American-born halal diner Shah's Halal Food is set to open a diner and takeaway on the outside of Broad Street Mall in Reading. The unit has been covered up for months and the shopfront has said it is coming soon; the outlet is 100 per cent halal certified.
Shah's started as a mobile food cart in Queens, New York, in 2005 and serves halal meats and fish in platters, sandwiches, gyros and salads, plus sides, drinks and sauces. It opened in London in 2020 and now has more than 50 UK locations, from vans and kiosks to longer-term diners.
The firm has applied to sell food and refreshments between 11pm and 2am each day. The licensing application was made to Reading Borough Council and a statutory consultation is currently live.
To take part, email licensing@reading.gov.uk. The deadline for representations closes on Wednesday, September 9.
The unit was previously Mr Chips but has been vacant for three years after a fire there in August 2023. Mr Chips won Good Food Awards in 2020 and 2021 and the business was understood to have been sold by original proprietors Circle Kung and Clarence Li sometime in 2021.
Currently the nearest Shah's Halal Food takeaways are on the High Street and Farnham Road in Slough, and in the Eden Shopping Centre in High Wycombe.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
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