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Halal Guys' Long-Awaited East Village Outpost to Open by May, Owners Say

By Serena Solomon | March 12, 2014 7:03am
 The Halal Guys' first storefront on East 14th Street was delayed by gas line issues.
Halal Guys
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EAST VILLAGE — The long-awaited storefront for Halal Guys, the food cart chain with long lines of devoted customers, has been delayed by construction issues, officials said.

Halal Guys was due to open its first brick-and-mortar location on East 14th Street at Second Avenue in November, but their timeline was delayed by a need to replace the building's gas line, according to manager Khalid Ahmed.

While a food cart is already on the sidewalk serving signature Halal Guys' meals of gyros, falafel and chicken over rice, Ahmed said the store — which may include a juice bar — should be open within six to eight weeks.

"The store is ready and we are waiting for the gas line to be put in," said Ahmed, who has been with the chain for 12 years.

While building the store it became apparent the old gas lines at 307 E. 14th St. could not support both the Halal Guys' kitchen and the apartments in the building, Ahmed said.

Halal Guys has spent the last few months replacing the lines at their own expense and are now waiting on Con-Edison to connect the pipes to the main grid.

"We have been paying rent for a location that we are not using," said Ahmed.

When the company opens the location, they'll serve food for nearly 24-hours each day — closing only between 4 and 5 a.m., Ahmed said.