A year after a Starbucks knock-off coffee shop opened in Beirut, we now have a McDonald’s imitation on Bliss Street. The fast food restaurant, called Meatway, closely resembles McDonald’s, from the logo to the bags, packaging, and, of course, the food.

While I am a strong advocate for supporting local businesses, I believe there’s room for more creativity in the industry. Instead of opening knock-off stores, why not develop unique concepts? And by “creative,” I don’t mean simply adding an arguile to the menu, as Simple Butter did with its Swiss Butter imitation.