The Halal Guys, New York City’s famous food cart, hit California by storm last year when it opened its first West Coast brick-and-mortar location in Costa Mesa and since then it has created a strong brand presence and loyal following. The fast growing concept plans to open 50 franchised units throughout Southern California and soon West Hollywood residents will get to enjoy Middle Eastern dishes such as gyro sandwiches, chicken-and-rice platters and the famous white sauce. The new location will be located at 8919 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, California, and is anticipated to open this spring.
“We are extremely proud of how successfully we’ve been able to grow in Southern California. This being our fifth Los Angeles opening, our real estate choices are heavily influenced by our fans and we feel that this location will appeal to residents and UCLA students,” says operating partner, Paul Tran.
In the meantime, fans cans anticipate the following locations opening in 2017:
Cerritos at 11435 South Street Suite A9-B in early February
Glendale at 201 N. Brand Blvd Suite B
Downtown Los Angeles at 510 W 7th St, Los Angeles
Not only are The Halal Guys becoming successful in Southern California, but they are a part of a growing market. Numerous stories by Bloomberg news, Wall Street Journal and CCTV have cited how Halal food is projected to become a $20 billion-a-year market. The Halal Guys have also been awarded the 2014 Multicultural Award at The 5th American Muslim Consumer Conference and recognized by TIME Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine and The New York Times.
The Halal Guys grew from its humble beginnings as a food cart on the streets of New York City to a global icon known as the largest American halal street food concept in the world. This Manhattan-based landmark was created by three like-minded men from Egypt who came to America in search of a better life. When Mohamed Abouelenein, Ahmed Elsaka and Abdelbaset Elsayed noticed that many cab drivers in New York were looking for a place to buy meals in Manhattan, they created their first food cart and quickly grew into a leading tourist and native New Yorker destination for American Halal fare. In 2013, The Halal Guys were ranked the most popular food truck reviewed on FourSquare and the third most Yelped restaurant in the United States in 2014.