you're not ready for this gina you're up okay but i'm not calling you chef and
you're not yelling at me we've got more top 10 untold truths of the halal guys
eating from a food cart is a rite of passage in new york city so if you're looking for a quick
bite these are the kings of the corner humble beginnings is it hard to stay humble not for me
i'm pretty amazing at being humble the story of the halal guys began in
1990 in the bustling city of new york three egyptian immigrants abdullah said el-sayed
left their home country and headed to the states in hopes of a better life since the street food
business was already booming even back in the day they decided to open a humble hot dog cart on 53rd
street and 6th avenue hot dogs get your hot dogs here however while that initial idea wasn't so bad
the dogs didn't do so hot they soon discovered the huge demand from muslim taxi drivers for fast
good halal food which was pretty hard to come by back then so instead of continuing the uphill
battle of the hot dog business as a way to stay true to their culture they seized upon this new
opportunity the three founders turned to something they knew more about than hot dogs and started
selling halal food still from the carts now we're cooking it became the first cart in new york city
to ever offer halal food word got around that delicious food was served out of that specific
cart and people hastily hurried over there wanting to get their hands on some and this is how the
simple hot dog stand became a famous vendor of platters of chicken falafel and euros they're
expanding fast and in six months this place will be bigger than mcdonald's while the halal guys are
still extremely present in the street food biz they are no longer just that one little cart on
the corner of 53rd street and 6th avenue they are now all over the fast casual scene and have actual
restaurants and they're not just in new york anymore either no no they're worldwide prestige
worldwide why why why even though most of the new locations are located in america
they have begun expansion all across the globe in places like canada
indonesia malaysia the uk and south korea you can get yourself a nice plate of delicious halal food
and be greeted with the ultimate customer experience the halal guys now have over 400
new restaurants in development making them one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in america
it's all thanks to a meeting with restaurant franchising company fransmart also responsible
for the franchising of much loved fast food chains five guys and qdoba mexican grill oh mexican food
a deal was made and lives were changed with their hard work and dedication the halal guys were able
to make a real name for themselves growing and flourishing left and right they represent the
epitome of the american dream and are living proof that anything is possible when you've got
the right team with you now available at your grocery store coming soon to an america near
you there's arguably not a better feeling than heading to your local grocery store only to find
products from your favorite restaurants right there on the shelves you no longer need to cheat
on your budget to get a restaurant meal what this food ain't worth paying for it looks like
the halal guys understood that and decided to go ahead and bring their food goodness to our
retail and grocery stores through a partnership with caa gbg the halal guys want to extend its
reach through licensing and product extension initiatives focused on the specialty food and
grocery space it's all about giving fans around the world the chance to try and buy their products
even if they don't have access to the restaurant it's a major step in our strategic global growth
plan said ahmed abueline ceo of the halal guys since caa gbg is well known worldwide for its
ability to help brands successfully expand into new markets it just seemed like the right move to
make for the halal guys that's a no-brainer with food and packaged products available at grocery
stores it will definitely help the brand expand and reach existing or new fans all over more cloud
kitchens to come see a cloud it's a fluffy cloud floating happy happy fluffy cloud famous for their
signature long lines at any hour of the day the halal guys definitely know a thing or two about
business the restaurant opened its first brick and mortar location in 2014 and has begun to expand
into the sit-down restaurant world today it has taken its first step into the delivery only cloud
kitchen business to meet growing customer demand i have signed up for a food delivery service
and now we're cooking cloud kitchens often called ghost kitchens are essentially fully
equipped kitchens that prepare food off-premises that allows franchisees to include delivery
services without opening new locations or over-burdening staff at existing restaurants
it basically unlocks opportunities in desirable markets while avoiding typical barriers like high
rent or infrastructure costs while this initiative from the halal guys was taken
before the whole pandemic took place there's no denying how useful this new idea has been
in our current situation with new procedures and health measures cloud kitchens are coming in handy
as they reduce human contact and allow for more food to be prepared more than that certainly more
more the halal guys plans on opening more and more cloud kitchens and expand its reach as
much as possible as the delivery market expands so does the business for cost-effective ways to offer
just that they created a whole new food genre i'm an inventor halal food is served all over
the world and has been for ages so while the menu served up at the halal guys is far from new
the way the food is served certainly deserves recognition before the halal guys existed fast
affordable and around-the-clock halal food was not an option or if it was it was very well hidden
sure there were other kinds of food sold out of carts day and night but nothing ever came close to
what these guys were offering they basically paved the way for other similar food services to follow
i never thought of that you're a trendsetter they worked hard and found a way to combine the best of
two cultures meaning halal guys is practically a hybrid of two things traditional halal ingredients
and spices mixed with an americanized presentation what do you get from this unique combination a
brand new genre of food american halal street food as a new thriving segment of the restaurant
industry american halal street food has grown exponentially in popularity over the years and
has encouraged a lot of other communities to start their own food businesses thanks to its booming
popularity the halal guys food is now enjoyed by everyone no matter their cultural backgrounds
hey girls how are you best meal on wheels right here huh and you no longer need to live in nyc to
experience the taste of the halal guys a website to fuel growth i've already made the website
you made a website one of the most popular ways to order food has gone from in-house to online in
the last couple of years and especially since the beginning of the pandemic with over four carts 95
restaurants and 400 more locations in the pipeline the halal guys needed to find a way to expand
without getting drowned in extra costs i'm not made of money i'm made up man-made and a skeleton
this is where the website comes into play to complement the brand's ongoing growth and
innovation the halal guys partnered up with gourmet marketing to develop its new website to
enhance the online user experience and obviously simplify functions such as online ordering for
catering and delivery the modern user-friendly website offers a platform that will inform and
educate customers with the latest company news and services with features like a weekly blog
individual location pages with information about each restaurant and convenient ordering links
all designed to make the customers experience effortless plus now you will soon be able to shop
online but not just for food and i always have the option of online shopping and just putting
things in the cart that's not gonna happen branded t-shirts hoodies water bottles you
name it all available for purchase via the website the site also helps people stay up to date on the
company's latest safety protocols and the loyalty program is also better supported founders play
favorites did you know that you were always my favorite when you own a restaurant it can be
hard to stay completely impartial and not to play favorites when it comes to your menu offerings
you have to try to sell each product equally in order to maintain consistent sales and not favor
any one item unless it's clearly ahead in the race however at the halal guys the founders
aren't afraid to pick favorites and share their own prized go-to orders while technically they
do love everything on the menu and how could they not there are some specific items that
just stand out for them in an online article the founders preferences were revealed and they
aren't disappointing for starters mohammed prefers the classic combo platter aka one of the tastiest
things available from the halal guys then ahmed is partial to the chicken sandwich mostly for its
taste but also its on the go convenience baking no no no regular chicken sandwich and last but
not least absolute absol is also a combo platter guy but with a little twist he orders it without
the famous hot sauce saying it's a little too spicy for his taste huh spicy why is that spicy
usually you can tell a lot about a place when you know the owners are eating their own food
in this case we know exactly what to get and we get the stamp of approval from the founders
themselves but maybe we'll get the combo with the red sauce you know to stay authentic to the recipe
the famous sauces make sure they put the white sauce on it while we're on the topic of delicious
and famous sauces why not dive into just how amazing they are if you go to any halal guys
locations you will be offered a choice of three sauces to add to your meal white sauce red sauce
and barbecue sauce did you bring the barbecue sauce each is just as tasty as the last but many
people have a soft spot for the white sauce a very well-guarded secret recipe the white sauce has
remained a street cart trade secret on the order of the kfc original recipe and the halal guys do
not plan on releasing the information anytime soon sure the packets list some common ingredients like
egg yolk vinegar water and a natural flavor but nothing more specific the creamy tasty
white sauce has been doused over platters of lamb chicken and rice since the first location opened
and the most information that we have is that it has mayonnaise in it help me mayonnaise but that's
not the only sauce that's created a buzz at the halal guys the hot sauce is also a pretty fine
choice for anyone who's not afraid of a little heat because when they say hot they mean seriously
hot like a scoville rating of over a hundred thousand kind of hot twice as hot as tabasco or
cayenne chili so if you're planning on ordering some proceed with caution it's not everyone who
has the stomach to handle that much spice but if you think you're up for the challenge go wild
the combo platters are next level is there any way that you could do all of them the works you got it
all right for over three decades now the halal guys have served up some pretty iconic food from
their street carts and now their restaurants as well their delicious affordable halal meals are
the perfect representation of cultural traditions and cuisines blending together perfectly
to create some new out of this world food this is literally the best thing i've ever eaten while
most of the menu items worldwide have obviously changed a little they still include some timeless
classics that have yet to be matched by any other street food vendor for instance the beef gyro
chicken falafel and sandwiches along with sides such as hummus and baba ganoush have all been
rocking it since the very beginning the item that is most in demand though is the falafel so much so
that in houston texas they go through over 600 pieces of falafel every day that's a whole lot
of chickpeas but the real big deal at the halal guys the thing that makes any weight worth it it's
the combo platter and now the ps the resistance often referred to as the halal classic or simply
the platter the combo platter is one of the best things to get on the menu this entree consists of
a chicken and beef gyro served over rice with lettuce tomato pita and the world famous white
and red sauces and for one day this summer you could even get the platter for only one dollar
this one day only promotion allowed you to place an order on the delivery app doordash for the
union square location in nyc and the first 2 000 people were able to take advantage of the offer
cab drivers played a critical role who are you calling cab hopefully as we've just mentioned cab
drivers were partially to thank for the creation of the most iconic halal meat carts to even exist
they were the ones who inspired the founders to take the leap and switch up their menu but it's
not the only thing these cabbies need to be thanked for for the younger generations
you might be shocked to hear that back in the early 1990s the internet did not exist that's
impossible that means that in order to get visibility and attract any kind of following
you needed to garner some good old-fashioned word of mouth and hope everyone got the memo
as you can imagine it wasn't always that easy not only were the halal guys situated in one
of the busiest cities in america but they were also pretty new to the whole food cart business
without any real contacts getting their food known in such a huge city was a real problem that was at
least until the trusty cab driver community came to the rescue and started making the halal guys
their go-to spot since a lot of cab drivers were muslim and halal guys was a great way to get quick
and cheap halal food it was a no-brainer the more the drivers went the longer the lines got and the
more curious people became exactly supplying the man it's even said that whenever tourists would
ask their cabbies where to go eat they would often suggest the halal guys with promotion
like that you can't help but grow your business tremendously stick around leave us a comment
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