The Halal Table: The IT Guy Who Built the Northeast's Favorite Halal Smashburger

The Halal Table

At 44, Shahezad Contractor walked away from a comfortable tech career to solve a problem every Muslim family on a road trip knows too well.

The Halal Table is our weekend tour of halal food worth talking about. Good food, good people.

From cubicle to griddle

Shahezad Contractor spent years building a comfortable career in tech. Then he left it, because he wanted more halal options. In 2024 he launched Cousin's Burger, and the Northeast has been happily licking burger sauce off its fingers ever since. The chain has grown to eight locations across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, and the restaurants brought in more than 4 million dollars in revenue in 2025.

"Our goal is to be the next In-N-Out or the next Shake Shack."Shahezad Contractor, founder of Cousin's Burger

What to order

The star is the smashburger, seared hard on the griddle so the edges go crispy and lacy while the middle stays juicy. Regulars swear by the spicy version. Because this is Philadelphia, there is also a halal ribeye cheesesteak that locals take very seriously, plus hand-breaded chicken, loaded fries, wings and handspun milkshakes. The Infatuation even placed Cousin's on its list of the best smashburgers in Philly, a big deal in a city that does not hand out burger compliments lightly.

Why we love this story

Every Cousin's location means a Muslim family can walk in, order anything on the menu and just enjoy dinner. No menu interrogation, no settling for the fish sandwich. That ease is a gift, and it took one man betting on himself to create it.

If your household also runs on burgers followed by three rounds of chai, our But First Chai sweatshirt was made for you. For hosting your own burger night, steal a few ideas from our guide to small hospitality habits for a welcoming Muslim home.