Abstract
The study set out to explore the perceptions of Muslim consumers in Cape Town on halaal friendly restaurants using the institutional theory and a mixed-method approach through the administration of an online questionnaire shared on social media to reach the Muslim community of Cape Town, as well as semi-structured interviews to identify the practices implemented by halaal friendly restaurants to determine their level of understanding and compliance with halaal regulations.
The questionnaires received 305 responses which showed the majority of Muslims in Cape Town are aware of halaal friendly restaurants, with 83% having dined at these establishments. However, there is conflicting data due to a number of other aspects, leading to conditional acceptance, but also mistrust in halaal friendly. Despite halaal friendly restaurants displaying a substantial level of knowledge and implementing practices in their ability to cater to halaal consumers, a gap of knowledge due to the lack of knowledge in terms of communication between consumers and halaal friendly restaurants has been identified. In addition to this, it was found that there is a grey area which exists in the spectrum of halaal dining offerings, which despite the rejection of this by halaal authorities, still seems to be gaining support by the Muslim community of Cape Town. Limited academic publications could be found on the topic of halaal friendly, with more research required to understand what policies are in place to ensure restaurants are compliant with Islamic food laws, and to secure the trust of Muslims to dine at their restaurants.
The research illustrates the perceptions of Muslims toward halaal friendly restaurants which could be useful to restaurant owners and their decision-making processes when setting up their restaurants to be halaal friendly, and proposes a guideline for these restaurants to follow, in addition to a plan which can be employed to bridge the communication gap to consumers. The research also adds to the limited literature which exists and sets the basis for further study on the subject, within a South African context.
Keywords: Cape Town, halaal friendly, Muslim, perceptions, restaurants.