KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News)—Aga's, an Indian-Pakistani restaurant, is planning to open a new Katy location with a target date of June 15, said Zain Maredia, the restaurant's manager.
Maredia said the new Aga's Restaurant & Catering location will be at 102 W. Grand Pkwy. S., Suite 100, in the Grand Crossing shopping center at Grand Parkway and Interstate 10, near Costco. The restaurant will be for takeout and delivery orders only, with no dining room, unlike its main restaurant, which opened in 2001 at 11842 Wilcrest Drive in southwest Houston which has a large dining room.
Takeout-focused model
"We do a lot of takeout orders," Maredia said. "I'm often working in the front of the house and seeing how many people come straight to the restaurant to pick up their takeout orders on the way home from work or during lunch. So, we're looking forward to filling that need."
He said the staff is undergoing training and cooking equipment is being installed in the Katy restaurant.
Listening to guests
Maredia said Aga's choosing Katy for expansion was a matter of listening to their guests. Many guests order takeout or ask about delivery.
"When they come to dine in, we're always talking to them and a lot of them come from Katy and say, hey, please open one closer to us," Maredia said. "The news about the store, the new space, leaked from a Facebook page. That page got a lot of engagement."
A menu built on bold flavors
"We have curries with proteins like chicken, goat and beef," Maredia said. "Our most popular item is our chops."
Diners with a lower spice tolerance will find milder options alongside the restaurant's spicier dishes. The restaurant also has vegetarian dishes and serves both butter naan and garlic naan, a leavened flatbread that originated in South Asia and is a staple of Indian and Pakistani cuisine.
One of Maredia's personal favorites is the chicken lollipop, which he described as a flavorful fried chicken.
"We have a really popular new one called dynamite shrimp," Maredia said. "It's a fried shrimp with a flavorful sauce on it."
Another popular dish is the karahi, a curry cooked and served in a cylindrical pot of the same name.
"It's really flavorful, and it absorbs a lot of the spices," Maredia said.
Giving back to the community
"We do an annual scholarship program," Maredia said. "This is our fifth year doing it. This year we contributed $100,000 to 25 graduating high school seniors, their college funds, and we'll have that banquet ceremony on June 2."
The company is considering similar activities as it receives emails from different churches, mosques or affinity groups, Maredia said.
"We always try to contribute to those as much as possible, and in a thoughtful way, so we're really excited about being part of the Katy community and getting to know the residents there and making Katy a better place," Maredia said.