Kathleen Luppi/The Daily Pilot
On Oct.2, Costa Mesa will be abuzz with foodies lining up for a taste of The Halal Guys, a New York City-based business that serves traditional platters and sandwiches of chicken, gyro and falafel.
The ‘Halal Guys is coming to Costa Mesa, Calif. On October 2.
(Photo By: David Handschuh/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
A group of Vietnamese entrepreneurs will be at the helm of the first Southern California development. Thomas Pham, will own and operate the Costa Mesa site with business partners Paul Tran, Andrew Chen, Phillip Hoang and Alvin Wong while Pham will serve as CEO of the Costa Mesa site and handle other Southern California franchising.
The Halal Guys signed a deal to launch 50 units in Southern California. Future locations include Long Beach and other sites in Los Angeles County.
“Halal” is often used in reference to food and drinks that are permissible under Islamic law for Muslims to consume, and the chain adheres to that definition. Pham purchased the rights to a franchise about a year ago and finishing the training, and said he and his business partners felt the best location to start was in Orange County. The location will be able to seat about 38 people.
Customers line up to buy lunch at The Halal Guys pushcart in midtown Manhattan.
They are expanding to Southern California with plans for more franchises. (Photo by
Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images)
The Halal Guys began in 1990 when three Egyptian immigrants opened a hot dog cart in New York City. As the business grew, the founding partners noticed a demand from Muslim cab drivers seeking a halal meal. They created the platter of chicken and gyro over rice and added the food chain’s popular white and red sauces. To this day, the white sauce still has a “secret” status and even Pham has no idea what’s in it.
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