Curry Up Now signed a deal with a new women-led franchise group to bring multiple Curry Up Now restaurants to Fort Worth, Texas, and the surrounding areas. The new deal is the third multi-unit franchise agreement the brand has secured in Texas in the past year, with other markets including Austin, Dallas and Houston.
The female-owned franchise group Ekam Gourmet Kitchens, LLC, led by Samyuktha Kilaru and Kiran Khajuria, plans to continue growing with the brand after the initial Curry Up Now locations are opened in the greater Fort Worth area. The duo is actively seeking restaurant sites in their territory, planning to open the first restaurant in 2022.
“We were incredibly drawn to the Curry Up Now concept immediately for its welcoming ambience, consistent ‘party in the mouth’ flavors and overall customer experience,”says Kilaru. “Curry Up Now has achieved what was missing in the American fast and fine casual market—it has captured the essence of traditional Indian street food, delivering the authentic and flavorful cuisine straight to American streets with an enhanced guest experience. We are already looking for real estate for our first few restaurants, one of which will include the craft cocktail bar concept that some flagship Curry Up Now’s house called Mortar & Pestle.”
Franchisee partners Kilaru and Khajuria have more than 25 years of experience in logistics, project management and customer service in the corporate sector. Both women have vast knowledge of the business world, including Kilaru’s previous experience in the food business and managing multi-million-dollar IT engagements and Khajuria’s experience in the healthcare industry.
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Samyuktha and Kiran to further expand the Curry Up Now brand throughout the state of Texas,” adds Akash Kapoor, founder, CEO and Chief Troublemaker for Curry Up Now. “Their passion for Curry Up Now’s authentic and playful Indian cuisine coupled with their extensive business knowledge gives us full confidence that their restaurants will be incredibly successful. We’re also looking forward to bringing our unique cuisine to the Fort Worth community as we expand throughout the great state of Texas and continue on our quest to be the biggest & baddest Indian brand.”
Since day one, Curry Up Now has been on a mission to serve Indian flavors and ingredients in a way that is approachable for the everyday American consumer by utilizing formats that are recognizable to the mainstream. Their signature dishes include Burritos, Bowls, Tacos, Poutine they call Sexy Fries, and Naughty Naan, as well as a wide variety of Indian street food snacks and traditional dishes like Thali Platters, Kathi Rolls and family style entrees that create the perfect Indian spread for the whole family. Ingredients are clean and sourced from local vendors whenever possible, and the menu is designed to support vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and Halal diets in an effort to accommodate all guests, no matter their dietary preferences.
Working with industry-leading franchise development company Fransmart, Curry Up Now is seeking experienced, multi-unit foodservice operators to develop additional franchise locations in major markets across the country. Now through September 30, Curry Up Now is offering a limited-time franchise development incentive that allows experienced, multi-unit operators to sign a deal for a minimum of three Curry Up Now franchise restaurants rather than the typical five-unit commitment. In addition, the craft cocktail bar Mortar & Pestle is housed within select Curry Up Now restaurants and is available as a sister brand for franchisees to establish based on local market dynamics.
“Curry Up Now is taking over Texas by expanding into all the hot markets, like Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin and Houston, and is set up to continue rapid growth into additional available territories throughout the state,” says Dan Rowe, CEO and founder of Fransmart. “With its Tex Mex-like spin on authentic Indian food, Curry Up Now is a fail-proof concept in the hands of an experienced business owner. Interested franchisees will want to jump on the limited-time franchise development deal while they still have the chance.”
In the last 18 months alone, Curry Up Now opened seven new locations and signed multiple, multi-unit franchise deals. Curry Up Now plans to open seven additional new locations in 2021 with lease signings confirmed in California, Georgia, Indiana and Texas, and has more than 50 restaurants in varying stages of development.
