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Shahezad Contractor started his halal burger business to address what he saw as a lack of halal burger options.
The founder and CEO of Philadelphia-based Cousin’s Food Inc., recently told CNBC that Cousin’s Burger has grown to eight locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware since launching in 2024.
It generated more than $4 million in revenue last year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC.
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Even with that growth, he said rising costs make it difficult to lower prices. “I’d love to be able to sell a $4 burger, but it’s simply impossible,” Contractor said. “The economics of it doesn’t make sense.”
The Price Tag Behind The Perfect Smashburger
Its top seller is a smashburger made with USDA Prime Black Angus beef, cooked on a flat-top grill and served with cheese, pickles and house sauce on a toasted potato roll. The beef comes from Prime Halal, a Philadelphia-based halal-certified butcher.
A burger typically sells for $7 to $8, depending on location. Contractor told CNBC that food costs are “through the roof,” with rent and labor also among the biggest expenses.
The Untapped Market Big Burger Chains Haven’t Cracked
Few halal fast-casual brands have broken into the U.S. mainstream, leaving room for growth, Contractor said. He pointed to halal meat’s perceived cleanliness, sourcing and overall appeal as reasons it is reaching a broader customer base.
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He credited simple recipes and strong customer service for Cousin’s Burger’s rise. The company also operates Cousin’s Pizza and Cousin’s Smokehouse and Burgers, expanding its halal offerings beyond burgers, CNBC reported.
A Sellout Moment Sparked The Idea
Contractor said he spent 24 years in information technology before moving into the restaurant business.
The shift began in 2023 at a halal food festival, where he chose smashburgers because they were the easiest thing he could make.
He prepared enough food for about 500 people and expected to have some left over. Instead, he sold out by 6 p.m., which convinced him there was strong potential in American-style halal food.
He later partnered with restaurant owner Rizwan Ahmed to convert an existing Philadelphia location into the first Cousin’s Burger in 2024. The city stood out as a natural starting point given its significant Muslim population, according to CNBC.
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Trading Certainty For A Shot At Something Bigger
Leaving tech was a major decision for Contractor, particularly as the sole provider for his wife and two daughters. Concerns about job stability, including the potential impact of artificial intelligence, helped push him toward the leap.
“Building something for yourself, something that can potentially make generational wealth as well, was really appealing to me,” Contractor told CNBC.
Now focused less on daily operations, he spends more of his time on marketing, partnerships and growing Cousin’s Burger to 50 locations, including in Canada.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Contractor said.
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Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market
Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, professional financial guidance, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.
Rad AI
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Connect Invest
Connect Invest is a real estate investment platform that allows investors to access short-term, fixed-income opportunities backed by a diversified portfolio of residential and commercial real estate loans. Through its Short Notes structure, investors can choose defined terms (6, 12, or 24 months) and earn monthly interest payments while gaining exposure to real estate as an asset class. For investors focused on diversification, Connect Invest may serve as one component within a broader portfolio that also includes traditional equities, fixed income, and other alternative assets—helping balance exposure across different risk and return profiles.
Mode Mobile
Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream. For investors, Mode Mobile offers exposure to the expanding mobile advertising and attention economy through a pre-IPO opportunity tied to a new approach to user monetization.
rHealth
rHealth is building a space-tested diagnostics platform designed to bring lab-quality blood testing closer to patients in minutes rather than weeks. Originally validated in collaboration with NASA for use aboard the International Space Station, the technology is now being adapted for at-home and point-of-care settings to address widespread delays in diagnostic access.
Backed by institutions including NASA and the NIH, rHealth is targeting the large global diagnostics market with a multi-test platform and a model built around devices, consumables, and software. With FDA registration in progress, the company is positioning itself as a potential shift toward faster, more decentralized healthcare testing.
Direxion
Direxion specializes in leveraged and inverse ETFs designed to help active traders express short-term market views during periods of volatility and major market events. Rather than long-term investing, these products are built for tactical use—allowing investors to take magnified bullish or bearish positions across indices, sectors, and single stocks. For experienced traders, Direxion offers a way to respond quickly to changing market conditions and act on high-conviction views with greater flexibility.
Immersed
Immersed is a spatial computing company building immersive productivity software that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens inside VR and mixed-reality environments. Its platform is used by remote workers and enterprises to create virtual workspaces that reduce reliance on traditional physical hardware while improving focus and collaboration. The company is also developing its own lightweight VR headset and AI productivity tools, positioning itself in the future-of-work and spatial computing space. Through its pre-IPO offering, Immersed is opening access to early-stage investors looking to diversify beyond traditional assets and gain exposure to emerging technologies shaping how people work.
Arrived
Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.
Masterworks
Masterworks enables investors to diversify into blue-chip art, an alternative asset class with historically low correlation to stocks and bonds. Through fractional ownership of museum-quality works by artists like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso, investors gain access without the high costs or complexities of owning art outright. With hundreds of offerings and strong historical exits on select works, Masterworks adds a scarce, globally traded asset to portfolios seeking long-term diversification.
Finance Advisors
Finance Advisors helps Americans approach retirement with greater clarity by connecting them to vetted, fiduciary financial advisors who specialize in tax-aware retirement planning. Rather than focusing on products or investment performance alone, the platform emphasizes strategies that account for after-tax income, withdrawal sequencing, and long-term tax efficiency—factors that can materially impact retirement outcomes. Free to use, Finance Advisors gives individuals with meaningful savings access to a level of planning sophistication historically reserved for high-net-worth households, helping reduce hidden tax risk and improve long-term financial confidence.
Bam Capital
BAM Capital offers accredited investors a way to diversify beyond public markets through institutional-grade multifamily real estate. With over $1.85 billion in completed transactions and guidance from Senior Economic Advisor Tony Landa, the firm targets income and long-term growth as supply tightens and renter demand remains strong—especially in Midwest markets. Its income-focused and growth-oriented funds provide exposure to real assets designed to be less tied to stock market volatility.
Public
Public is a multi-asset investing platform built for long-term investors who want more control, transparency, and innovation in how they grow wealth. Founded in 2019 as the first broker-dealer to offer commission-free, real-time fractional investing, Public now lets users invest in stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and more—all in one place. Its latest feature, Generated Assets, uses AI to turn a single idea into a fully customized, investable index that can be explained and backtested before committing capital. Combined with AI-powered research tools, clear explanations of market moves, and an uncapped 1% match for transferring an existing portfolio, Public positions itself as a modern platform designed to help serious investors make more informed decisions with context.
AdviserMatch
AdviserMatch is a free online tool that helps individuals connect with financial advisors based on their goals, financial situation, and investment needs. Instead of spending hours researching advisors on your own, the platform asks a few quick questions and matches you with professionals who can assist with areas like retirement planning, investment strategy, and overall financial guidance. Consultations are no-obligation, and services vary by advisor, giving investors a chance to explore whether professional advice could help improve their long-term financial plan.
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