Milpitas Burger Joint With All-Halal Options Not Just For Muslims
MILPITAS (CBS SF) -- There's a new burger joint in the Bay Area serving up sizzling patties with a twist.
Wayback Burgers in Milpitas is the first Halal franchise for the national chain, and its first Bay Area location. Halal means any item on the menu can't have pork and the meat must be slaughtered and harvested according to Islamic dietary rules.
But owner Aziz Usman said he's not trying to sell that concept to his customers.
"My focus is not halal," he said. "My focus is to open a restaurant where the whole community, American community can come and eat, right? I don't want to label this restaurant a halal restaurant."
Most of his customers, like Paul Barton, had no idea the place was halal.
"As long as the food is good quality," Barton said. "I don't have a preference either way."
But for the tens of thousands of Muslims in the South Bay, this is a big deal.
"You're going to see a whole bunch of halal restaurants here but nothing that's really American," said San Jose resident Sarah Shadid. "You're going to see a lot of Middle Eastern, a lot of Pakistani Indian food, but this is the all-American fast food joint, so this is fantastic."
Usman plans to open a couple more restaurants in the next two years.
