Bay Area-based iniBurger \u2014 a fast-casual chain with a halal menu \u2014 will open its sixth restaurant in San Jose in late August, with a grand opening scheduled for early September.<\/p>\n
Founders Abdul and Leeza Popal announced that the restaurant is joining the Eastridge Center food court, where it will be the only purveyor selling hamburgers. Those and the chicken sandwiches, wings and strips are all 100% halal-certified.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is about dignity and flavor,\u201d Leeza Popal said in a statement about the company\u2019s mission. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have to give up quality, creativity or ambiance just because you keep halal. iniBurger is here to raise the bar.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word \u201cini\u201d means \u201cthis\u201d in Farsi, Indonesian and Malay, the Popals say on the website, and that has informed their menu and marketing campaign. They use B\u2019igi to describe the full-size burgers and M\u2019ini for the smaller ones.<\/p>\n
The chain also differentiates itself by offering both classic burgers and smash burgers \u2014 not just one or the other. Burgers are made with USDA Choice Angus beef, and the chicken is cage-free, all-natural and hormone- and antibiotic-free.<\/p>\n
As for customer favorites, the Popals say there are two bestsellers, one of each burger style: the Americano and the Smash Burger<\/p>\n
Rounding out the menu are meal-size salads, crinkle-cut fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, macaroni and cheese bites, and milkshakes. The dozen sauce options are made in-house.<\/p>\n
The Popals, husband-and-wife tech industry veterans who both moved to the United States from Afghanistan when they were children, launched the concept in 2020 in Pleasanton. The duo followed that up right away with a Fremont restaurant that year, then a Santa Clara one in 2023, Campbell in 2024 and Berkeley in 2025.<\/p>\n
The Pleasanton restaurant is corporate-owned; the others are franchises.<\/p>\n
Next up? That will be Hayward, with a site to be announced soon, Abdul Popal said.<\/p>\n
San Jose customers who want to stay in the loop about preopening perks and receive a BOGO voucher for opening day can sign up now at iniburger.com\/san-jose<\/a> to receive alerts. Two winners of the restaurant\u2019s Golden Ticket promotion will receive free food for a year.<\/p>\n