News From : DagangHalal.com (23 Jun 2009)
Hey let’s go out and grab some Halal food!
This line has now become all too common, especially if you live in New York City where Halal food carts are sprawled all over Manhattan.
But going out for a Halal dinner doesn’t necessarily mean restricting your choices to the local Pakistani or Middle Eastern eatery.
In fact if you live in Copperfield, Texas going out for Halal food could very well mean dining at Bonsai Fusion Steak House.
The Japanese steak house is one of a growing number of restaurants that are offering Halal food as an option to Muslim customers.
In these troubled economic times American businesses are scouring for unfilled niches and untapped markets, and restaurants are no different.
And Muslims are, after all, the ultimate untapped market.
A force to be reckoned with, the Ummah measures 1.5 billion globally – and close to 8 million Muslims call America home.
Needless to say, Muslims worldwide and in the US are a sizeable demographic with substantial spending capital.
The Muslim world has already seen an outburst of US food franchises entering their shores offering Halal versions of their menus: Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Subway and McDonalds to name a few.
But in the meanwhile the American dining scene is fast witnessing a quiet revolution of its own.
More and more local eateries are now offering Halal meat, such as Bonsai Fusion mentioned earlier and Outback Steakhouse, where the lamb is usually Halal.
Fitness clubs are jumping on the bandwagon as well.
Due an increased demand from Muslim and Jewish women for gender-segregated workout areas, more and more gyms are now offering women-only hours allowing their clientele the privacy they need.
Fitness USA, Curves and Harvard University have already successfully met this request.
Businesses that are reaching out to American Muslims are seeing for themselves that by meeting their niche customers’ needs they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
And that can make all the difference for American businesses in this economy.
Author: Yusuf Khan
Source: examiner.com | National