Another California-based restaurant will debut in the Austin area on Dec. 10.

Curry Pizza House, which serves a fusion of pizza and Indian food, will open its first franchise outside of California in Cedar Park.

It’s pegged for 1335 E. Whitestone Blvd. Gursewak and Romy Gill founded the chain in the San Francisco Bay Area and now have more than a dozen restaurants in that state.

The Cedar Park franchisees are Satya Prakash Bikkina and Mahendra Kakarla. They said they paid a $35,000 franchising fee.

The 2,200-square-foot, 80-person-capacity location pays monthly rent of about $10,000, Kakarla said, adding that’s on par with what some of the California locations pay. Rent for other Curry Pizza House locations, sized between 1,200 and 4,000 square feet, cost between $4,000 and $17,000 a month, Romy Gill said.

The chain owners said their move in Januaryto start franchising has yielded about 300 franchise requests – many of which haven’t yet been reviewed.

“We had a lot of inquiries in the Texas area,” Romy Gill said. “We feel we need to have a footprint in the Austin area to expand our brand in Texas.”

After the Dec. 10 opening in Cedar Park, the next Texas franchise set to open will be in Dallas, coming in May or June. A few other locations in California are also expected.

While Curry Pizza House can continue to franchise out to more people, Romy Gill said the company wants to slowly take this step so they can support and help the new owners succeed. Gill’s focus throughout the expansion has been on the quality of the food and keeping customers satisfied, he said.

“The only way to be successful is to keep the consistency,” Gill said. “One of the reasons we were able to go to [so many] locations is because we kept the consistency. We are training franchisees, making sure they follow the recipe and guidance we give.”

It is important for the Gills to maintain the recipes that they concocted over a decade ago in their kitchen — before they had ventured into the restaurant business. As they interview candidates, they seek franchisees who are passionate about the product, not just profits.

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We tried the Gunpowder potatoes that failed to be crisp as described by our server and Julie couldn’t wrap her head around the ranch dressing dip. The heat on these does build up on the palate after awhile and I appreciated the cool, creamy relief.

A large pizza was ordered with thin crust, but this rimless pie was thicker than what I’d consider thin. In large and x-large sizes, one can order half-half on toppings and I went with Butter Chicken and Palak Paneer. They do load on the toppings, which might be why the crust is so thick and wet in the middle layer. It made me realize that what I like about both of those Punjabi classics is the saucing and not so much the protein choices. I was amused that the cubes of paneer and cubes of chicken looked almost identical. They would have been tastier with more sauce and less of the protein. Not a craveable thing, and the pizza execution itself was not so good.

It just can’t compare with my memories of Mirchi Cafe in Fremont, the first place where I had a desi-flavored pizza 15 years ago on an excellent NY-style crust base. And just as well that I was no so wedded to this pizza, as when i tried to box up the more than half remaining, I managed to flip over the pizza plate and lost most of it on the floor (luckily not hitting the folks at the next table).

Service was cheerful and running pretty smoothly, considering this place is so new. Very packed on that friday night. The server said that the chain is looking to expand to San Francisco next.

Curry Pizza House
320 University Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-509-5900

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Central to this get together is the familiar taste of Achari Gobi pizza from Fremont’s Curry Pizza House, but this experience has changed because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Prior to the lockdowns, almost every Saturday evening, my family and I would visit our closest friends, people who we considered to be family. Being the oldest of the children present, I did not really fit in anywhere, so my interactions were fleeting and dispersed.

Uncle and Aunty, what I called the two adults of this family, would ask me how I was doing, what I was up to, and how school was going.

Their youngest daughter would tell me hilarious stories, gossiping about this friend or that friend, recollecting all of the exciting, crazy things that had happened in the past week.

Their older son would ramble on and on about random conspiracy theories in his pessimistic manner, one of his defining personality traits.

We would all laugh, talk, and play UNO.

The final touch was the Curry Pizza House pizza, two enormous boxes, coated in red and white color, seated in contrast to a dark brown dining table.

Food holds the power of comfort, and in this case, memories.

Around six months into the COVID-19 lockdown, my family decided to order an Achari Gobi pizza from Curry Pizza House. When we sat down to eat, I felt memories of our get-togethers surfacing, cards flying everywhere, warmth, bright lights, chatter, and lots of laughter.

We typically order two pizzas: Achari Gobi and Shahi Paneer.

The Achari Gobi is my personal favorite, a pizza base topped with white garlic sauce, cheese, red onions, cilantro, and the star, achari gobhi which is spicy cauliflower. In all honesty, this pizza can be difficult to adjust to simply because the flavor profile is so unique. The perfect blend of spice, a subtle yet powerful sauce coupled with the taste of baked cauliflower, this pizza always finds new ways to surprise me while bringing back elements of familiarity.

The Shahi Paneer is a close second to the Achari Gobi, a pizza base doused in creamy shahi sauce, cheese, bell peppers, red onions, green onions, diced tomatoes, black olives, cilantro, and marinated paneer which is cottage cheese. Once my favorite, now behind, this pizza is perfect for those who enjoy the rich flavors of cheese, prefer medium spice, and for those who want to explore new flavors but don’t quite know how far they are ready to go.

All in all, Curry Pizza House is a must try for all, not only because of the high quality pizza and the unique flavors the restaurant offers, but also because, for me, of the memories of family associated with the Curry Pizza House experience.

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Among the many restaurants cashing in, the locally owned Curry Pizza House is raking in rave reviews and business is booming. They’ve opened up three South Bay locations in the last year, including restaurants in Cupertino and Evergreen within the last few months.

While the name pretty much says it all, they do hedge their bets and offer “normal” pizza creations. However, I feel ordering a Hawaiian pizza at an Indian pizza place is almost akin to getting a chicken sandwich at Morton’s. On a recent visit, my cohort and I opted for a small Chilli Paneer ($13.99) and a small Butter Chicken ($13.99), along with an order of their Achari Wings ($9.99 for 10 pieces). In some cases, it might make more sense to split a pie half-and-half, but you’ll have to order at least a large.

Achari is typically associated with those delightfully sour, pickled green mangoes found in a condiment jar at most Indian restaurants; the idea of experiencing that flavor on wings was intriguing. While the wings weren’t as sour as I was hoping, the flavor was quite good. It’s a shame the wings themselves had flabby skin.

Finally, the pizzas came out, and they were truly packed with all the good stuff. The veg-head favorite paneer had a nice clean finish with all its fresh veggie toppings, including fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, cilantro, and both red and green onions, all combined with their curry sauce. However, I found the paneer (Indian cheese) cubes to be a bit dry and not spicy enough for this chili head.

Next up was the butter chicken (a.k.a. chicken makhani) and it was a home run from the jump. Butter chicken done right is my favorite Indian dish, and this pizza definitely did it justice. The yogurt, tomato and butter sauce was creamy, rich and spiced just perfectly. The diced fresh tomatoes and red onions also gave it a bit of freshness to go along with the perfectly cooked chunks of white meat chicken.

The crust on both pies was nothing spectacular, though it did serve its main purpose as a vehicle for delivering tasty toppings.

While most food fads are mere curiosities, I feel Indian pizza is legit. It’s the holy triumvirate of spice, carbs and cheese.

Curry Pizza House
4035 Evergreen Village Sq, San Jose
408.223.2100
20080 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino
408.982.3993

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Curry Pizza House is in the works at 3984 Douglas Blvd., Suite 140, according to online records from the city of Roseville. Signs posted at the business confirm its upcoming arrival. It will be the chain’s first local site.

Representatives from Curry Pizza House would not immediately comment on the Roseville restaurant.

Established in 2012, the chain has six open locations, according to its website. Those include two in Fremont and one each in Milpitas, Dublin, San Jose and Cupertino. A Palo Alto location is also in the works.

Curry Pizza House has a fusion menu that includes pizzas topped with ingredients such as curry sauce and butter chicken. Traditional pizzas and chicken wings are also offered.

Mayfair Ventures Corp. has applied for a license to sell beer and wine at the Roseville restaurant, according to a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control notice posted at the site. Mayfair Ventures has a Dublin address, according to records from the California Secretary of State.

It won’t be the only chain to offer curry pizzas in the Sacramento area. The Chicago’s Pizza chain, known for menu options including a tandoori chicken pizza, has opened several sites in the area, including two locations in Roseville.

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Curry Pizza House is helmed by first-generation Indian Americans. Founder Gursewak Gill put himself through school by working as a truck driver while dreaming of opening his own restaurant. Partners Romy Gill and Neelu Gill, vice president of marketing, also have a love of food. Now with one corporate store and 11 franchised units, the counter-service concept is set to expand outside the Bay area. Pizza Marketplace talked with Neelu Gill about the company’s concept and what sets it apart from the bevy of competition for pizza supremacy.

Q:You’re first-generation pizzeria owners. Why pizza as opposed to more traditional Indian fare?

A:We loved our home-cooked Indian food and never wanted to try and top home-made food by mom. But on Friday night (pizza nights) we felt the pizzas we ordered were bland or lacked some fresh flavor. It started with some experimentation at home and ventured from there into what was supposed to be a one-off hobby/passion. We never thought we would end up opening more than one store.

Q:How did you know you were ready to open a second store? How soon after the first store did the second store open?

A:It took us quite a while to open the second store. Once we saw the first store turn into a success, we started to discuss opening one more store to service our clients who traveled from the other side of town. Once the opportunity to open a second store came up in the ideal location, we dedicated ourselves to expanding out. There was a period of three years before the second store opened. After opening the second store, we felt much more comfortable opening the third and fourth store.

Q:What areas are you looking to expand into?

A:Mainly in large metropolitan areas which are cultural “melting pots.” Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Phoenix, Seattle and LA are our top priorities.

Q: What are you looking for in a franchisee?

A: We are now solely focused on growth via a franchise model. Our ideal franchise candidate is someone who has some restaurant experience and understands what it takes to run a successful food business operation. In addition, we are looking for franchisees that want to be a part of a brand that is all about being “Fresh & Spicy.” Being hands-one and customer focused is the epicenter of what we ultimately look out for in a franchisee.

Q:Curry Pizza House has an eclectic menu. What ‘s going to be your most popular item and what’s it got on it? Why is it the most popular item?

A: Our best sellers are:

• Curry Chicken: curry sauce, cheese, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, red onions, Jalapenos, diced tomatoes and fresh cilantro.
• Curry Chicken Masala: curry sauce, cheese, bell peppers, diced tomatoes, red onions, masala chicken and fresh cilantro.
• Chicken Tikka: white sauce, cheese, diced tomatoes, red onions, chicken tikka, green onions and fresh cilantro.
• Achari Gobhi: white sauce, cheese, red onions, diced tomatoes and marinated cauliflower and fresh cilantro

For vegetarians, we offer a lot of different choices. The Shahi Paneer and Achari Gobhi are top sellers.

We also offer cauliflower crust for our gluten free customers.

Finally, what’s really an interesting trend is that we are seeing a lot of traditional American and Italian pizza lovers become loyal customers of our American classic pizzas like The Hawaiian, Pepperoni and Meat Lovers. These are made using traditional Italian ingredients (no curry flavored sauce) and appeal to all pizza lovers.

Q: To what do you credit Curry Pizza House’s success?

A:The top three things are: our sauce, which really is a secret sauce. It’s fresh and spicy. We make our sauces fresh and cut our veggies daily (never frozen); our crust — we pride ourselves in the crust. Like we say “trust our crust” — and finally, our customer service: we are maniacal about customer service. Our focus from day one has been to give our customers a unique and special experience when they experience our brand.

Q:What sets Curry Pizza House apart from the bevy of competitors in the pizzasphere?

A: The original recipe of the sauce and the fact that we refuse to cut corners or give up anything when it comes to quality. When compared to a typical traditional pizzeria, our operations have a bit more overhead because we are making everything fresh from scratch in the store daily. But in hindsight, this has kept our customers happy and loyal.

Q:How are you maintaining continuity across the brand as you grow?

A:We are being very selective on the franchisees we select to grow with. In addition, we have built our team to onboard, train and oversee the franchise operations as we scale out. Fortunately, we are able to partner with some amazing distributors for managing our logistics. At the heart, it’s all about building a solid team that continues to strive for excellence.

Q:Finally, if you had a piece of advice to give to a brand just starting to expand, what would you tell them?

A:I think the number one thing we would tell anyone looking to branch out on their own and build brand is to “be yourself.” Far too often, people try and copy another successful brand and in the process lose what might have been unique about themselves. If you have an idea or a skill when it comes to the food industry, follow your passion and don’t get distracted by other successful brands. Also, don’t be discouraged if you struggle out the gate. We struggled tremendously in our first two years. It takes time to build something special and unique. There will be ups and downs, you need to be ready for a roller coaster in the first few years. But once you hit your stride, all your hard work will pay off.

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