New Indian rest. in Berkeley

January 20, 2003

BERKELEY

Indian restaurant quickens the pace

Tyche Hendricks <chronfeedback

Sunday, January 19, 2003

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In Berkeley, french fries and shakes are giving way to pakoras and lassi.

The hamburger giant Burger King has been replaced by a new fast food

restaurant, Curry in a Hurry, a family-owned enterprise serving quick,

inexpensive Indian food.

The restaurant, which opened at the beginning of the month, advertises

itself as " Indian fast food " with a red and yellow sign reminiscent of the

BK logo.

The downtown Burger King closed its doors last summer after the company

failed to negotiate a new lease with the landlord, said a Burger King

official in Miami.

" I saw this place closed, and I thought, 'Maybe we can have the same concept

but have a different menu,' " said the new restaurant's owner, Gurprit

Kohli.

Though Berkeley already has many Indian restaurants, " most places are fine

dining, " said Kohli. " There's nothing that is fast food, where you get a

good portion size, a freshly cooked meal for around five bucks. "

Berkeley has long been a hub of Indian culture, boasting close to 40

restaurants, groceries, jewelers, clothing stores and other shops, dotting

the length of University Avenue.

" (Shoppers) come here from Fremont, Sacramento, Tracy, Lodi, Yuba City,

Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, " said Neelam Khanna, who opened Bazaar of India

Imports, Berkeley's first Indian business, with her husband 32 years ago.

" Berkeley just became like a one-stop shopping center (for Indian goods). "

Kohli said he has no plans to replace the pink Formica booths, blue

wallpaper and potted plastic plants in his new restaurant.

" They're having trouble getting the Burger King atmosphere expunged, " said

Daniel Gies, 22, a recent customer. " I guess the Indian music helps. "

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