Restaurant News:
The Fast Growing Indian Fast Casual Secures First of 20 Units Planned for Utah & Colorado
Salt Lake City, UT (RestaurantNews.com) Curry Up Now, the nation’s largest and fastest growing Indian fast casual chain, has secured its first restaurant location in Salt Lake City, Utah at The Shops at Fort Union. This marks the first of 20 units planned for Utah and Colorado, as part of a franchise deal that was solidified last year with John Netto and the Netto Family Trust. The Fort Union restaurant is slated to open in the Fall, followed by another Salt Lake City location later in the year.
“We are excited to introduce Curry Up Now to our community and are confident that our guests will be delighted with the amazing flavors and format the menu has to offer. We are grateful for the opportunity to bring this concept to the Salt Lake Valley and share its unique dishes with our hometown,” said Netto. “We firmly believe that the people in Salt Lake City will take an instant liking to Curry Up Now’s favorites like the Hella Vegan or Tikka Masala Burrito, Naughty Naan, Sexy Fries, and Indian street snacks and street food items.”
In addition to the Fort Union location, the franchisees are currently scouting real estate options in downtown Salt Lake City, the greater Provo area, and aim to have Curry Up Now locations throughout the entire state of Utah in the coming years. The Nettos are also looking to open locations in Colorado next year.
“We have an aggressive expansion planned for Utah and Colorado, and we’re thrilled to have our first address secured in the region,” said Akash Kapoor, Founder & CEO of Curry Up Now. “The Shops at Fort Union are a great first location for our brand being that it’s a regional power center going through a major revamp. We’re excited to be one of many cool concepts opening there!”
Curry Up Now began as a food truck, founded in 2009 by husband and wife duo, Akash and Rana Kapoor, and ably supported by co-founder and Senior VP of Operations, Amir Hosseini. The innovative concept quickly gained steam, resulting in multiple, rapid restaurant openings around the San Francisco Bay Area in the years following the brand’s conception. Today, Curry Up Now operates three food trucks and six corporate brick-and-mortar locations, two of which also house the brand’s craft cocktail bar, Mortar & Pestle. From the start, Curry Up Now has been known for taking traditional Indian flavors and presenting them in friendly, recognizable formats.
Fan-favorite menu items include their iconic tikka masala burritos, quesadillas dubbed ‘Quesadillix,’ Deconstructed Samosa, Sexy Fries, and Naughty Naan, as well as a Street Snacks menu and traditional Indian Street Food menu. Ingredients are clean and sourced from local vendors whenever possible, and the menu is designed to support alternative diets in an effort to accommodate all guests no matter their dietary preferences.
Experts in the hospitality industry project that Indian food will continue to be the fastest growing ethnic food segment in the U.S., making room for Curry Up Now to solidify its position as a front runner in the segment. Within the last year, Curry Up Now has been recognized by the restaurant industry’s top publications for its innovative approach to Indian cuisine and huge potential for growth. The concept was featured in QSR’s 40 Under 40, Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2018 Breakout Brands, listed as #38 in Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers, and named a Hot Food & Beverage Chain by the International Council of Shopping Centers.
In 2018, Curry Up Now solidified multi-unit franchise deals in nearly every major region in the country, including the West Coast, Northeast, South, and the Mountain States. The brand currently has 41 franchised and corporate stores sold and in varying stages of development across the country, including locations in Atlanta, GA; San Ramon, CA; Sacramento, CA; Irvine, CA; and New Jersey, which are expected to open throughout 2019. The brand has pending franchise deals in 13 additional states, and aims to have another 100 units sold by year’s end, with an additional 200 units sold in 2020. For more information on the growing Indian fast casual, follow @CurryUpNow on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter or visit www.curryupnow.com.
Curry Up Now is partnered with Fransmart, the industry-leading franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers and Fries, The Halal Guys, and Qdoba Mexican Grill, as their exclusive franchise development partner to grow the brand. The concept is currently looking for experienced multi-unit foodservice operators to develop franchise territories in top 40 major media markets across the U.S. To learn more about franchising opportunities with Curry Up Now, visit http://go.fransmart.com/CurryUpNowApply.
About Curry Up Now
Curry Up Now was established in 2009 by Akash Kapoor and his wife Rana, and ably supported by co-founder and now Senior VP of Operations, Amir Hosseini. The concept, which is known for its innovative spin on traditional Indian cuisine, has been recognized in publications such as Zagat: ‘5 Hottest Fast-Casual Chains,’ EATER SF: ‘SF’s Best Indian Restaurants,’ 7×7: ‘100 Things To Eat Before You Die,’ QSR: ‘40 Under 40,’ Fast Casual: ‘Top 100’ Movers & Shakers, Nation’s Restaurant News: ‘2018 Breakout Brand,’ and International Council of Shopping Centers: ‘Hot Food & Beverage Chain.’ Curry Up Now currently operates six brick-and-mortars and three food trucks in California’s Bay Area, and has both corporate and franchised units in development across California, New Jersey, Colorado, Utah, and Atlanta, GA. For more information about Curry Up Now, visit www.curryupnow.com.
About Fransmart
Fransmart is the global leader in franchise development, turning emerging restaurant concepts into national and global brands for over 10 years. Company founder Dan Rowe identified and grew brands like Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Qdoba Mexican Grill from 1-5 unit businesses to the powerhouse chains they are today. Fransmart’s current and past franchise development portfolio brands have opened more than 3,000 restaurants in 45 states and 35 countries. Fransmart and their partner brands are committed to franchise development growth—as of 2015, over 1,000 new restaurants are in development across their current portfolio.