Curry Up Now

What Curry Up Now does

Curry Up Now is a private fast-casual restaurant operator founded in 2009 by Akash and Rana Kapoor as a single food truck in Burlingame, California. The company serves an Indo-Californian menu — Indian street food adapted into California fast-casual formats including the signature tikka masala burrito, deconstructed samosa, naughty naan pizza, bowls, kathi rolls, and chaat — with halal-certified meats supplied by default across all proteins (chicken tenders and wings excepted), plus vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free coverage. It now operates approximately 20 units (restaurants, food trucks, and Mortar & Pestle craft cocktail bars) across California, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama, with planned expansion into Tennessee (Summer 2026) and Seattle.

The business generates revenue through six streams: counter-service retail (walk-in and dine-in), proprietary iOS/Android mobile app ordering with a points-based rewards program, catering and live-station events (from $15/person for 15–50+ guests), corporate and consumer gift cards, a national shipping partnership with Goldbelly for packaged menu items, and franchise fees and royalties from franchisee-operated locations developed through Fransmart. Customer segments include individual consumers, corporate/enterprise catering accounts (notably Bay Area tech corridor clients in Palo Alto and San Jose), weddings and South Asian events, and franchise operators. Distribution combines company-owned storefronts, franchised locations, food trucks, third-party delivery platforms, the direct mobile app, and Goldbelly's national e-commerce channel.

Curry Up Now has been featured in Netflix's Ugly Delicious, the Michelin Guide, Fast Casual Top 100, Inc. 5000, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Forbes, and QSR Magazine, and holds a 4.8/5 aggregate customer rating across 4,000+ reviews. The company previously raised capital from Kitchen Fund (October 2017) and Liquid 2 Ventures (June 2019), and acquired Tava Indian Kitchen in May 2017. No institutional-scale growth equity round, public listing, or private equity transaction is disclosed in the available material.

Name

Curry Up Now

Legal name

Curry Up Now

Website

https://curryupnow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Curry Up Now is a private fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 2009, serving Indo-Californian street food — including its signature tikka masala burrito — across approximately 20 halal-certified locations in five states, plus catering, franchising, and national shipping via Goldbelly.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-casual Indian restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthy/Salad/Grain Bowl QSR (THAFAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual (THAFABAK)

Keywords

• Fast-casual Indian restaurant
• Indian street food
• Indo-Californian cuisine
• Halal certified dining
• Event catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Food Service: Counter-service restaurant revenue from walk-in customers ordering at the counter; fast-casual format with counter service rather than table service; customers pay at counter
2. Mobile App Ordering: Direct ordering through proprietary iOS and Android apps; order ahead, skip the line; earn rewards with every order; direct customer relationship with lower fees than third-party delivery platforms
3. Catering & Events: Corporate catering, weddings, office lunches, birthday parties with individual boxed meals or family-style spreads; live food station setups; quoted per-person pricing from $15/person; provides additional revenue stream beyond individual dining
4. Gift Cards: Digital eGift cards delivered by email (instant or scheduled) and physical gift cards available in-store; bulk corporate gifting for team rewards and client gifts; redeemable at all 10+ locations and online; no fees, no expiration
5. National Shipping (Goldbelly): Partnership with Goldbelly for shipping CUN favorites (tikka masala burritos, samosa kits, family packs) nationwide; extends brand reach beyond physical locations
6. Franchise Fees: Franchise expansion model generating franchise fees and ongoing royalties from franchisee-owned locations across multiple states; managed through Fransmart franchise portal

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Curry Up Now is a fast-casual Indian street food restaurant chain operating counter-service locations, food trucks, and Mortar & Pestle craft cocktail bars serving Indo-Californian cuisine such as tikka masala burritos, bowls, naughty naan pizza, kathi rolls, chaat, and thali platters. The company complements dine-in, takeout, and delivery with a corporate and event catering program, a proprietary mobile app for ordering and rewards, gift cards, and national shipping via Goldbelly, with all meat proteins halal-certified by default since 2009.

Product overview

Curry Up Now is a fast-casual Indian street food restaurant chain that operates as a unified brand offering dine-in, takeout, delivery, and catering services. The company was founded in 2009 and has expanded from a single food truck to approximately 20 locations across California, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama. The core product portfolio includes Curry Up Now restaurants serving Indo-Californian cuisine (tikka masala burritos, bowls, naughty naan pizza, kathi rolls, chaat, thali platters), three Mortar & Pestle craft cocktail bars, food truck operations with live-station catering capabilities, and supporting digital products including a rewards mobile app and gift card program. All meat proteins are halal-certified by default, with comprehensive vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free menu coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mortar & Pestle: Craft cocktail bars serving cocktails alongside Curry Up Now Indian street food, including weekend brunch.

Products and services

• Curry Up Now Restaurant Fast-casual counter-service restaurant serving Indo-Californian Indian street food including tikka masala burritos, bowls, naughty naan pizza, kathi rolls, chaat, and thali platters; features halal-certified proteins by default and covers vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets from a single menu for dine-in, takeout, and delivery customers.
• Food Truck Operations Mobile food truck units serving Indian street food at events and street locations, including live-station catering setups for private events. The format anchors the brand's origins and supports event-driven catering bookings.
• Mortar & Pestle Craft Cocktail Bar Craft cocktail bar sub-brand operating alongside Curry Up Now restaurants, featuring Indian-inspired cocktail programs and weekend brunch. Currently three locations, with the Flower Mound location co-located with an in-house bar adjacent to the restaurant.
• Catering and Events Corporate and event catering program offering individual boxed meals, family-style spreads, buffet service, and live cooking stations for 15 to 200+ guests. Covers halal, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free dietary requirements from a single order, with pricing from $15 per person; serves weddings, office lunches, corporate holiday parties, and birthday celebrations.
• Curry Up Now Rewards Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android that enables direct online ordering at all Curry Up Now locations, accumulating 10 reward points per $1 spent, with points redeemable for free meals, exclusive deals, and early access to new menu drops; includes a 300-point birthday month bonus, with points expiring after 12 months.
• Curry Up Now Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards redeemable at all Curry Up Now locations and online orders, with values from $10 to $200, no fees, and no expiration. Digital cards can be sent instantly or scheduled for future delivery, and a corporate bulk gifting option supports team rewards and client gifts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.8/5 rating from 4,000+ customer reviews
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FransmartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranchise development partner managing franchise sales and recruitment for Curry Up Now expansion; website links directly to Fransmart franchise portal for prospective franchisees

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: Sweetgreen is a publicly traded fast-casual leader (NYSE: SG) operating a national build-your-own bowl/salad model; comparable in counter-service fast-casual format, mobile-app-led ordering, and franchise-like unit growth strategy.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Chipotle is the prototypical fast-casual chain with assembly-line counter service and a menu-engineered approach to a non-Western cuisine (Mexican) — directly analogous to Curry Up Now's positioning of Indian cuisine through a fast-casual lens.
• CAVA Group: CAVA is a scaled Mediterranean fast-casual incumbent and publicly traded peer (NYSE: CAVA); comparable in fast-casual format (build-your-own bowls), counter-service model, and digital ordering leadership — sets the benchmark for fast-casual valuations and unit economics.
• Roti Modern Mediterranean: Roti is a fast-casual Mediterranean chain with a similar counter-service, build-your-own-pita/bowl model and catering program — overlapping on occasion (lunch catering, corporate orders) and unit-level operating model even though cuisine differs.

Emerging players

• IndiCrave: IndiCrave is an emerging Indian fast-casual concept offering build-your-own bowls and wraps, with a smaller but overlapping menu and target customer that intersects with Curry Up Now's halal/inclusive Indian positioning.

Direct peers

• Choolaah Indian BBQ: Choolaah is a fast-casual Indian chain operating multiple East Coast US locations with a build-your-own bowl and tandoor-driven menu — a direct competitor for Indian fast-casual occasions in overlapping markets and consumer occasion sets.
• Biryani by Kilo: Biryani by Kilo is an Indian fast-casual concept focused on biryani and Indian entrées for delivery and dine-in, with a comparable menu (rice bowls, Indian proteins) and growing US footprint that competes for the same Indian-craving fast-casual diner.
• Tava Kitchen: Tava Kitchen is an Indian fast-casual concept that was acquired by Curry Up Now in 2017, making it the closest historical direct peer — same category (Indian fast-casual bowls, wraps), similar California roots, and now operating under the Curry Up Now umbrella.

Others

• Fransmart (Franchise Partner): Fransmart is Curry Up Now's franchise development partner and a leading US restaurant franchise broker (also behind Five Guys, Halal Guys); comparable as an ecosystem enabler for capital-light multi-unit expansion rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Paradise Biryani (US): Paradise Biryani is a large Indian restaurant brand originally from India expanding into US markets focused on biryani-led menus; overlaps with Curry Up Now on Indian entrée occasions but is a stronger dine-in/restaurant player than fast-casual.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/curryupnow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curry-up-now
• Instagraminstagram.com/curryupnow
• TikToktiktok.com/@curryupnow
• Xx.com/curryupnow

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Curry Up Now