SHAH ALAM - Amid the controversy surrounding mandatory halal certification for restaurants that do not serve pork and alcohol, many popular eateries in the Klang Valley without official halal status continue to attract Muslim customers by promoting themselves as ‘Muslim-friendly,’ offering ‘halal food,’ and being ‘pork-free,’ particularly on social media.
A survey by Sinar revealed that most of these establishments, including well-known food franchises, do not display any signs or stickers indicating their halal status at their physical premises, choosing to highlight this only on social media to avoid potential misunderstandings.
At a shopping mall, a Korean restaurant promoting hashtags about halal on its social media employed a hijab-wearing waitress, Julia, who claimed the restaurant had been certified halal by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).
However, she said the physical certificate was still pending.
"This restaurant has been certified halal, but we cannot display the certificate yet.
"I assure you that the dishes sold here are halal, as all cooking ingredients are sourced from Jakim-certified suppliers," she said.
Despite the lack of visible certification, many Muslim customers were seen dining at the restaurant, trusting its halal claims.
Interestingly, two Japanese restaurants in the same mall also attracted Muslim patrons, despite not displaying a halal logo at their entrances.
When asked, a waiter at one of these restaurants stated that their dishes were ‘halal’ as they did not use pork or alcohol in their cooking.
The survey further found that some patrons still visit these ‘Muslim-friendly’ and pork-free restaurants despite the absence of official halal certification.
Private sector worker Hazman Hashim, 38, Hazman Hashim acknowledged that the issue of halal status had gone viral previously but said restaurant management had since provided clarification.
"For me, there's no problem as long as we're confident about the halal status.
"If you're unsure, there are plenty of other Japanese or Korean restaurants with halal certification in this mall," he said.
A 21-year-old student who wanted to be known as Mohd Aiman admitted he was unaware of the halal certification issue and had visited the restaurant after seeing it trending on social media.
"We didn’t know about the certification issue.
"We saw it was popular on social media, so we wanted to try it too.
"From now on, I will check the halal status of restaurants, especially in shopping malls," he said.
On Sept 2, Jakim confirmed that five popular restaurants—Johnny’s Restaurant, Black Canyon, Dolly Dim Sum, Mr Dakgalbi, and Bungkus Kaw Kaw—do not possess the Malaysian Halal Certification (SPHM).
In response, Johnny’s Restaurant and Black Canyon clarified that while all their cooking ingredients, such as chicken, eggs, and meat, are sourced from halal-certified suppliers, their restaurants do not have Jakim halal certification.
Mr Dakgalbi was certified halal in 2023, and Dolly Dim Sum said they were in the process of obtaining the certification.
The issue has sparked a heated debate, especially after Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said that Jakim was considering a proposal to make halal certification a requirement for restaurants that do not serve pork or alcohol.