The Halal Guys
The Halal Guys is a New York City-based halal fast-casual restaurant franchise founded in 1990, serving chicken and beef gyro platters, falafel, and rice dishes across franchised locations, airport concessions, and virtual delivery brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Halal Guys does
The Halal Guys is a New York City-based halal fast-casual restaurant franchise founded in 1990, originating from a Manhattan street food cart and now operating as a multi-location franchise system across the United States and internationally. The company's core menu centers on halal-certified Mediterranean street food — principally chicken and beef gyro platters, falafel, and rice dishes — sold through owned flagship restaurants, franchised brick-and-mortar locations, and airport concessions. Its most prominent institutional placement is a location at JFK International Airport Terminal 5, opened in June 2026 as part of a $100 million terminal refresh led by OTG, Fraport USA Inc., and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The company monetizes through multiple channels: (1) physical restaurant operations at franchise and airport locations, (2) virtual brand licensing that allows the brand to operate as online-only delivery/takeout concepts via platforms such as Zeew, and (3) promotional partnerships (including with 7-Eleven during Super Bowl weekend) that drive transaction volume and brand awareness. Its customer base is fragmented across airport travelers, street and mall foot traffic, and delivery consumers, with no disclosed enterprise or institutional customer concentration. Leadership comprises founders Ahmed Elsaka and Mohamed Abouelenein alongside general manager Sadi Ahmed.
The Halal Guys is privately held with a corporate headcount of 51–100 employees, no disclosed funding history, no parent company, and no proprietary technology platform. Its competitive position is built principally on cultural brand equity as an iconic NYC halal street-food brand and on franchise-enabled distribution into high-traffic venues including airport terminals, rather than on technology differentiation.
The Halal Guys firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Halal Guys
- Website
- https://thehalalguys.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Halal Guys is a New York City-based halal fast-casual restaurant franchise founded in 1990, serving chicken and beef gyro platters, falafel, and rice dishes across franchised locations, airport concessions, and virtual delivery brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Halal Guys industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Halal Fast Casual Restaurants
- NAICS
- Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Middle Eastern & Mediterranean QSR (Kebab, Shawarma, Falafel) (THAFAAAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Fast Casual (THAFABAD), Certified Ready-to-Eat/Ready-to-Heat Prepared Foods (Halal/Kosher) (AFANAIAD)
Keywords
Where The Halal Guys is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Halal Guys business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Restaurant Operations: Physical restaurant and food service operations at airport terminals and franchise locations, generating revenue through walk-in customers, takeout, and delivery orders.
- Virtual Brand Licensing: Licensing the Halal Guys brand for virtual/online-only restaurant operations through platforms, expanding market reach without physical locations.
- Promotional Partnerships: Participating in promotional deals and offers with third-party chains and platforms during events like Super Bowl to drive brand awareness and sales volume.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels1 record
The Halal Guys product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Halal Guys sells halal-certified fast-casual Mediterranean street food, primarily chicken gyro, beef gyro, and falafel platters served over rice with its signature white and hot sauces. The menu is offered through company-owned and franchised restaurant locations, airport terminal outlets, and virtual brand partnerships on third-party delivery platforms.
Product overview
The Halal Guys is a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in halal-certified food items including chicken gyro, beef gyro, falafel, and rice platters. The company operates as a franchise-based business model, expanding through both physical restaurant locations and virtual/digital brands. The brand is known for its street food origins in New York City and has grown to become a global franchise operation. The company does not appear to offer a distinct technology product or software platform; rather, it is a food service/hospitality brand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chicken Gyro Platter Signature halal chicken gyro served over rice as a fast-casual platter, targeted at individual diners seeking authentic New York-style halal street food.
- Beef Gyro Platter Halal beef gyro served over rice as a fast-casual platter offering, complementing the brand's core chicken gyro offering.
- Falafel Platter Vegetarian falafel served over rice as a halal fast-casual platter, providing a non-meat option within the core menu.
- Restaurant Dining Service Sit-down and counter-service halal fast-casual dining offered at company-operated and franchised restaurant locations.
- Airport Terminal Dining Halal fast-casual meal service operated within airport terminals, offering travelers the brand's signature menu items.
- Virtual Brand Delivery Delivery-only virtual brand operating on third-party delivery platforms, extending The Halal Guys menu to off-premise customers.
Companies that use The Halal Guys
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Halal Guys technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Halal Guys partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, growth and minor.
- OTG (Airport Hospitality Group)flagshipOTG has opened The Halal Guys restaurant at JFK International Airport's Terminal 5 as part of a $100 million terminal refresh. OTG serves as the airport hospitality operator managing food and beverage concessions at the terminal, bringing iconic NYC dining brands to travelers.
- Fraport USA Inc.coreFraport USA Inc. is developing the JFK Terminal 5 refresh in partnership with OTG and the Port Authority. The development includes over 40 new concessions reflecting New York's food culture, with The Halal Guys as one of the dining options.
- Port Authority of New York and New JerseycoreThe Port Authority is overseeing a $19 billion transformation of JFK Airport, with the Terminal 5 refresh being a key component. The Halal Guys location aligns with the Port Authority's goal to create a distinctly local passenger experience.
- ZeewgrowthZeew provides the platform infrastructure for The Halal Guys to operate virtual brand operations, enabling online-only restaurant services for delivery and takeout. The platform enables restaurants to expand revenue and market reach through virtual operations.
- 7-ElevenminorThe Halal Guys participates in promotional deals and freebies offers with 7-Eleven during events like Super Bowl weekend, leveraging the convenience store chain's distribution to reach consumers.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Halal Guys competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CAVA: CAVA is the leading publicly traded Mediterranean fast casual restaurant chain in the US. It directly competes with The Halal Guys in the Mediterranean/Middle Eastern fast casual category with similar menu positioning (rice bowls, pitas, salads) and a comparable urban target demographic.
- Pita Mediterranean Street Food: Pita Mediterranean Street Food is a Mediterranean fast casual franchise offering pitas, salads, and bowls. It is a direct competitor in the same Mediterranean street food-inspired category with comparable pricing and franchise structure.
- Shawarma Press: Shawarma Press is a fast casual Middle Eastern chain specializing in shawarma, gyros, and Mediterranean platters. It competes with The Halal Guys in the same Middle Eastern halal fast casual space with a similar target consumer.
- The Kebab Shop: The Kebab Shop is a Mediterranean fast casual franchise specializing in kabobs, gyro, and falafel. It directly competes with The Halal Guys in the Middle Eastern/Mediterranean fast casual segment with a similar franchise model and street food-inspired menu.
- Just Salad: Just Salad is a fast casual chain offering salads, wraps, and Mediterranean-inspired bowls. It is a direct competitor in the Mediterranean-influenced fast casual category with a comparable urban target demographic and price point.
- Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh: Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh is a Mediterranean fast casual franchise offering pitas, salads, and bowls with a similar menu profile to The Halal Guys. It is a direct competitor in the franchise-based Mediterranean fast casual segment.
- Halal Shack: Halal Shack is a halal fast casual franchise serving Mediterranean/Middle Eastern street food. It is the closest direct competitor, sharing the same halal positioning, street food heritage, and franchise growth model.
Broad incumbents
- Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen is a publicly traded fast casual salad and bowl chain with comparable size and digital-first operating philosophy. While not Mediterranean, it competes for the same health-conscious urban fast casual consumer and serves as a comparable for tech-enabled unit economics.
- Shake Shack: Shake Shack is a leading publicly traded fast casual chain originating in NYC. While not Mediterranean, it shares a similar NYC-origin brand heritage and premium fast casual positioning, serving as a useful comparable for the scale and brand-equity trajectory The Halal Guys could pursue.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill: Chipotle is the category-defining fast casual chain and an aspirational comparable for Mediterranean fast casual peers. Its assembly-line bowls and digital ordering model directly inform the operating model that The Halal Guys and Mediterranean peers compete against.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Halal Guys social profiles
Digital presenceThe Halal Guys financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Halal Guys leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
The Halal Guys funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Halal Guys M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Halal Guys
What does The Halal Guys do?
The Halal Guys sells halal-certified fast-casual Mediterranean street food, primarily chicken gyro, beef gyro, and falafel platters served over rice with its signature white and hot sauces. The menu is offered through company-owned and franchised restaurant locations, airport terminal outlets, and virtual brand partnerships on third-party delivery platforms.
Is The Halal Guys a public or private company?
The Halal Guys is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was The Halal Guys founded?
The Halal Guys was founded in 1990. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Halal Guys based?
The Halal Guys is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Halal Guys make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Restaurant Operations are the primary driver. The others are virtual Brand Licensing and promotional Partnerships.
Who are The Halal Guys's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CAVA, Pita Mediterranean Street Food, Shawarma Press, The Kebab Shop, Just Salad, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh and Halal Shack. Broad incumbents are Sweetgreen, Shake Shack and Chipotle Mexican Grill.
Does The Halal Guys have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Halal Guys.
What industry is The Halal Guys in?
The Halal Guys's product category is Halal Fast Casual Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAAAG, Middle Eastern & Mediterranean QSR (Kebab, Shawarma, Falafel), with a secondary code of THAFABAD, Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 44529 and its SIC code is 5810.