JUNE 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 67
SHAH'S HALAL
EMPIRE OF CHICKEN
BY ALAN KRAWITZ
For fans of food cart halal food, the
question, "Hot sauce and white sauce?"
has become as commonplace as, "Would
you like fries with that?"
And, that's part of the plan for Khalid
Mashriqi, the CEO of the fast-growing
Shah's Halal Food, whose long-term goal
is to become “the McDonald's of halal."
But, given the company's current quick
rate of expansion, it’s a goal that might
just be in reach.
“There's McDonalds, Arby’s, Subway
and Wendy's... but nothing for halal,”
says Mashriqi, noting the current fastfood
landscape.
The Arabic term “halal” refers generally
to the specific permissible method
of slaughtering animals in accordance
with Islamic law.
The company was started by Mashriqi's
father Ibrahim and two business partners,
Shafiq Mashriqi and Rahimullah
Mashriqi. Nearly 60 percent of Shah's
corporate staff is made up of family
members.
Khalid, now 37, came to the U.S. with his
family from Afghanistan in the early
1980s. Since 2016, he has taken over all
business operations.
"We started this business in 2005,
with just a single food cart on 121st
Street and Liberty Avenue in
Richmond Hill, Queens," he says.
"We prepared all the foods at
home, using a small kitchen and
a garage, at first. Everything
kicked off from there," he says,
adding, "We opened one and
then another...until we arrived
at where we are today."
Today, the company boasts
17 storefront locations
across Long Island and
two more on the way
in Freeport and Stony
Brook, as well as a network
of both branded and unbranded
food carts across New York City. Other
locations include Connecticut, Massachusetts,
New Jersey and California.
Abroad there is also a United Kingdom
operation with several food trucks operating
under contract with the London
transit system.
Khalid, who graduated from Queens
College with a degree in political science,
says he had an "entrepreneurial
mind” from early on. He spearheaded
the branding of Shah's Halal with the
opening of storefront spots in 2016.
Although most stores are
now corporate owned,
Khalid says "interest is
high in franchises" and
Shah's plans to offer
franchises soon.
The price point is going
to be affordable, he says,
possibly in the $20,000
to $25,000 range up front,
and then an ongoing percentage
of store
profits.
Competition for halal fast-food consumers
continues to grow across LI
and beyond. Research firm Technavio
says the U.S. halal market will grow by
$8 billion through the end of 2024, fueled
primarily by a rising U.S. Muslim
population.
However, Khalid says that most of his
customers are non-Muslim and that
most like the freshness of his food and
the unique tastes.
"From my experience, people also like
the transparency of halal products
and they also say they can actually
taste a difference in the meat (this is
what non-Muslims have told me over
the years), and they like that there is
a process that involves really understanding
what is in the food's
ingredients and byproducts,"
says Yvonne Maffei, author
of My Halal Kitchen: Global
Recipes, Cooking Tips and
Lifestyle Inspiration.
Maffei, who also pens a blog
on halal cooking, has lectured
about how the halal industry
looks at ingredients through
a food-science eye, remaining
ever vigilant for
doubtful or
non-halal
elements in things like breads,
yogurt, or apple juice. "People find the
process fascinating."
Among Shah's most popular dishes are
the signature chicken and rice platter
and gyros, which are core menu items in
addition to chicken sandwiches, Philly
cheesesteaks, hot wings, and burgers.
All of Shah's food is prepared in its own
U.S. Department of Agriculture facility
in Jamaica, Mashriqi says.
Even on LI there are now numerous
purveyors of halal-style fare, from
The Halal Brothers of New York in
Floral Park to The Halal Guys in East
Meadow. But Khalid says the difference
is the food and how it's prepared,
using a superior brand of halal chicken
and consistently marinating it with a
unique blend of spices that competitors
don’t use.
He adds that all of Shah's sauces,
from the popular white sauce to red
and green hot sauces, are made from
scratch.
Moreover, he says that he likely supplies
about 80 to 90 percent of all the
other halal operations on Long Island.
Asked if he is concerned about increasing
competition, Khalid says he's
confident in his product.
"We're our greatest competition," he
says, noting that Shah's is going up
against the big guys.
Looking ahead, Khalid envisions
Shah's locations across the
country. "We're definitely going
nationwide with this, it's
just a matter of time," he says,
adding that the company has
been steadily regrouping
since Covid and solidifying
its operations. He also plans to
bring his special brand of halal
to the United Arab Emirates.
"All of the UAE is halal, but what differentiates
us is our food. Nobody has our
food, that's what it comes down to. Our
sauces, how everything is prepared...
no one has it."
MAIN DISH
"We're definitely going nationwide with this, it's just a
matter of time," says Khalid Mashriqi.
Executive chef Christopher D’Ambrosio. (Photo by Ed Shin)
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
