Birmingham, Feb. 12 : A Domino's Pizza outlet in the Hall Green area of Birmingham has become the first restaurant in the country to take pork off the menu and offer only halal food. The move intends to appeal to the area's Muslim customers.

Halal items on the menu include halal spicy beef sausage, roast and tandoori chicken, halal pepperoni and halal cured turkey - all produced and stored within the Halal Food Authorities guidelines, the Telegraph reports.

The store wasn't doing very well earlier, but within four weeks of taking pork off the menu the business has picked.

A spokesman for Dominos, who recently announced their profits were up 33 per cent, said, "In that particular area of Birmingham there are a large number of Muslims so there is naturally more of a demand for halal based products."

Masood Khawaja, President of the Halal Food Authority, said, "It's good news for Muslims, with changing pallets, who want a bit of variety in their diet. This is only the beginning and we are delighted that Domino's has participating in this trend."

But the move has not gone down well with the regular customers, who are being told by the takeaway that if they want ham or pork on their pizza they will have to go elsewhere.

"It's a disgrace, I can appreciate them having it as an option but to have it completely halal is just not on. I'm all for racial and religious tolerance but if anything this is intolerant to my beliefs and discriminatory against me," Chris Yates, a `Meteor' pizza lover said.

Peter Merholz, 38, from Hall Green, added, "This is a global pizza chain that is isolating western values and choice. It's alienating people and that's just not on.

But the Dominos branch of Hall Green area is just too happy with their successful business strategy to listen.

"We appreciate we cannot please everybody but there are alternatives, such as turkey ham, and we have thought long and hard about this decision and we are sure it is the right one," the Dominos spokesman said.

Meat is considered to be Halal only if it must meet certain conditions. They include that the animal should be killed by having its throat cut by a Muslim and any flowing blood of the carcass should be completely drained. (ANI)