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Meet Moiz Habib of Chai Shai by Al-Habib in SugarLand

Today we’d like to introduce you to Moiz Habib.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Moiz. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My wife & I are veterans of the restaurant industry with more than 24 years of experience. We started humbly with a small Deli on Geary St in San Francisco then transitioned to a Pizza place on Market St in San Francisco then a Tex Mex Restaurant on North St in Nacogdoches & Finally Chai Shai. All of our endeavors were successful and provided many learning experiences and opportunities as we moved from one city to the next. The story of Chai Shai began when we first called Sugar Land Home ten years ago. With my culinary degree, and passion for cooking, My wife & I decided that our love of socializing would allow us to be great restaurant owners. Our drive came from hosting large gatherings of friends an family, providing delicious home cooked meals and ultimately a great experience as whole.

Previously, our role in the industry was to manage and oversee logistics, however, Chai Shai is a different & unique adventure as we have chosen to create our scratch made menu along with a custom ambiance designed by my wife and her love for sufi culture. From our nontraditional menu items to our inviting decor, it’s easy to see why we have developed a deep fan base in Houston and its surrounding areas. Our Fusion of different cultures, foods, and ideas is a great match to the diverse community that we call home. A fun fact of how the name Chai Shai by Al Habib came to be, my wife loved the name chai shai, and my friends used to call me Al-Habib. We put the two together and the rest is history 😉

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
A big challenge for us as well as many other restauranteurs is finding and developing a good team. We tackle this by developing a great peer lead training system and continuously recruiting great talent.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chai Shai by Al-Habib story. Tell us more about the business.
We specialize in traditional Pakistani and Indian home cooked meals such as chicken tikka and butter chicken as well as Pakistani American fusion street food like our famous hunter beef burger and club sandwich. We are also well known for our snack items like Samosa Chaat and our signature Kashmiri Chai. Chai Shai stands out from its competitors by providing bold and delicious flavors consistently while providing a rich cultural ambiance that stays with you long after your visit.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We have been lucky to build a successful business at the locations were once bad luck to others. Both the locations had hard time to succeed for others but we have been blessed due to our unique ideas & best of lucks.

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Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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