---
title: "Nation’s Restaurant News: Indian Food Catches Fire"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/3f41802a-45db-4326-9ce1-85d9647b9cbd
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/nations-restaurant-news-indian-food-catches-fire-11075
category: "Fast casual"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Fast casual"
published: 2017-03-15T14:09:41.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T03:06:30.212Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/3a3bd67f34e0fea55ad79aef46af58b95019.jpg
---

# Nation’s Restaurant News: Indian Food Catches Fire

**TL;DR:** Indian cuisine has become increasingly popular in American restaurants, with brands like Sweetgreen incorporating elements of the cuisine into their menu items. Brands like Sweetgreen and Choolah Indian BBQ are bringing Indian flavors into their menu items and concepts.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-03-15. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/nations-restaurant-news-indian-food-catches-fire-11075).*

## Story

It has been a long time coming, but Indian cuisine finally has hit the mainstream. According to a recent Nation’s Restaurant News article , the bold and varied flavors are slowly making their way into American dining and restaurants. Whether it’s a fast-casual concept or simply incorporating elements of the cuisine into menu items, operators are catching on.

Brands like the 64-unit chain Sweetgreen are bringing the flavors into menu items like their Curry Cauliflower salad for a winter item.

“These spices make for hearty meals for lunch or dinner, and give our bodies the warm flavors they crave in the winter,” said Michael Stebner, Sweetgreen’s culinary director.

Choolah Indian BBQ is a fast-casual concept that includes a tandoor at the heart of its restaurant. Founder Raji Sankar was inspired to open her open restaurant when she noticed places like Trader Joes and Whole Foods starting to offer food from Indian emerging brands.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- menu items (topic)
- Sweetgreen (company)
- restaurant trends (topic)
- Whole Foods (company)
- fast casual concept (topic)
- Trader Joe's (company)
- indian cuisine (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/nations-restaurant-news-indian-food-catches-fire-11075). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/3f41802a-45db-4326-9ce1-85d9647b9cbd).