NY Food Cart Legends Halal Guys Headed to Vegas

Since 1990, The Halal Guys food cart on 53rd Street in Manhattan opposite the Hilton Hotel has become a spot of true legend with the hour-plus wait, the yellow bags, the fake cart copycats, the murder of a customer for cutting in line and above all, the "magic" white sauce and optional hot sauce served over their very simple menu of chicken, gyro and falafel over rice or in a sandwich.

Now comes news via a scoop from California blog Foodbeast that the Halal Guys huge expansion plans will include Las Vegas.

For years, they only operated two carts, not trucks, that needed to be towed to Manhattan. Current operations include two bricks-and-mortar stores in the city and five carts. Franchise expansion plans call for a dramatic jump to "140+" international designations envisioned at 1,000 to 1,400 square feet; 30 to 40 seats plus patio footprint. Franchisees are expected to show "$1M liquid capital — $2M total net worth." And already they have investors knocking at their door.

Foodbeast spoke with one of the first franchisees, who is aiming to open 30 locations on the West Coast, beginning in San Francisco and stretching over to Las Vegas. Within the next year they are pushing for the first three to debut, "one in SF, one at UC Berkeley, and one either on the Las Vegas Strip or in Downtown Las Vegas." They explain the round-the-clock Vegas scene fits with the original Halal Guys business model of serving the New York nightclub habitues until 4 a.m.

Neither Las Vegas location has yet been uncovered.