Philly’s Popular Indian Restaurant Chain Is Ready for National Expansion

Wall Street-investment-banker-turned-restaurateur Munish Narula is the man behind Tiffin Indian Cuisine, a local Indian restaurant chain with five locations in the Philly-area and three across the bridge in New Jersey. Now, he’s ready for his brand to go national.

Two days ago, Foobooz reported that Narula’s first franchise restaurant — from long-time Tiffin employee Rajesh Byanjankar — will open in one of the hottest restaurant towns of 2016: King of Prussia, specifically at the Valley Forge Plaza Shopping Center. Today, Eater learns that Plymouth Meeting is up next—the exact location hasn’t been solidified just yet.

Why franchise? It’s clearly in the company’s DNA:

1. In 2010, Sysco Corporation named Tiffin “America’s Next Top Restaurant Franchise” with a $100,000 reward, so that makes sense.
2. Two popular Indian restaurants in Philadelphia, IndeBlue and Ekta, were born of Tiffin origins. “We started to see a pattern several years ago as former Tiffin employees would open their own restaurants. It occurred to me I'd rather turn my employees into partners instead of competitors," said Narula.

To ready his empire for the aggressive expansion, Narula’s implementing a company-wide upgrade to its ordering technology and delivery scheduling protocols to reduce wait times for customers. Also on deck: Tiffin-branded materials, like customized takeout containers, bags, and uniforms.

Opening date for KOP is sometime in 2017. As for Plymouth Meeting, check back for updates.