First halal only Domino's opens

Pizza chain Domino's has introduced its first halal-only menu in Birmingham.

But the move has been criticised by some customers of the Hall Green branch who can no longer have their favourite ham, pepperoni or bacon toppings.

The Stratford Road takeaway has become the first branch of the nationwide chain to become 100 per cent halal, to cater for the large Muslim community in the area.

The move has attracted controversy from some non-Muslim pizza lovers, who claim they are being discriminated against by being sent elsewhere if they want pork-based toppings such as pepperoni, or a Hawaiian with ham and pineapple.

Store bosses insist they are catering for everyone with the move, with items on the menu including halal spicy beef sausage, roast and tandoori chicken, halal pepperoni and halal cured turkey.

Non-Muslim customers would have to travel more than two miles to find an alternative Domino's branch serving pork-based toppings.

Disgruntled punter Chris Yates, 29, a hospital worker living in Moseley, was left disappointed when he tried to order a 'Meteor pizza, topped with pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, ground beef and smoky bacon.

He said: "It's a disgrace. I can appreciate them having it as an option, but to have it completely halal is just not on. I'm all for racial and religious tolerance, but if anything this is intolerant to my beliefs and discriminatory against me.

"Hall Green is a mixed race area and should therefore cater to its multi-cultural make-up."

Peter Merholz, aged 38, from Hall Green, insisted he would now be going elsewhere after buying pizza from his local branch for years.

He said: "This is a global pizza chain that is isolating western values and choice. Its alienating people and that's just not on."

Abdul Mumtaz, boss of the Hall Green branch of Domino's, believes serving 100 per cent halal products meant they were in a better position to serve the needs of local residents.

He said: "Domino's is a national brand with a strong sense of the local communities in which it operates. The halal store has been launched following huge demand from the people of Hall Green, where a high proportion of customers are followers of the Islamic faith."

The store has seen profits up by a third since introducing the new menu last month, which was put together with help from the Halal Food Authority.

Masood Khawaja, president of the Halal Food Authority said: "For those who aren't happy about this move by Domino's, I would say to them that the only change to the menu is pork and all the other meat tastes the same.

"Choice should be given, but it's important to notice that nothing has really been changed apart from the pork."