Draft:Alibaba Kebab

Alibaba Kebab is a small chain of Halal restaurants based in Buffalo, New York. Founded on July 1, 2017 by Indian immigrant Anand Kattu, Alibaba Kebab is a local takeout eatery that serves mainly Indian and mediterranean cuisine, Americanized to satisfy customer demand, primarily through products like Over Rice boxes, a twist on biryani, a famous Indian dish, and Tandoori Wings and Wraps.

History
In 1999, Anand Kattu immigrated to Buffalo, NY from India on a quest to secure a safe and financially secure future for his family back home, who was struggling with poverty. Almost immediately, he got to work on multiple consecutive business ventures, all with varying degrees of success. However, Kattu had a unique culinary ability, that he decided to take advantage of in 2017, when he had the idea of a Halal-takeout fusion, which was largely unheard of in Western New York and in much of the country at the time. Fortunately, Kattu had timing on his side, as both the takeout and the Halal food industries in the US were slowly emerging into the spotlight and were beginning to trend, in part because of Americans making healthier food choices and the predicted success of simple takeout and delivery apps like SkipTheDishes, Grubhub and Doordash.

As for location, Kattu decided to tap into his real estate portfolio and selected an old, derelict hut-style structure on the corner of William Street, Fillmore Avenue and Memorial Drive, just walking distance from the historic Buffalo Central Terminal and within yards of some of his previous business ventures. After a few months of investment and construction, Alibaba Kebab opened on July 1, 2017, to minimal fanfare. Sales were slow initially, and lots of food, namely unsold biryani, went to waste, since it couldn't be preserved and prolonged through days, even with advanced refrigerative technology. Kattu went to work with his senior chef, Jakir, to develop a solution. The two came up with the Over Rice box, later rebranded to Rice Boxes. The item went on to become popular and Alibaba's bestselling item and thrusted Alibaba into the local spotlight.

Expanding into new territory
By 2019, Kattu had gained notoriety for his bold approach to Indian food and his restaurant was already successful in its market from having pioneered two different trends in one business. This unique concept would rise to prominence at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused small business to suffer losses in sales and customers. Alibaba, which was closed for 3 months, maneuvered through by emptying out the entirety of their dine-in space, converting to takeout-only. This allowed them to cut their losses as well as do away with most of their service costs compared to their competitors, who were mostly traditional dine-in establishments. During the pandemic, Kattu had plans to expand his business. In anticipation of this, he converted a property across the street into a satellite kitchen, named Kitchen International. The project was undertaken through the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Kattu met fellow Buffalo entrepreneur and nationally acclaimed marketer Chris DelPrince, who was known for the famous Lifestyle Street Gear brand in the 1990s that was featured in Inc. Magazine's Inner City 100 for multiple years. The two embarked on a rebranding of Alibaba Kebab, which took place over the course of 2022 and 2023. In December 2022, a second location opened on Military Road in Kenmore in the former Kenmore Village Restaurant, just across the street from the NFTA's Frontier Bus Terminal, with an official grand opening ceremony held on May 25, 2023, with both Kattu and DelPrince in attendance, as well as restaurant employees, members of the press and local dignitaries. At the same time, plans were made to renovate and reconstruct the original location, which were completed through the summer of 2023.

Menu
Alibaba Kebab's menu focuses on their Indian-style fast casual fusion. Rice Boxes (formerly Over Rice boxes) anchor the compact menu also consisting of kebabs, wraps and curries. Both the Rice Boxes and wraps come in multiple versions, chiefly Tandoori Chicken, Shawarma, Gyro (Beef & Lamb), and Trio. (the three aforementioned meats combined into one meal) Notable side items include freshly-cooked tandoori naan, which comes in 4 different varieties, tandoori wings, a variation of Buffalo wings cooked in a tandoor instead of fried, potato samosas, and variations of raita and tzatziki. Alibaba sells a wide variety of kebabs and curries, including chicken tikka masala, chana masala, seekh kebabs (ground meat), and boti kebabs.

Homemade mango lassi is a popular drink while options of baklava, gulab jamun, and rice pudding round out the dessert section.