Annie Khan said she is trying to change people's perceptions about burgers with her organic halal restaurant OMG! Burger. Khan opened the restaurant in December with her sister, brother-in-law and husband. Although this is her first location in Katy, Khan said she is not a stranger to the restaurant business. She previously owned a burger restaurant in Dallas. After selling it to a new owner so she could move closer to family in Houston, she knew she wanted to try again.
“This time we wanted to make everything more healthy and fresh with a better quality of ingredients,” Khan said.
In fact, nothing is frozen and everything is made to order at her restaurant, Khan said. The patties are formed fresh every day, and the french fries are cut daily. The guacamole and pico de gallo are made in-house as well.
Although halal food is largely an ethnic custom, Khan said more and more Americans are turning to the practice as a healthier alternative.
“It’s not just Indian or Muslim communities anymore,” Khan said. “People are starting to realize this can be an option for everyone that wants to eat healthy. There are so many halal burgers in the south side [of Houston], but we wanted something more accessible for our local community.”
Halal is a form of slaughter that mandates an animal must be alive and healthy before death, and the animal’s blood be drained from its body after it is killed. Halal meat includes beef, lamb, and poultry, according to BBC.
“We specifically make halal burgers because most of our Muslim community cannot go and have McDonald’s or any other fast-food joints,” Khan said.
Other types of halal food can range from pizza to Chinese food to gyros. In addition to halal meat, the restaurant also offers grass-fed beef and organic vegetables. Everything on the menu is free of hormones and antibiotics, Khan said.
OMG! Burger offers a daily happy hour as well as several gluten-free and vegetarian options. Delivery is available through mainstream websites, such as GrubHub and Uber Eats.
Khan and her sister work together in the restaurant every day as well as her brother-in-law, who works frequent shifts. She also manages the store with her husband.
“This time it’s a family-run operation,” Khan said. “It’s something that my sister and I wanted to do together.”
OMG! Burger
1230 N. Mason Road, Ste. 800, Katy 281-717-4545 www.txomgburger.com Hours: Mon.-Thu.: 10:30 a.m. -9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat.: 10:30 a.m. -10:30 p.m., Sun.: noon -8 p.m.
*Editor's note: The original headline of this story incorrectly described OMG! Burger as the first halal burger proprietor in Katy.
