Issa Dubbaneh immigrated to the United States from Palestine in 1977 to pursue a college education at the University of Maryland. In 1981, during his final year, he decided to leave school to open his first restaurant, Chicken Basket, in Gaithersburg. Together with his brothers, Issa expanded their venture, opening additional Chicken Basket locations in Layhill, Wheaton, and Rockville. Since the 1980s, the family has owned six different Chicken Basket locations in Montgomery County, along with Muna’s Cafe in Germantown a few years back.
Muna Dubbaneh was born and raised in Jordan before moving to Wheaton with her family in 1980. She met Issa a couple of years later, and they soon married. While working in the restaurants, they raised five children—Ronnie (31), Danny (29), Ronia (27), Johnny (25), and Deanna (21)—constantly reminding them to steer clear of the food and restaurant industry. For most of their lives, the children heeded this advice.