The Halal Guys is a true street-to-boardroom success story, Mark Antonation reported this week; the business was founded in New York City by Abdelbaset Elsayed, Mohamed Abouelenein and Ahmed Elsaka, three Egyptians who began selling gyros, grilled chicken and falafel sandwiches and platters from a cart in 1990. Since then, the company has grown to more than ninety locations worldwide (with about 400 in the works) and metro Denver is next, thanks to franchise owners and Colorado natives Chris Bui and Kevin Than. Denver has, for the last fifteen to twenty years, been a hotbed of creativity and innovation in the fast-casual restaurant segment, says Halal Guys CEO Ahmed Abouelenein, who s also the son of one of the company s founders. It’s a city that we have long recognized as a sophisticated, vibrant place; we just hadn’t found the right partners to make it a reality. Kevin and Chris, being lifelong residents, proved to be the perfect partners to bring the Halal Guys to Denve
For decades, Denver has been a breeding ground for quick-service restaurants that have launched here before spreading throughout the country, creating buzz in each new city they enter. Chipotle, Qdoba, Garbanzo, Noodles & Company and Quiznos are just a few examples of the success of Denver originals. And for Coloradans moving to other states or traveling for work or vacation, a taste of home can often be comforting and familiar.
The process works in reverse, too, as we ve seen with the behavior of fans of Shake Shack, Torchy s Tacos, Raising Cane s, Chick-fil-A and especially In-N-Out Burger. Add another one to the list, as the Halal Guys makes plans to enter the Denver market from its home in New York City.