1. WHY SHOULD I OFFER A HALAL MENU?
The goal of every restaurant is to increase foot traffic and boost sales. By offering a halal menu, businesses can attract local Muslim customers who may become loyal customers if they are satisfied with the food quality and service (and over a million Muslim foreign tourists who visit HK annually). It is a smart business strategy.
2. WHY CATER TO MUSLIMS?
Muslims in Hong Kong as well as millions of tourists and business visitors have only got a choice of 130+ restaurants in Hong Kong (limited dining options in HK). By offering a Halal menu, your business can capture a lucrative market share of the Halal food segment
3. WHY SHOULD I REMOVE PORK, LARD & ALCOHOL FROM MY MENU?
There are plenty of restaurants in Hong Kong offering pork, lard and alcohol. If diners are coming to your restaurant specifically to enjoy pork, lard and alcohol, the halal menu is not for you. But if they are coming to your restaurant because your chicken, beef, lamb, duck and other vegetarian options are equally delicious, go Halal, expand customer base and make more money.
4. IF I CAN’T SERVE PORK, I WILL LOSE CUSTOMERS?
There are already many restaurants in HK who also serve pork. The key is to standout from other restaurants in your area. Make yourself special, target a new segment, make more money than others by targeting Muslims in HK and tourists from overseas.
5. HOW WILL GOING HALAL IMPACT MY COOKING METHOD?
Serving halal does not require big changes to your menu or cooking methods. The three core criteria of going Halal are as follows:
- Remove pork, lard or alcohol completely from your menu and ingredients.
- Source your meat (chicken, beef, lamb, duck) from a Halal meat supplier.
- Thorough cleansing of your kitchen tools and serving utensils.
Therefore, going Halal can be simple and cost-effective.
6. DOES HALAL MEAT TASTE BETTER?
Some people argue halal meat cooks and tastes better. Others suggest the meat is more tender because as part of the slaughtering procedure, blood must be allowed to fully drain out. To find out for sure, order some halal meat for yourself!
7. IS HALAL MEAT MORE HEALTHY & ETHICAL?
The method of slaughtering animals (chicken, duck, lamb & beef) involves using a sharp knife to quickly sever the animal’s throat and quickly draining the blood loss in order to minimise the animal’s suffering, while reciting a prayer. Halal also means no pork, lard and alcohol, for its lack of health benefits. Put simply, emphasis on animal welfare and the avoidance of certain harmful substances, is at the core of going Halal.
8. WHAT ARE SOME HEALTH RISKS OF EATING PORK?
There are potential health risks associated with consuming pork. Pork can carry harmful bacteria and parasites that can cause foodborne illness, such as salmonella and trichinosis.
BUT HALAL IS NOT FOR EVERYONE
A restaurant that uses alcohol, pork and its by-products (e.g., blood tofu, pig brain) or serves carnivorous animals such as snakes (e.g., snake soup, snake wine) and other such animals will not be able to go halal. It is possible but difficult because of the high risk of cross-contamination between halal and non-halal food items during storage, food handling and refrigeration, and the additional costs involved in ensuring all kitchen and dining utensils (pots, pans, plates, forks, knives, spoons) are separately handled.