VANZ Indian Fusion Grill pioneers a “cloud kitchen” business model, bringing the vibrant flavors of authentic Indian cuisine with a contemporary twist to the Union City, NJ, area. Nestled within the Kerrigan Kitchens building, this fast-casual ghost kitchen concept emerged just a few months ago. Now, VANZ stands poised to serve nourishing Indian bowls, salads, and wraps crafted from high-quality, whole-food ingredients.
Bowl-Based Concept
Imagine a place like Chipotle or Cava but for Indian cuisine. At VANZ, customers can create salads, wraps, and rice bowls with flavors inspired by traditional Indian cuisine. “We have seven options for bowls,” said owner Vanitha Bala. Customers can build their bowls and choose the type of meal they want. Bala, who has lived in India, Singapore, and England, now calls the United States home. She teamed up with her husband, Aru, to bring this modern and unique concept to life.
“We offer two styles of chicken: a North-Indian-based flavor, Kung Pau chicken style, and a South-Indian flavor,” she said. “The third protein option is beef, and we also have the Goan gourmet salmon, which is traditional Indian salmon. Additionally, we have a Mumbai vegan falafel option with an Indian twist, and a vegetarian option with traditional Delhi Indian paneer. Paneer is a cheese-like protein made from cow’s milk and marinated in tandoori spices.”
Customers’ favorite so far has been the Coastal Goan salmon. However, Bala notes that each dish has a unique background story that customers can learn and appreciate.
More About the Business
“We’ve named the dishes after cities in India,” she said. “The idea is for each bowl to represent a region in India. Our value proposition for customers is to offer unique Indian fusion cuisine that nobody has done before.”
In addition to Indian-fusion flavors, Bala prioritizes the health-and-wellness mission statement of VANZ Indian Fusion Grill.
“Our focus is on wellness and nutritional balance,” she said. “We source pure options that are free of harmful ingredients. Everything is made from scratch. Our recipes are authentic and taken from the past.” Each dish has its own story, adding an authentic personal touch to every meal.
“This is a new flavor,” said Aru Bala, who believes VANZ is unique. “It will be the next Indian name in the U.S. fast-casual restaurant market.”
He asserts that the space Chipotle currently dominates has room for more. And he believes his family’s traditional Indian roots and healthy offerings are its main differentiators.
“In phase one, we honed in on the cloud kitchen model for pickup and delivery rather than a full restaurant,” said Bala, who emphasized that VANZ is not the first to embrace such a concept.
“For example, Mr. Beast franchised his name and restaurant brand to operate in various kitchens worldwide,” Vanitha Bala said. “However, the quality of the food varied among the kitchens. We have control over the contents of our kitchen, ensuring healthy and high-quality food.”
“We offer a distinctive, fresh flavor using natural ingredients,” she said. “Our food is minimally processed, and we avoid using seed oils. We plan to test this concept using the cloud model and expand rapidly to brick-and-mortar locations nationwide.”
A Women-Owned Family Restaurant of the Future
“My son, Manish, is on the sales and marketing side,” said Bala. “VANZ was his idea when he was in school for hospitality management. He studied at a premier institute and earned his master’s degree in Miami.”
“I have experience with the operations side of the business,” said Bala. “When we were in Singapore, I worked with special needs kids to find them work in restaurants. I am also the creator of all of the recipes.”
As for Aru, he has been running and investing in businesses for 25 years. With his wife and son, he has set big goals for the restaurant business, which is only in its infancy.
Why New Jersey?
“We felt that our combined skill sets would create a larger business,” said Bala, who is glad to be building the business in a spot that is Jersey City adjacent. “Jersey City is a ripe area with a diverse population where we can test and build the concept.”
Van said the dense, young professional population might need more time to prepare their food, but they want healthy options.
“Our price is about $15 per bowl. We cater to health-conscious individuals who understand the connection between healthy food and a healthy body, mind, and soul,” she said. “Plus, we cater to adventure seekers who want to try new flavors.”
The restaurant will deliver within a five-mile radius of Union City. This service area covers Weehawken, Hoboken, Secaucus, and other areas within this bustling region of New Jersey.
“The channels through which people can reach us are the same as those used by most businesses,” said Bala. People can order directly from the website for pickup. Or they can order delivery through DoorDash and Uber Eats.
Next, the VANZ team will introduce catering options to expand service offerings and customer base for corporate lunches, parties, and other gatherings.
“We will take the first two years to perfect this concept in Union City County, NJ,” said Bala. “We are very focused on operations and our fit in this market. After that, we will rapidly expand in the Tri-State region.”
VANZ Indian Fusion Grill
2100 Kerrigan Avenue, #118
Union City, NJ
561-810-9065
