Excerpt:
"Jesus," a female passerby mutters under her breath as she walks the long line stretching half a block down 53rd Street. As most Midtowners know, the hordes who gather day and night are waiting for the Halal Guys, a chicken, lamb and rice cart that's become perhaps the city's most famous open-air dining destination.
It's so famous that the cart recently announced plans to expand into brick-and-mortar stores in the local area, as well as globally via a newly inked franchising deal. One outlet opened last month on 14th Street, just off Second Avenue, and another is scheduled to appear in November at 95th Street and Amsterdam. The first international restaurant will soon open in the Philippines.
But of course, the success doesn't come without its share of annoyances. The Halal Guys, which started on the corner of 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue in 1990, have always had their share of imitators. But now, with ambitious plans to expand, they've started defending the brand. "The consumers are getting confused," says Hesham Hegazy, general manager of the Halal Guys.