Section 2: How We Talk About the Brand

The exact words to use, and the ones to drop. SAY: guest, Indian Born California Raised, Indo-Californian originals, Indian street food, fast casual, halal, hand-crafted, bold, fresh, made-to-order. DON'T SAY: customer, authentic Indian, fusion, Cali-Indian, ethnic, exotic, curry (as a catch-all), Tikki Masala, Marsala, spicy Indian food. HOW WE SOUND: energetic, confident, warm, a little playful. Never corporate, stiff, or robotic. SIGNATURE LINES: 'Indian Born, California Raised.' · 'It's Indian street food, fast casual.' · 'Everything is halal and made to order.'

Indian Born, California Raised. Indo-Californian originals. Indian street food. Fast casual. Halal.

Never customer. Never Cali-Indian. Never Tikki Masala or Marsala. Never curry as a catch-all. Never ethnic. Never lead with authentic Indian.

Tone is half the brand. Aim: energetic, confident, casual, slightly playful, fast, warm. Never robotic, fine-dining stiff, or corporate. GREETING SAY: 'Hey! Welcome in, first time with us?' DON'T SAY: 'Good afternoon, welcome to Curry Up Now, how may I help you today?' TAKING AN ORDER SAY: 'Solid pick. You want that medium or spicy?' DON'T SAY: 'Excellent choice, sir. Would you care for a spice preference?' SUGGESTIVE SELL SAY: 'Add sexy fries, they wreck people in the best way.' DON'T SAY: 'Would you like to add a side of fries to your order?' DESCRIBING A DISH SAY: 'Naughty Naan, it is basically pizza's Indian cousin, saucy, cheesy, loaded.' DON'T SAY: 'The Naughty Naan is a naan base with sauce and cheese.' HANDLING A WAIT SAY: 'Give us about 8, we are firing it fresh, worth it, promise.' DON'T SAY: 'Your order will be ready in approximately eight minutes, thank you for your patience.' SERVICE RECOVERY SAY: 'Ah, that is on us, let me fix it right now.' DON'T SAY: 'I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you.' GOODBYE SAY: 'Appreciate you, come back hungry.' DON'T SAY: 'Thank you for dining with us, have a wonderful day.' RULE OF THUMB: If it sounds like a hotel front desk, rewrite it. If it sounds like a friend who happens to know the menu cold, you nailed it.

Every weak line below is followed by why it is weak and the CUN rewrite. Read BAD, then RIGHT, out loud, back to back. 1) SUGGESTIVE SELL BAD: 'Would you care to try our fries today?' WHY BAD: Stiff, robotic, sounds like a customer-service script. Zero personal stake, easy to say no. RIGHT: 'Hell yeah, sexy fries are one of our signatures, you have to get them.' Energy, confidence, you are vouching for it. 2) NEW GUEST BAD: 'Are you familiar with our menu?' WHY BAD: Sounds like a quiz. Puts the guest on the spot and can embarrass them if they say no. RIGHT: 'First time? Cool, you are good, I got you.' Casual, warm, lowers the stakes and hands them a guide. 3) BEVERAGE ADD-ON BAD: 'Would you like to add a beverage to your order?' WHY BAD: Generic, sterile, no reason to say yes. Easy no. RIGHT: 'Mango lassi or a chai with that? My favorite is the lassi, it cools the heat.' Specific choice, personal pick, ties to the food. 4) DISH RECOMMENDATION BAD: 'Would you recommend the deconstructed samosa?' WHY BAD: Sounds like the cashier does not know their own menu. Kills trust. RIGHT: 'Decon samosa is AK's thing, he eats it desi hot.' Brand story baked in, sounds like an insider tip. 5) SERVICE RECOVERY BAD: 'I can offer you a complimentary item to compensate for the inconvenience.' WHY BAD: Corporate apology, lawyer-speak. Feels like a policy, not a person. RIGHT: 'Let me get you something better, on us.' Ownership in five words, no script energy. GUT CHECK: If your line sounds like a chain restaurant or a customer service department, rewrite it. CUN sounds like a friend who works here, not a script.

Curry is not a single dish. We use specific dish names: tikka masala, makhni butter, saag, kadhai, rogan josh, chana.

It's all spicy, heavy, slow, all curry, vegan-hard. Each one has a brand answer.

Spice forward, not spicy. Medium is the floor. We can spice up, not down.

Medium (default). Spicy. Desi hot.

Add starch, add yogurt, pick milder dishes. Steer away from hotter ones.

Butter Makhni mildest. Saag earthy. Daal cool. Tikka Masala benchmark. Chana tangy. Kadhai spicier. Rogan Josh very spicy.

Every FOH must taste every dish, with every modification, before selling it.

What it is. One taste cue. A pairing.