Royal Chicken halal drive-thru opens in Piscataway after mural dispute

Royal Chicken & Biscuit opened its first drive-through location in Piscataway on July 29, according to NJ.com. Owner Waris Ahmadi said the Piscataway location is the first drive-through restaurant serving halal food in Central Jersey.

The opening came after a month-long delay caused by a dispute with township officials over a mural painted on the restaurant's exterior. According to News 12 New Jersey, Piscataway Township notified Ahmadi in late May that the murals violated a township zoning ordinance. The mural featured the Royal Chicken logo and chicken-themed artwork. Ahmadi told News 12 he invested thousands of dollars in the murals to help the new location stand out, and NJ.com reported he spent more than $30,000 on the elaborate artwork, which took three months to complete.

According to News 12, the zoning violation also delayed the restaurant's certificate of occupancy, preventing it from opening on schedule. Rather than challenge the decision, Ahmadi painted over the murals to gain approval from the township. "I didn't want to argue with the township," he told News 12. "I just said, 'If you want it yellow, I'm gonna paint it yellow' just to get open, and essentially it's sad."

In a statement to News 12, Piscataway Township said it "certainly welcomes new small businesses like Royal Chicken" and that while the zoning application was approved for a front sign, "it had no mention of its planned mural featuring its company logo which is in violation" of a township ordinance.