London’s Halal Food Scene Goes Digital With Halal Joints

After pitching against some of London’s best startups, and winning the UCL Innovation & Enterprise 2019 award, the team has been building a digital platform that puts the Halal diner first. The mobile app is proud to be the capital’s first digital app that allows diners to discover new places to eat without spending time verifying the authenticity of the Halal claim.

Co-founder Zahid says that the Halal diner is often overlooked when it comes to apps and websites in the dining and hospitality industry. Halal is drowned out on Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, and Yelp which is why they have built a platform solely dedicated to Halal needs. They believe that such a platform will empower Halal diners to engage with new and unique culinary experiences without having to compromise on their beliefs.

Furthermore, the Halal Joints team is already working on a full-scale platform to allow its partners’ restaurants to leverage digital platforms to supercharge growth. They believe that by offering businesses digital products at an affordable monthly subscription, they can benefit from the cost savings and increased reach such platforms bring. After speaking with hundreds of restaurateurs across London, they found that the anti-Uber/JustEat/Deliveroo sentiment was very strong as these platforms charged fees of up to 36% per order.

By providing a more affordable platform, restaurants will be able to continue to increase their delivery capability without increasing front-of-house costs. By focusing on the Halal niche, the team behind the platform believes they can better understand and serve both restaurant owners and diners using their platform.

This month’s release of the iPhone and Android app amassed a buzz on Instagram when Instagram food bloggers endorsed the need for such an app. London and Dubai-based Sarah Tabbara posted “I’ve been waiting for this app for the longest time! There’s finally an app that tells you about all the Halal restaurants/cafés in London!”. Another posted “Thank you Halal Joints for simplifying the experience”.

The Halal Joints team has already spoken about how their model is working. “Despite the COVID19 lockdown, we were able to use our technology and platform to help a local restaurant achieve 108% month-on-month growth since opening its doors in February. Our platform allowed the owner to take a hands-off approach to build their brand, and focus on the store operations instead. There is still a lot of improvement to be made to our platform, but the early results are very promising. We have just recently signed up another seven businesses to a three-month pilot”.