Filipino Halal Resto Owners Can't Blame Arab Halal Resto Owners When Their Businesses Sink Into Quicksand

Food Craving Reviews

Tomorrow is Hari Raya Puasa. Previously, I Googled "Mhat Am Kape" some time ago, only to discover that the place had been permanently closed. It was closed in 2020 before the Delta Variant came out in 2021. Their Facebook page is still on but the place is already closed. I tried eating there, calling the place mediocre, and when I talked with workers for Arabian halal resto owners, they mentioned that the place was definitely dirty. I could imagine how the Arab bosses would react to the lack of proper hygiene in the place.

I'd like to share a few photos I took from Mhat Am Kape's Facebook page. One needs to find out why the place closed down. I assume somebody sent the Cebu City Health office photos. The pastils (empanadas) on the floor (right) are an open invitation to pests. As a result, the establishment would be forced to close down. If these photos were taken sometime in July 2020 and the establishment closed in August 2020-- I assume Cebu City Health (as well as other places) sent a cease and desist order. The cleanliness of the place has been put into question. Even that open bag of empanadas on the floor can be inviting pests. Sure, I once placed some food items on the front door but it's a good thing I stopped it ASAP. These people apparently learned not from their mistakes.

Meanwhile, look at the excellent safety precautions Shawarma Gourmet took in 2020. The pictures above are taken from their Facebook page. Better safe than sorry right? The delivery bags are given the UVC treatment. Going to Shawarma Gourmet before the pandemic, I can see the spotlessness of their kitchen. One can see the cleanliness of their kitchen from the counter. Going to Mhat Am Kape out of curiosity, I can't imagine what Mhat Am's kitchen must've looked like. I even remember another Filipino halal restaurant in Downtown Cebu where the cleanliness was questionable. Mhat Am probably got shut down by health inspectors. Meanwhile, Shawarma Gourmet really stood out with its cleanliness standard. If I were to get an order, I can be assured that every last order I took from Shawarma Gourmet during the pandemic, was safely disinfected.

A comparison between Mhat Am Kape and Shawarma Gourmet is a no-brainer. Why would I risk getting COVID-19 from how Mhat Am does its job compared to Shawarma Gourmet's high standard of hygiene? If the Arabs were running those halal restaurants downtown, I can imagine them barking at the employees if they had poor standards of cleanliness. I could imagine the face of those Arabian restaurant owners if they saw the mess in person. If these Filipino halal restaurant owners were working for the Arabs, they could expect a heavy scolding or even a pink slip aka termination. I showed the photos to a few employees working for the Arabs. The employees said, "That wouldn't sit with our boss."

This can show that the only Filipino businesses that need to worry about getting out of business, are the incompetent ones. Jollibee is now an MNC but why most Filipino-owned halal restaurants? It's because they lack excellent standards. It's because they don't bother to innovate when needed. Shawarma Gourmet goes with its tag, "While others imitate, we innovate." People would prefer to eat at quality halal restaurants owned by Arabs over those low-quality halal restaurants owned by Filipinos. I even heard that most Filipino-owned halal restaurants don't even pay taxes. Meanwhile, the Arabs pay their taxes to the Philippines. I get a proper receipt every time I eat at these Arab-owned halal restaurants.

Why do you think the Arab-owned halal restaurants can even afford to operate in the malls but not the Filipino halal restaurants? Shawarma Gourmet operates at Escario Central and Nu-Star Hotel. Persian Palate operates at Mango Square and Ayala Center Cebu. Hussam operates at Il Corso and Ayala Center Cebu. People will be willing to pay more if they get what they're paying for. It's like I'm willing to pay for a 100+ order of coffee from a coffee shop because of their quality. For example, Tealive (also halal) has a rich inventory. I wrote that Tealive needs to go to the Bangsamoro Region (read here). The Arab-owned restaurants are rigid with their cleanliness policy. I could safely eat their food compared to most Filipino halal restaurants I've seen in person.

The locally owned Filipino halal restaurant owners can only blame themselves. One can always blame successful people for their own failures. However, nobody ever gets rich blaming others (read here). If it were true the the Philippines would've been the richest country in the world (read here). Instead, what Filipino halal restaurant owners can do is learn from Arabian halal restaurant owners. The Arabian restaurant owners value hard work, innovation, and quality standards, and that's why they succeed.

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