘We probably go through at least 1,500 gyros [on Thursdays]. We’ve built a pretty good reputation about our food. We try to keep a little bit of everything on the menu, American, Lebanese and even vegetarian.’
The store carries daily specials, but the regulars agree, the gyros at South Side 6 are some of the best around.
Souvik Biswas, a University graduate student, said the food quality at South Side 6 can’t be beat.
‘Everything is so fresh,’ Biswas said. ‘You never see anything that is frozen or prepackaged. The gyros are huge and they taste a lot better. I have never had a better gyro than the one I get here.’
South Side 6 also runs a unique special for birthdays, giving the customer one free menu item.
Bob Bovie is the maintenance guy at South Side 6, and the man who holds the orange special signs outside the store.
Bovie has been working for the Shaheens for 15 years. He said he was hired one day when he came in to buy beer.
‘[Shaheen] hired me on the spot,’ Bovie said. ‘It has been great working here. I love living in Bowling Green and the great people. Just so you know, I really like it when people honk. It makes me happy.’
South Side 6 is open daily from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Check out their full menu online at www.southside6.com.
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