We’ve previously written about the influence of East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Hispanic cultures and their influence on groceries, malls, and food halls with the likes of H Mart, 99 Ranch, Asia Garden Mall, and Mercado Gonazlez. Now, let’s turn our attention to the huge Indian subcontinent, which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
One of this summer’s breakout sports stories is that of Sarubh Netravalkar, Oracle software engineer by day, Cricket star on the side! He helped Team USA beat Pakistan during the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in a huge upset, and has now been nicknamed the “Desi Diaspora Darling.” The United States is co-hosting and participating in this Cricket tournament for the first time, and fans came out in droves to Eisenhower Stadium in Nassau, NY, which essentially became a pop-up stadium in order for the competition to take place. Tikka fries, an ultimate combo of South Asian flavor and American snack favorite, were on offer at the concession stands.
The embrace of South Asian flavors can also be seen in the growth and success at grocery. Patel Brothers and India Bazaar are two Indian grocery chains that have been growing rapidly. The former saw increased year-over-year growth in 8 of the 12 months preceding. Meanwhile, the latter saw year-over-year growth in 11 out of the last 12 months.
The grocery stores can be found in various states in the US, with a particular concentration for Patel Bros in the Chicago, New York, Boston, and DC areas and for India Bazaar in the Dallas area.
South Asian food has many highly flavorful vegetarian and vegan options, which makes it attractive to those seeking a taste boost to dishes. Chai is a staple at many tea and coffee specialty stores, and some are saying that naan sandwiches could be the next burrito. Having the right recipe can really open doors. Bombay Frankie, now located within Westfield Culver City, has its origins at a gas station, but the demand became so high that they opened up a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Their affectionately called “Indian Burrito” comes both rolled up or deconstructed. With deconstructed, one can decide the perfect bite ratio of fluffy naan, seasoned chicken, cool raita, crunchy cucumbers, and tomatoes bursting with flavor.
A quick Google search shows a burst of restaurants that incorporate naan into their name, such as Naan-tastic, Naansense, and Naan & Kabob. Naan n Curry is an example of a naan chain that has seen positive year-over-year growth.
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