RASA
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What RASA does
RASA is a fast-casual Indian restaurant chain operating five physical locations across the Washington D.C. metropolitan area (Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia), serving individual consumers seeking accessible, modernized Indian cuisine in formats including plates, bowls, salads, and burritos built around menu items like chicken tikka, tikka masala, and vegan sauces, complemented by craft cocktails and housemade soft serve. The company is co-founded by Rahul Vinod and Sahil Rahman, childhood friends whose fathers were restaurant industry partners, providing generational operational expertise in Indian food and hospitality. The brand emphasizes an "ancient roots, modern flavors" positioning to make Indian cuisine approachable for mainstream fast-casual diners.
The business operates a multi-channel revenue model: in-store dine-in and takeout at the five retail locations; online ordering through its own website (order.rasa.co); corporate and event catering booked through Toasttab; a community fundraising program (donating 25% of proceeds to chosen causes); and a mobile-app-based loyalty program (RASA Rewards) that issues $5 in signup cash to drive repeat visits. Distribution is supplemented by an active Instagram presence and an email newsletter as primary marketing channels. Technology stack is not publicly disclosed, and the company uses standard restaurant SaaS platforms (Toasttab for catering) rather than proprietary infrastructure.
RASA is a privately held company founded in 2014. It closed a Series A funding round in March 2022 led by Rellevant Partners (with 4G Capital participating), with proceeds earmarked for geographic expansion, technology upgrades, and team growth targeting Washington D.C., Arlington VA, and broader East Coast markets. In 2024, comedian Hasan Minhaj made an investment making him the company's second-largest stakeholder, coinciding with a partnership to bring the Kolkata Chai masala chai brand into all five RASA locations. Corporate headcount is reported as 1-10, reflecting a lean HQ structure supported by hourly restaurant staff.
RASA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RASA
- Website
- https://rasagrill.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RASA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fast-casual Indian restaurant
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multi-Concept / Global QSR Chains (Mixed Menus) (THAFAAAO)
Keywords
Where RASA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
RASA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Food and Beverage Sales: Revenue from selling prepared Indian food items including plates, bowls, salads, and burritos at 5 physical restaurant locations across the DMV area. Menu features items like chicken tikka, tikka masala, and butter chicken burritos, along with craft cocktails and housemade soft serve.
- Catering Services: Corporate and event catering services for office luncheons, birthday parties, holiday celebrations, and fundraisers. The company donates 25% of fundraiser proceeds to community causes.
- Rewards Program: RASA Rewards program where customers sign up and receive $5 RASA Cash when downloading the app, driving customer retention and repeat purchases.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
RASA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RASA is a fast-casual Indian restaurant chain operating 5 locations across Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. It serves build-your-own plates, bowls, salads, and burritos featuring Indian flavors (chicken tikka, tikka masala, vegan sauces), complemented by craft cocktails and housemade soft serve, plus catering, a mobile-app-based rewards program, and a community fundraiser offering.
Product overview
RASA is a fast-casual Indian restaurant chain operating 5 locations across the DMV area (Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia). The core offering is the restaurant itself, serving Indian cuisine including plates, bowls, salads, and burritos with menu items like chicken tikka, tikka masala, and vegan options. The business complements its restaurant operations with a loyalty program (RASA Rewards), catering services, and a community fundraiser program. The company also partners with external brands like Kolkata Chai to expand its product offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- RASA Restaurant Fast-casual Indian restaurant with 5 locations across DC, Maryland, and Virginia offering flavorful plates, bowls, salads, and burritos featuring chicken tikka, tikka masala, vegan sauces, spiced rice, fresh greens, and warm naan. Customers can dine in, order online for pickup, and enjoy craft cocktails and housemade soft serve.
- RASA Rewards Customer loyalty program accessible through a mobile app, offering $5 in RASA Cash to new sign-ups and ongoing rewards for repeat customers to drive retention and engagement.
- RASA Catering Group catering service for office luncheons, birthday parties, holiday celebrations, and other events, allowing customers to order RASA food for groups through the Toasttab platform.
- RASA Fundraisers Community fundraising program where RASA donates 25% of proceeds to a customer-selected cause, enabling schools, teams, and organizations to raise funds by hosting dining events at RASA.
Companies that use RASA
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
RASA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
RASA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Kolkata ChaiminorKolkata Chai, a masala chai brand, expanded from New York to the DMV area through RASA's 5 restaurant locations. The partnership was supported by an investment that made comedian Hasan Minhaj the second largest stakeholder in RASA.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
RASA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CAVA Group: Public fast-casual build-your-own concept with bowls and Mediterranean flavors; mirrors RASA's build-your-own format, modernized ethnic-cuisine positioning, and multi-location urban/suburban rollout strategy, making it the most directly comparable peer at scale.
- Roti Modern Mediterranean: Fast-casual Mediterranean chain serving build-your-own plates, bowls, and salads; very similar operating model and price point to RASA, just in a different ethnic-cuisine vertical.
- DIG: Fast-casual build-your-own bowls and salads concept in Northeast U.S. cities; closely mirrors RASA's urban, customizable-ethnic-cuisine positioning and footprint strategy.
Broad incumbents
- Sweetgreen: Public fast-casual chain built around customizable bowls and salads in dense urban markets; comparable to RASA in menu format, urban-location strategy, and technology-forward loyalty/app engagement.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill: Largest U.S. fast-casual build-your-own chain; overlaps RASA on customizable bowls/burritos and QSR-with-quality positioning, and is a credible threat as it expands internationally-inspired menu items.
Regional players
- Biryani Blues: Indian fast-casual chain primarily operating in India with a growing delivery-led model; comparable as an Indian QSR concept scaling through urban clusters, useful as a category-level benchmark for Indian fast-casual economics.
- Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B): Long-standing Indian vegetarian QSR/sweets chain with multi-location urban presence; comparable to RASA on Indian-cuisine brand-building and multi-store operations, primarily in India.
- Paradise Biryani: Large India-based biryani/Indian QSR chain; relevant as a regional Indian fast-casual peer with multi-city presence, illustrating both the upside and challenges of scaling Indian QSR concepts.
Emerging players
- Inday: NYC-based fast-casual Indian restaurant focused on bowls and modernized Indian flavors; the closest U.S. Indian fast-casual comparable to RASA's concept, though smaller and single-market.
- Tandoor & Tikka: U.S.-based emerging Indian casual-dining concept offering plates and tikka-focused items; comparable as a smaller Indian cuisine operator testing modernized formats in select markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RASA social profiles
Digital presenceRASA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RASA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
RASA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RASA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RASA
What does RASA do?
RASA is a fast-casual Indian restaurant chain operating 5 locations across Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. It serves build-your-own plates, bowls, salads, and burritos featuring Indian flavors (chicken tikka, tikka masala, vegan sauces), complemented by craft cocktails and housemade soft serve, plus catering, a mobile-app-based rewards program, and a community fundraiser offering.
Is RASA a public or private company?
RASA is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was RASA founded?
RASA was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is RASA based?
RASA is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does RASA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services and rewards Program.
Who are RASA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CAVA Group, Roti Modern Mediterranean and DIG. Broad incumbents are Sweetgreen and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Regional players are Biryani Blues, Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B) and Paradise Biryani. Emerging players are Inday and Tandoor & Tikka.
Does RASA have an API?
No public API is recorded for RASA.
What industry is RASA in?
RASA's product category is Fast-casual Indian restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAAAO, Multi-Concept / Global QSR Chains (Mixed Menus). Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 5812.