Oshawa, the largest city in Durham Region, has a diverse and growing Muslim population that includes both long-time residents and a steady stream of students at Ontario Tech University and Durham College, many of whom actively look for halal dining options near campus. Simcoe Street, Oshawa's main north-south artery, and King Street through the downtown core host a mix of halal restaurants ranging from quick shawarma and biryani counters near the university to longer-established family restaurants further from campus.

Oshawa's halal food scene reflects the city's broader identity as an industrial and university town in transition — a working-class food culture layered with newer options driven by a growing and increasingly diverse student population. That combination means demand comes from two different directions: students looking for affordable, fast halal meals, and families looking for the same sit-down, community-oriented restaurants found in other Durham Region cities like Ajax and Whitby.

Watermelon Points is well suited to a city with that kind of split customer base. Students earning points at a quick halal spot near campus can redeem them at a full-service family restaurant elsewhere in Oshawa, and vice versa, building one shared loyalty relationship across very different dining occasions. For Oshawa's halal-certified restaurants, becoming a founding partner means no monthly fee, a Square point-of-sale integration that connects in minutes, and a strong early position as Watermelon Points grows its presence across Durham Region and the rest of the GTA. With a large student population cycling through every few years, an Oshawa restaurant that builds real loyalty early has a chance to become a fixture that new students hear about from day one on campus, rather than something they stumble onto by accident — and a shared points balance travels with a student even after they graduate and move elsewhere in the GTA.