10 Feb On the Line: Yalcin Aslan Explains Name of DonerG

The first time I learned of DonerG was a few years ago, when a friend was attending a convention in Anaheim. We feasted on kebabs that day, and we still reminisce about that meal. Its expansion into an Irvine plaza already experiencing rapid growth from Creamistry and Urban Plates was out of left field. So when the opportunity to meet Yalcin Aslan was presented, I was ready.

Please explain the meaning behind your restaurant name. This is my favorite question because I truly put a lot of thought into the meaning behind DonerG’s name. Doner kebab is very popular throughout the world, especially in Europe and parts of the Middle East. There are many variations of doner kebabs. For example, in Afghanistan and Israel, doner kebabs are called shawarma, and in Greece, it is gyro.

What Does DonerG Means?

So here’s the meaning behind DonerG’s name: In Turkish, “donerci” is how we say, “The man who cooks doner.” Our logo is a doner, which is the rotating spit that the kebab meats cook on. I thought writing it as “DonerG” was clever because it is phonetically appropriate for my restaurant and translates well in English.

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