Just over two years after it opened, the Rangoli Grill is hoping to begin a transformation from Westford fast food staple to the next hot fast casual restaurant franchise.
On Friday, Rangoli Grill co-owners Gulshan and Rashmi Kumar announced that they will be offering franchising opportunities for the business, which mixes Indian food with wraps and bowls in an “assembly counter” format comparable to Subway or Chipotle.
For Gulshan Kumar, the dream from the start was to build his current store into a template that could be duplicated for other potential restaurant owners.
“When we first talked about it, this was the vision,” he said. “We needed to be comfortable that everything was nailed down, all the ducks needed to be in a row.”
As he was doing market research, Gulshan was unable to find any other restaurants that combined Indian food with fast food in the same format. Franchise Development Group General Manager Andy Klie believes that uniqueness will be an asset as franchising efforts move forward.
“This is a unique concept that should attract both investors and operators who may not have a culinary background but would like to become involved in the growing Indian restaurant segment,” said Klie, whose company is guiding Rangoli Grill through the franchising process. “Gulshan and Rashmi have worked diligently to develop their brand and created a turnkey system that will teach potential franchisees how to run a high quality, consumer-driven food establishment.”
Initial franchising efforts will be focused on the Northeast United States due to logistical concerns, Gulshan indicated other locations may be considered depending on extenuating factors that could impact the long term success of franchises such as population density and area demographics.
And while he indicated that future growth of his restaurant chain may spread to Canada, or even back to his native India, the Westford location will remain the only Rangoli Grill within a five-mile radius of Westford.
Additionally, as the flagship store, it will also serve as a testing ground where new menu items could potentially be spread to other new locations.
The current Rangoli Grill location is located at Cornerstone Square between Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Sweet Kiwi Frozen Yogurt.
More information on the Rangoli Grill is available at rangoligrill.com
