A View From The Top

3 ways Curry Up Now is cooking up change in fast casual industry

Akash Kapoor, founder of Curry Up Now, discusses how he's disrupting the industry.

Provided

August 11, 2023

Being the fastest-growing Indian fast casual franchise in the country is no small feat. With a coast-to-coast footprint, innovative menu items and flexible dining options such as university kiosks and a new Mortar and Pestle bar concept, Curry Up Now is constantly upping our game of key selling points that drive our success. I'm here to give some of our secret ingredients to other restaurateurs and franchisees looking to cook up change in the fast casual space this year.

1. The power of multiple revenue streams
While dine-in is still and should be the way forward for maximizing revenue, the pandemic has taught most that there must be other revenue streams and channels. Brands have created and continue to do a great job with off-premise sales. The challenge with that is we aren't face-to-face with guests, which makes it more difficult to connect. You're relying on the fact that your food, packaging and branding are on point and the delivery companies are bringing food to the guest while it's still at its optimum temperature, among other things. All of those touch points along the guest experience journey should be carefully assessed and evaluated.

2. Work smarter, not harder, when advancing your systems
Another pandemic-related lesson has been to streamline as much as possible, and then some. Bars have moved towards using olio citrates instead of fresh juices and dry garnishes instead of traditional garnishes that need to be refrigerated. Restaurants have done a great job streamlining prep and menus so the kitchen is as efficient as before but with lower labor requirements. Menu optimization is key — smaller menus where everything is top-notch instead of larger menus that may sacrifice quality make more sense now.

Restaurants need to look at lowering capex for new restaurants so there is some downside protection. Second-generation restaurants are great to lower capex. Rents are key, since they only increase over time, and should be no more than 6-8% of sales. With off-premise dining growing by the day, some brands can afford to position themselves just off main to save on occupancy. However, for in-store dining, building great-looking spaces with comfortable and welcoming interiors is key.

3. Develop a top-notch tech stack
Restaurants today must cater to increasingly tech-savvy consumers. Advanced consumer apps have become a necessity, especially at a time when we continue to see an increase in mobile ordering and a strong demand for rewards programs. In addition to apps, you must also think of in-store tech, but don't let it get in the way.

A bad tech experience guarantees the loss of guests. I would invest in the best POS and online ordering system available and then back it up with financial reporting and a guest contact product, at minimum. This is operational tech. There's a lot of fluff and extras but it should never come in the way of what we do best — receive orders and prepare orders to spec.

We've made many mistakes trying and buying every shiny, new restaurant tech product only to see it sit on the shelf. At the end of the day, it is best that we all do for our businesses only what makes our operators' and guests' lives easier.