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Sign up with GoogleIndian take-away chain in Joburg
- Thread starter Velenoso
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Mars
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Where are they? I would love to give them a go.
Proper authentic Indian food generally does not go down as a take away food in my opinion.
The indian food that does do well as take-aways are durban style curries and bunny chows and that kind of thing.
There are tons of these places, and i would say a hard market to break into.
The indian food that does do well as take-aways are durban style curries and bunny chows and that kind of thing.
There are tons of these places, and i would say a hard market to break into.
in Boksburg, on North rand road, you know where the news cafe is? next to that.
Mier
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Always made sure I had some for breakfast while in Kampala. Delicious ! Never seen it here though.
Mars
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I know where that is. Never noticed the Indian restaurant there before.. Going to give it a go.
So what's the name of your Indian restaurant. Would sure love to give it a try.
I'm not from Cape Town but last time I discovered this place: http://foodinnindia.co.za. For me that was the best Indian food I ever had!
^^vampire^^
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Banjaara? Good quality tasty food 
BTW what happenned with this? Did you open your restaurant?
This is my opinion:
Indian food is associated with hot food, curries, bunny chows, that type of thing. And that isnt something that people generally want to eat everyday. There is a big difference between traditional indian (india style) food and South African indian food. I like the latter. I like the flavours and spices, but dont like the hotness that much.
Its like South African indian food has evolved, and has been inspired by other cultures. Like samoosas, you get cheese samoosas, potato samoosas, prawn samoosas. Whereas traditionally samoosas are chicken or beef samoosas. Like at an indian take away, you get masala chips. This is basically slap chips with chilli powder on it. Now in india, they dont even know what slap chips is.
I like this type of food and I think there is a market for this type of restaurant. A modern take on indian food.
I think if you get a cook, get a cook thats interested in indian food but has went to a modern South African cooking school, so that they will be able to prepare traditional indian food with a twist. You dont have to then brand yourself as an indian restaurant per se, but rather as any other unique restaurant. So patrons will eat at your place and think wow that was lekker.
They will eat a naan bread with say a curried lemon, herb and mushroom fillet steak ( the curried part from indian culture, but the flavour say from the portuguese or greeks) and they wont actually know they ate a traditional indian bread with it. They will just know this place is unique and the food is great. That type of thing.
The other thing is this. Indians in South Africa are broadly either muslim, hindu, or christian. Muslims only eat halal and dont consume alcohol. Some hindus dont eat beef, some are vegetarian. Some indians are more liberal and dont really care about this, and eat whatever. So whats your target market? Are you targeting these groups or going generally for anybody who wants indian food? Because like I said, in my opinion, generally non-indian people dont want a curry or bunny chow everyday.
Like when I speak to non-indian people about an indian food, they associate it with hot food, and say "my hol kan nie elke dag so brand vat nie/ my hole cant take that type of burning evryday". Their systems just cant handle it.
So consider that when deciding. If you wana go for the indian market or go it as a traditional indian restaurant, your foods gotta be authentic indian food, so you will get spices and stuff from old-school spice guys and not use the supermarket variants, if a guy eats there he is eating food that he may as well be eating in india.
All this being said their are some great indian restaurants and they are successful. Some go for the indian look, and some for the more eclectic look.
I ate recently at a take away in Midrand, Kara Nichas. Its a vegetarian joint. They have traditional indian vegetarian food, but also have stuff like a normal toasted cheese. I had the toasted cheese, and a fried spinach type of snack (not hot, but lekker lemoney flavour). The curries are like soya stuff which isnt my scene really. That place was teaming with indians.
All this food talk has made me hungry. I think I should go scratch in the fridge now.
PEACE.
This is my opinion:
Indian food is associated with hot food, curries, bunny chows, that type of thing. And that isnt something that people generally want to eat everyday. There is a big difference between traditional indian (india style) food and South African indian food. I like the latter. I like the flavours and spices, but dont like the hotness that much.
Its like South African indian food has evolved, and has been inspired by other cultures. Like samoosas, you get cheese samoosas, potato samoosas, prawn samoosas. Whereas traditionally samoosas are chicken or beef samoosas. Like at an indian take away, you get masala chips. This is basically slap chips with chilli powder on it. Now in india, they dont even know what slap chips is.
I like this type of food and I think there is a market for this type of restaurant. A modern take on indian food.
I think if you get a cook, get a cook thats interested in indian food but has went to a modern South African cooking school, so that they will be able to prepare traditional indian food with a twist. You dont have to then brand yourself as an indian restaurant per se, but rather as any other unique restaurant. So patrons will eat at your place and think wow that was lekker.
They will eat a naan bread with say a curried lemon, herb and mushroom fillet steak ( the curried part from indian culture, but the flavour say from the portuguese or greeks) and they wont actually know they ate a traditional indian bread with it. They will just know this place is unique and the food is great. That type of thing.
The other thing is this. Indians in South Africa are broadly either muslim, hindu, or christian. Muslims only eat halal and dont consume alcohol. Some hindus dont eat beef, some are vegetarian. Some indians are more liberal and dont really care about this, and eat whatever. So whats your target market? Are you targeting these groups or going generally for anybody who wants indian food? Because like I said, in my opinion, generally non-indian people dont want a curry or bunny chow everyday.
Like when I speak to non-indian people about an indian food, they associate it with hot food, and say "my hol kan nie elke dag so brand vat nie/ my hole cant take that type of burning evryday". Their systems just cant handle it.
So consider that when deciding. If you wana go for the indian market or go it as a traditional indian restaurant, your foods gotta be authentic indian food, so you will get spices and stuff from old-school spice guys and not use the supermarket variants, if a guy eats there he is eating food that he may as well be eating in india.
All this being said their are some great indian restaurants and they are successful. Some go for the indian look, and some for the more eclectic look.
I ate recently at a take away in Midrand, Kara Nichas. Its a vegetarian joint. They have traditional indian vegetarian food, but also have stuff like a normal toasted cheese. I had the toasted cheese, and a fried spinach type of snack (not hot, but lekker lemoney flavour). The curries are like soya stuff which isnt my scene really. That place was teaming with indians.
All this food talk has made me hungry. I think I should go scratch in the fridge now.
PEACE.
The problem with Indian restaurants and fast foods is that they are either expensive or ghastly in the taste department but then this is the nature of the food I guess.
Basically there are two markets, low cost which there is only one provider I can think of. Good cost and great meal/avg.. For this there are none except in perhaps Durban. If you look through Cape Town you see that Indian restaurants charge an arm and a leg for tiny portions most of the time, Johannesburg portions are ok but costs a bit more and Durban portions decent with costs close to standard costs u find at other types of restaurants.
I'd say do some research and cost analysis before doing it.. Otherwise you will just be another costly or not so good tasting place which people try once and then avoid
Basically there are two markets, low cost which there is only one provider I can think of. Good cost and great meal/avg.. For this there are none except in perhaps Durban. If you look through Cape Town you see that Indian restaurants charge an arm and a leg for tiny portions most of the time, Johannesburg portions are ok but costs a bit more and Durban portions decent with costs close to standard costs u find at other types of restaurants.
I'd say do some research and cost analysis before doing it.. Otherwise you will just be another costly or not so good tasting place which people try once and then avoid
Yip Kara Nichas has got to be the best low cost vegetarian Indian food place I've seen in SA. Was actually thinking it's an ideal one to make into a chain and take to Cape Town marketing targeting low end of market and with students(it's filling and warm.. Think winter sales haha).
So maybe a Bellville, uwc, rondebosch/UCT location would be good
One thing they need to improve is the oil usage of dishes, sort that and you have a viable health(veggie) place for all types(no meat).