The Halal Guys, which debuted as a New York City street cart in 1990 and has turned into one of the hottest restaurant franchises in the country, opens its first Arizona restaurant at 11 a.m. today in the former ASU bookstore on Rural, between Apache and University, in Tempe.
The Middle Eastern eatery serves a simplified menu of gyro meat, falafel, or chicken, either in a platter (pictured) or wrapped in pita bread. Their signature dish is a chicken platter.
The three Eqyptian founding partners of Halal Guys now operate five street carts and two restaurants in NYC. They announced franchising opportunities in 2015 and sold more than 200 in less than a year.
A local investment group plans to open 15 Halal Guys restaurants in Arizona over the next five years. Locations in the works include Gilbert, Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Tucson.
The first 100 customers at the Tempe location today will receive free swag, and $50 gift cards will be raffled off every hour. You also can win discounts by spinning a prize wheel.
The Halal Guys is open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
