QUOTE(leggedy @ Jun 29 2012, 02:00 PM)
Thanks alot for ur kind input...
We r still in mid of planning..have yet to reach final decision..i need all possible feedback...keep it coming forumers!!
=)
TS... i hope i able to give some information as well some little opinion towards Halal Restaurant..
Abit of introduction of my self. I am a chinese. I own a restaurant in Kota Bharu. My restaurant serve Halal Western such as american & italian & abit of french food. Like ur concern, my customer always wonder if my restaurant halal. This restaurant just celebrated 1 year anniversary few days back.
my major customer group more or less consist of Chinese 65% Malay 25% India 10%. In a very initial state during the business we tried to target muslim market as our main market. However a fews issue that i face to archive the main targeted market..
Basically like fews had mention about quality control & jakim verification. I wish to get the Jakim Halal Cert however the is pro & cons to apply it. 1st of all as a small capacity 40pax restaurant, it is very difficult to hire numbers of employee. Turnover of Waiters & Cook become 1 of my main concern. in the discuss to archive HALAL cert by hakim, we must atleast hire 2 FULLTIME (not partime) MUSLIM as our food handler (kitchen assistant/chef). So as usual, they will come to check most of the time to see if ur kitchen have 2 fulltimer muslim. So it is safer if u able to hire more than 3 muslim just for the kitchen side to incase during operation there are always 2 muslim working.
Secondly all the ingredient must be VERIFIED & Halal. Tried to get all ur sauce, soy sauce and other flavouring agent that archive halal. Possible keep all the Halal Certificated printed and file it for future references. Must restaurant may find difficult to do so just simple because certain ingredient it is halal but it don't certified HALAL. Example: if u having some western recipe that require MUSTARD, SAFFRON, other ingredient, make sure u sure the mustard from the HALAL company. The problem is that in the market i not sure that if u can easily get those ingredients CERTIFIED.
Thirdly, make sure all ur source of butcher item/meat item come with halal certificate. Example that u should purchase chicken from Dinding, Ayam Mas and other halal supplier. Ur Imported or local Beef should ship with Halal Certificated as well.
Another big thing u may need to take care that once u get the HALAL certification, U have to work hard to maintain it. If let say one day (touch wood) the certificated had been withdraw by Jakim for whatever reason, u may be jeopardize ur brand. A story (maybe real/true) from one of the local chinese restaurant . They successful archive the Halal Certification from Jakim for years. One day, the jakim had spot check on the Halal prospect & the restaurant halal cert was withdraw/forfeited. The reason is that the restaurant purchase AYAM KAMPUNG (free range chicken) from the local wet market which is not verified HALAL CERTIFICATION.
I not so sure how the Jakim Procedure of checking HALAL rule & regulation. I hope above information will give you some guide.