I was thinking about how the world of Halal cooking managed to get into me. It all started with shawarma and eating food from the Persian Palate. Persian Palate was founded by an Iranian named Armand Vatandoost in 1989. However, I've also noticed some halal eateries owned by Filipino Muslims presumably from the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Granted, the ARMM is influenced by Arab and Malaysian culture so food items like satay and lokot-lokot (garajilu) are very prevalent in those areas. After all, Islam is from the Middle East, right?
Survival by innovation
I remembered seeing a halal restaurant in Cebu City. Walking downtown, I noticed some of them come and go. I don't even bother to remember the names. I even heard some don't even have a permit like people in ARMM who are selling pirated DVDs. I definitely didn't want to taste their food and risk getting hepatitis or cholera. Then, I remembered walking alongside J. Climaco St. finding a halal restaurant called Mhat Am Kape in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Dormitory. It's a restaurant ran by Filipino Muslims from Zamboanga. I tried their food there and didn't find anything spectacular. Maybe, it's because I was too used to the taste offered by Shawarma Gourmet (owned by Chef Mansour Houran), Persian Palate, and Eastern Hub (run by a Syrian chef named Alaa who is married to a Filipino). Plus, looking for parking there can be quite a chore making the location inaccessible to others who want to taste the food. The place had a permit so I wasn't scared to try it. However, the kitchen didn't look too good either. I didn't want to try out more of their food.I went about Googling "Mhat Am Kape" during COVID-19 and discovered that the place is permanently closed. I was thinking about the one factor that may have ended their business--a lack of innovation. I'm not saying serving Zamboanga-style halal food is a bad idea. It can be a good idea if one knows how to set the cards right. I think one problem with Mhat Am Kape is lacking innovative ideas. As mentioned earlier, parking in J. Climaco St. is a difficult thing and pay parking areas are easily occupied. It would be a contrast to other halal eateries that manage to give you a good parking space. Shawarma Gourmet is in Escario Mall and Persian Palate can be found in Ayala Center Cebu and Mango Square--both have better parking.
If I could remember correctly--Shawarma Gourmet also has a tagline called "Others imitate, we innovate." A lack of innovation could've caused Mhat Am Kape to close down. They offered the use of Lalamove during the pandemic but it seems that they had a lack of coverage. Shawarma Gourmet has coverage going on. Shawarma Gourmet used to be available on Grab Food until they decided to do delivery themselves. I seldom order their pita bread, garlic sauce, shawarmas, and the occasional arrival of cheese kunafa (which is lokot-lokot with mozzarella cheese from Turkey). I would admit that seeing their much better kitchen than that of Mhat Am Kape is more than enough to make me go back for more.
Innovation is also why Persian Palate managed to survive. Some of its branches have closed (such as the one in Crossroads and Robinson's downtown) but the ones in Mango and Ayala are still open. I think about how Persian Palate has the taste that had me returning for more such as their chicken satay and beef kebab. Persian Palate even offers a unique vegetarian buffet though I'm more fond of the Indian sattvic vegetarian food. The options managed to win more customers since some are vegetarian by choice or seeking to eat more vegetables.
Based on Porter's Five Forces Analysis--it would be like halal restaurants run by local Muslims failed to anticipate the industry rivalry. They could've been the threat of new entrants and the threat of substitutes if they had better innovation. Those run by Arabs managed to anticipate the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitutes, the bargaining power of buyers, and the bargaining power of suppliers. Shawarma Gourmet may have found out that Escario Mall is a better location than Parkmall. Persian Palate's opening at Ayala Center Cebu also gave more access to people. Meanwhile, Sattihan De Cebu (located in Salinas Drive) may have had its innovation going on to survive.
The key to survival is to innovate. Just because a tradition goes on doesn't mean it shouldn't evolve. For instance, some still take pride in using a clay oven (which hasn't become obsolete) but we can't rely on starting a fire with sticks. The use of gas stoves and LPG never go away (especially when there are brownouts) but we can't rely on all old-fashioned methods either. Innovation and modernization don't necessarily mean getting rid of everything old. It's all about keeping the best of the old and discarding the worst of it.
References
"Armand Vatandoost: The Epitome of Ta Arof"
"SHAWARMA GOURMET: THE BEST SHAWARMA IN CEBU" by Saif (October 15, 2019, Updated: March 3, 2020)
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