Shah Ghouse Café Explained

Shah Ghouse Café is a popular restaurant in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.^[1] It has branches in Shalibanda, Toli Chowki, Gachibowli, and Kondapur.^[2] It is best known for serving Hyderabadi cuisine and quickly became popular for its Hyderabadi Haleem and Hyderabadi Biryani .^{[3] [4]}

History

The restaurant was founded by Mohammad Rabbani in 1989 along with Mohammad Ghouse Pasha and Mohammad Irfan. Rabbani who previously ran a family-owned mutton shop decided to open a restaurant in the Old City.^[5]

In 2008; Shah Ghouse organised a food eating competition. Fourteen teams, each team comprising two people, participated in the competition where the participants had to feed one another three boxes of Haleem within five minutes. The game included a cash prize of Rs. 3000 and was attended by chief guests; Adnan Sajid and Aziz Naser.^[6]

Controversies

In 2016, a WhatsApp forward spread a rumour alleging that Shah Ghouse served dog meat. This was widely circulated online resulting in a complaint lodged by Mohammed Rabbani with the Cyberabad police.^{[7] [8]} This was later proved to be false after a GHMC inspection collected samples from the restaurant and this led to the arrest of an MBA student for spreading the rumour. Rabbani alleges that several media houses ran the news without fact-verification resulting in loss in customers and a few employees lost their jobs too.^[9]

Notes and References

1. https://web.archive.org/web/20100905072306/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2010/08/30/stories/2010083050250100.htm Churn in the restaurants
2. Web site: OH . Team . 2021-10-08 . Shah Ghouse - Hyderabadi Restaurant Shah Ghouse in Hyderabad . 2023-05-24 . Online Hyderabad . en-US.
3. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-downtown/article614676.ece Ramzan, the true spirit of Hyderabad
4. https://web.archive.org/web/20120924124425/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-03/hyderabad/29732793_1_irani-chai-irani-cafes-tea Irani Chai Hona?
5. Web site: 2016-12-24 . How a malicious WhatsApp rumour nearly destroyed a restaurant chain in Hyderabad . 2023-05-24 . The News Minute . en.
6. https://web.archive.org/web/20080921174720/http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/19/stories/2008091959100200.htm Haleem-eating contest a big draw
7. News: 2016-12-24 . MBA student held over dog meat rumour on WhatsApp . The Times of India . 2023-05-24 . 0971-8257.
8. Web site: 2016-12-25 . MBA Student Held For Spreading 'Dog Meat Biryani' Rumour That Almost Destroyed Hyderabadi Hotel . 2023-05-24 . IndiaTimes . en-IN.
9. Web site: 2017-01-10 . No dog meat in top Hyderabad eatery’s biryani, says report . 2023-05-24 . The Indian Express . en.