Burger Concept Expanding to Wesley Chapel From Orlando

WESLEY CHAPEL, FL — Beef N Buns is preparing to open its second restaurant at 1211 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544, targeting an opening around December 31. Co-owner Muhammad Baker told Business Debut the team is awaiting final clearance from its general contractor.

This marks the brand’s first expansion beyond its Orlando flagship, with a third location planned for Plantation in March 2026.

What to Expect

Beef N Buns operates a fast-casual format, offering 72 seats inside its Wesley Chapel space. Guests can expect smash burgers, fresh-battered chicken sandwiches, wings, fries, and desserts. Every menu item is halal.

Baker said the concept was built to fill a gap in the market. “There was a need for halal food to taste like American food,” he told Business Debut. “Halal just means the animal is slaughtered in a humane way, and all the blood is drained. That calls for a better beef.”

Menu and Vision

The menu centers on fresh, never frozen halal beef and chicken, house-made sauces, and globally influenced burgers developed by co-owner and chef Fares Fiala. Popular items include the BB Smash; the Fun Guy Smash with portobello mushrooms; the Karachi Fire with a cashew fire sauce; the Rico Burger with fried plantains; and a birria-style smash burger finished with house-made consommé.

Baker said customers often learn what halal really means when they visit. “Halal just means the animal is slaughtered in a humane way and all the blood is drained out,” he told Business Debut. “When that happens, it calls for a better beef. That’s all it is; it’s a better quality of beef, and you can taste it.”

Freshness is the foundation of the menu, from the beef and chicken to the sauces and sides. “We compete, if not do better, than the main restaurant chains,” Baker said. He added that the team hand-grates real Parmesan over its truffle fries and prepares a proprietary truffle aioli in-house. Chicken sandwiches follow the same standards. “The chicken tastes really fresh,” Baker said. “People tell me they even enjoy the sandwich the next day.”

Baker and Fiala co-own the business with Riad Elkhatib and Aziz Baker, whom Baker credited with helping refine the menu and maintain consistency. He said Aziz tests new items extensively before they are considered for the menu.

Ownership Team

Beef N Buns is co-owned by Muhammad Baker, his cousin and chef Fares Fiala, partner Riad Elkhatib, and Baker’s brother, Aziz Baker.

Baker said Fiala has been focused on cooking since childhood and originally planned to go to France to pursue his dream. “He always had a dream to open a Michelin star restaurant,” Baker told Business Debut.

Riad Elkhatib is a co-owner in the business, while Baker credited his brother Aziz with helping refine both operations and the menu after joining about six months into the first location. “Anytime we needed to add an item on the menu, he’ll sit and try it two, three hundred times before we add anything new on the menu because he’s a perfectionist,” Baker told Business Debut. “He helped us propel the business to what it is today.”

Opening Timeline

The Wesley Chapel location is targeting a late December opening. A third location at 7821 West Sunrise Blvd in Plantation is targeting March.

Baker said he hopes the new locations will introduce more guests to halal food. “Come try halal, see what halal is, and I promise you that a halal burger from Beef N Buns will taste the same, if not better, than a traditional classic American beef burger,” he told Business Debut.

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