Owning a Kati Roll as a First-Time Owner

The Kati Roll Company was started by someone who had never run a restaurant. When Payal Saha opened the first store on MacDougal Street in 2002, she had no restaurant experience and could not afford a full staff, so she and one assistant did the work side by side. We welcome first-time owners too. This post is about what it takes to follow that path today.

What you bring

We look for the things training cannot supply. Our first criterion is franchise or business experience in food, and operational experience or relevant business leadership is strongly preferred.

• Capital in hand. We do not offer financing, so the capital comes from you. The published figures are in what a Kati Roll franchise costs.
• Leadership. A store runs on its crew, and you hire, train and lead that crew.
• A local presence. The site search starts with you: you choose the location, with our guidance, and we give final approval.
• A reason to build. We look for owners who want to build a business, not hold an investment.

Those are the same things we look for in every partner, whatever their background. The full picture of who we look for is in what it takes to own a Kati Roll.

What we teach

The recipes are ours, and so is the method. Partners cook from our proprietary recipes, and the spice blends, sauces and breads come from our kitchen. What you and your crew learn is the build: the five layers of every roll in the same order, the daily marinades, and the lime-cilantro chutney, made fresh every day.

Before you open, you get comprehensive initial training in the kitchen and on the floor. You also get playbooks for operations, hiring and training, so you are not writing your own manual for your first crew. The menu is set, so you learn one menu well instead of designing one.

The business side has support too: help with site selection, design and blueprints, lease negotiation guidance and the leasehold improvements; POS, online ordering and digital loyalty, set up for you; and targeted marketing services. How we train and support our partners covers each piece in turn.

What the months before opening ask

After the agreement, the work is site, lease, build and training. Opening can follow in as little as 4 to 6 months, depending on site selection, financing, approvals, training and construction. For a first-time owner, that list is the calendar. Two items on it, financing and the site search, start with you.

Use that time to learn your block. Walk it at lunch and again in the evening, and count who passes. Our stores sit on blocks with people on them from lunch into the evening, and their hours follow the neighborhood: World Trade closes at 8pm, while MacDougal Street runs until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights.

What the first year asks

Once the doors open, the job is daily. Every filling is marinated every day and nothing comes from a package, so prep starts well before the first customer. The spice blends, sauces and breads keep coming from our kitchen, and the halal, antibiotic-free meats come from suppliers we approve. You hire and train the crew, set prices with our guidance on a pricing structure for your location, and keep every roll the same roll, because the menu stays the menu.

It also asks you to set the tone for your crew, by our principle of respect for yourself, your team and the food.

We make no forecast of what a first year brings. Operational support continues after opening, as you grow.

Where to start

If you have never had a kati roll, start with the food. The Chicken Tikka Roll is the classic and the Achari Paneer Roll, Indian farmer's cheese marinated in spicy pickle and grilled, is the vegetarian roll to try next. Then read how the company began in Kolkata to MacDougal Street, and the five steps in from inquiry to opening. The investment, the support and the application are all on our franchise page.

This post is not an offer to sell a franchise. An offer is made only by a Franchise Disclosure Document delivered in accordance with applicable law.