HUNGRY. How I Built the UK's First Indian Street Food Chain (it was easier than you think) - Nisha Katona, Mowgli
Mar 2, 2026
Nisha Katona, founder of Mowgli Street Food and cookbook author who turned Indian home cooking into a national street-food chain. She recounts immigrant hunger and early struggles, explains why Mowgli avoided being a “curry house,” and describes Varanasi-inspired design and the door concept. She breaks down the four pillars that keep 27 sites soulful, plus systems for training, diagnostics, delivery and thoughtful site selection.
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Why Britain Was Ready For Mowgli
- Britain’s historical empire and immigrant ties made it unusually receptive to diverse cuisines, enabling Mowgli to scale nationally.
- Nisha launched in Liverpool where curiosity and a burgeoning gourmet scene created queues and allowed rapid expansion into 27 sites.
Decorate For Failure To Reduce Site Risk
- Decorate every restaurant assuming possible failure to allow easy conversion and reduce risk.
- Nisha fitted sites so they could flip into a coffee shop within 24 hours, avoiding overtly ethnic décor that limits reuse.
Design Menus For Lunchtime Repeat Visit
- Design lunch-friendly Indian dishes without garlic and onion to capture daytime trade and repeat visits.
- Nisha built a menu of niramish (no onion/garlic) and light dishes so office workers won't smell and will return for evening meals.
