Having opened its doors three weeks ago, the new kid on the block, Bites, is ready to sink its teeth into Statesboro’s restaurant scene.

Ramy Masry, the owner of Bites, is a proud and firm believer in the effectiveness of simplicity when it comes to managing his restaurant and satisfying his customers. The exposed brick within the walls of Bites helps extend a comfortable and laid-back atmosphere towards their arriving patrons. Working well with a small area that’s not too spacious, along with a small staff of two cooks and two hostesses, Bites manages to rival coffee shops in creating an aura of coziness and casualness.

“With Bites it was really simple to set up because the place was already set up pretty well, so it was just a few added decorations here and there,” Masry said.

Bites also expands its mantra on simplicity toward its food, cultivating a menu that manages to avoid being too overbearing. Instead, Bites leans on familiarity, providing a humble list of traditional American entrees that customers should already be acquainted with, such as burgers, boneless wings, wraps and chicken tenders.

“The menu was the hardest part to come up with. It’s all about the right ingredients and recipes, and that took us the longest time for us to get ready, but everything eventually became ready to go. It just took us some time to make sure this food was going to be something that everyone was going to like, but so far everyone likes it so that’s good,” Masry said.

The biggest stand-out in Bite’s culinary repertoire has been their fresh, home-cut fries and potato chips, which manage to be perfectly crispy and just as satisfying as their main courses. In addition, they have a favorable selection of flavors for their boneless wings, such as hot, teriyaki, lemon pepper and lemon yaki, which is an interesting combination of teriyaki and lemon pepper that patrons are sure to approve of.

Masry is no stranger to Statesboro or entrepreneurship, having attended Georgia Southern University in 1995 to study restaurant management. Afterwards, he started his own business, Sahara Smoke, with his brother from the origins of a small living room. Working 14 years within the hookah business, Masry has helped operate various businesses with his brother here in Statesboro. When the current venue became available, Masry saw an opportunity to open up a restaurant and decided to put his hat into the ring by opening Bites.

“There’s a beauty within the food industry. There’s not a whole lot of profit with food sales, but it’s the satisfaction you get when you see a customer happy finishing their meal and saying ‘I love this, I’m coming back.’ To us, that’s the satisfaction we really look for. We’re doing this, because we love to do this,” Masry said.

Masry, originally from Jerusalem, expressed an interest to eventually add a gentle touch to the menu with a few Middle Eastern-inspired items. In the meantime, Masry will continue to run Bites and ensure that his patrons will not only leave full, but also happy.

“We’re going to increase the menu eventually, but for now this is what we’re starting with. I’d like to add a small taste of the Middle East eventually like falafel, but that’s later on,” Masry said. “I don’t know what the future holds, it’s just going and trying what you like to do and the rest is up to people liking it.”

Location: 1212 Brampton Ave

Hours: Monday to Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 9 p.m.