Tava Indian Kitchen

Tava Indian Kitchen emerged in 2011 from the vision of three Duke University friends—Hasnain Zaidi, Jason Pate, and Vijay Brihmadesam—who left careers in finance and consulting to modernize South Asian cuisine within a fast-casual format. Their journey began with a shared passion for the vibrant flavors of their heritage and a desire to make them more accessible, which even led them to work at Chipotle to understand its successful operational model firsthand. The enterprise targeted the San Francisco Bay Area, launching its first restaurant in Palo Alto with a made-to-order menu that featured high-quality ingredients like all-natural chicken and grass-fed lamb.

The business operated on a customizable, assembly-line model, allowing customers to create their own meals in the form of a roti wrap (dubbed the "Burroti"), rice bowl, or salad bowl for under $10. This approach earned it the nickname "the Indian Chipotle." Over the years, the company secured significant funding, including a $4.5 million Series A1 round in June 2015, to fuel expansion and bring talent like former Smashburger CEO Dave Prokupek to its board. A key milestone was being named a 2016 Breakout Brand by Nation’s Restaurant News. In an effort to broaden its appeal, the company later rebranded from "Tava Indian Kitchen" to simply "Tava Kitchen," introducing a more globally influenced menu with new entrees and sides while retaining its South Asian roots.

In May 2017, Tava Kitchen was strategically acquired by Curry Up Now, another prominent Bay Area Indian fast-casual chain. The acquisition was part of Curry Up Now's strategy to scale its operations and standardize processes, leveraging Tava's established system for delivering quality food in a quick-service format. While most Tava Kitchen locations were closed following the deal, its Alameda restaurant was rebranded and converted into a Curry Up Now outlet, serving as an innovation lab and training center for the expanding brand.

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