New Fast Food Indian Restaurant To Open in The Garage

For the past eight years, Sanjay Kansagra has wanted to open a fast food Indian restaurant that sells frankies—meat and vegetable wraps that can be purchased freshly-made on the streets of Mumbai.

Since his Subway franchise moved into The Garage over a year ago, Kansagra had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to expand in the food court.

In January, Flat Patties owner Tom Brush announced that his restaurant would be moving out of The Garage and onto Brattle Street. Kansagra saw his opportunity.

Last week, Kansagra finally received his site license to take over the space Flat Patties left behind in The Garage. He said that he plans to open his new restaurant—Chutneys—during the first week of June.

The menu, which is still being developed, will have a variety of options, including chicken chilli, Indian bread, and lamb kabobs, and customers will be able to choose among many different sauces—the inspiration for the restaurant’s name.Like his Subway store just a few yards away, Kansagra said Chutneys’ prices will average around $5 to $6.

“It should be reasonably priced, it should be fast, and the customers should have a choice for what flavors they want [it] to be,” Kansagra said of Chutneys’ food.

Executive Director for the Harvard Square Business Association Denise A. Jillson said that the association is looking forward to this new venture because Kansagra is already a community partner.

“He’s done a very good job satisfying lots of students. He has a very good sense of what students are looking for,” Jillson said. “He understands that they are all on a schedule, and he understand that he has to have good food and healthy food that is prepared quickly, so he understand what he has to bring to this restaurant.”

In addition to Kansagra’s recognition of how to cater to students’ needs, Jillson said she likes another aspect of the new restaurant.

“I think the name [Chutneys] is kind of cute,” she said.

—Staff writer Xi Yu can be reached at xyu@college.harvard.edu.