Indian street food powerhouse Mowgli has launched its seventh restaurant as it continues its roll-out plan.
The new restaurant is based at University Green on Manchester’s Oxford Road, and is the second Mowgli site in the city.
The fast- growing business which is backed by leading private equity investor Foresight Group, has invested more than £500,000 on its second Manchester site at University Green, Oxford Road.
Founded in 2014 by former barrister Nisha Katona, Mowgli now has two sites in Liverpool and Manchester and is also trading in Birmingham, Nottingham and Oxford.
The launch of the second Manchester site on January 21 followed a phenomenal year for Mowgli in 2018.
Highlights included being ranked 17th in the prestigious The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies after its annual sales soared 106% over the last three years.
On a personal level Nisha Katona was awarded an MBE for services to the food industry in the recent New Year’s Honours list.
The new 3,294 sq ft 100 cover restaurant has created up to 50 full and part-time jobs. It will continue Mowgli’s trademark style with bespoke and handmade features throughout. The whole interior is designed by Nisha, and features include a floating Indian Temple-inspired door on the wall, a living tree, hand-carved pillars and signature lighting.
Serving a selection of favourite family recipes, from her mum’s lamb chops and her aunty Geeta’s prawn curry to classic street snacks such as chat bombs and bhel pur.
The site will be headed up by general manger Becky Eccles, who joined the business two years ago as a server in Liverpool.
Nisha Katona said: “I am thrilled to start 2019 with the opening of our seventh Mowgli. We are all about the smash and grab of fresh, light Indian food. This makes it perfect brain food for the exacting appetites of the university students and staff.
“I have loved designing this Mowgli: light, airy, twinkling and organic. In my mind, I want Apple-shop-meets-Indian-night-market. From a design aspect, it’s my aim to create a home-from-home in the restaurants.”
She added: “We are trading really well in all our locations on a like-for-like basis and saw our sales hit all time highs during Christmas.”
Claire Alvarez, Director of Foresight Group said: “It is fantastic to see the continued and well deserved success of Nisha and her incredible team both in Manchester and across the UK.
“The scale of development along Oxford Road in Manchester and the many thousands of students and staff who work in this vibrant part of the city mean that University Green is the perfect home for Mowgli. Looking ahead, 2019 is set to be another exciting year and we look forward to supporting the business as it continues to go from strength to strength.”
