Kurika first approached Eat Marketing with a distinct goal: not just to appear on delivery apps, but to stand out as a new kind of Indian takeaway. The market was largely dominated by two types of brands: decades-old traditional curry houses, known for familiar quality, and a growing number of discount-led operators whose primary selling point was low price.
Kurika was neither of these - they were a premium, modern dark kitchen, offering elevated flavours to the wider Nottingham market. We had to carve out a distinct space for Kurika in the takeaway market. This required a strategy focused on communicating genuine quality and authenticity, without the aid of a physical dining location.
To have a successful brand launch, Kurika needed to:
Launch quickly across all the main delivery platforms (Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber Eats) to immediately grab customer attention and test any delivery logistics.
Communicate premium quality, showing their commitment to fresh ingredients, authentic recipes and modernised dishes. Without a physical restaurant, Kurika had to rely entirely on digital presence to convey premium value.
Build trust and recognition from day one, in a crowded sector where customers often remain loyal to familiar brands. This meant ensuring consistent execution, stylish packaging, and a memorable brand identity.
Generate early momentum through platform algorithms and customer reviews, adding a layer of trust to Kurika’s service.
Show their USP - Kurika runs the entire delivery process itself, from cooking the food to their own internal delivery service. We needed to highlight that unique customer experience.
Kurika’s founders wanted to create a takeaway that focused on heritage, authenticity and quality, adding a modern twist to traditional food. After two rounds of naming, the name Kurika was chosen - a modern, brandable twist on the word ‘curry’ with a rhythmic ending.
Reflecting the years of heritage and experience behind the brand, we decided on the tagline “Born in Punjab. Made in Nottingham”, reflecting how Kurika was bringing an authentic, elevated Indian food experience right to Nottingham’s doorstep.
With a brand identity established, we created a style guide that focused on consistency, messaging, use of colours and design assets that could be shared with other partners, including the food app platforms. We tailored Kurika’s branding to be classy, crisp and modern.
We then created a logo to go on all the packaging and advertising. Kurika decided on a Bengal tiger on a delivery scooter, an easily recognisable Dcharacter that differentiates the brand from other takeaways.
We introduced a door drop with an incentive, differentiating Kurika from the competition. The menus included a discount, offering £10 off on a customer’s first order. The drop also built a social following through the ‘TAG OUR TIGER’ giveaway, where following Kurika’s socials and posting a photo of the Kurika tiger could win a free takeaway for four. This created a natural buzz around Kurika’s name, building early engagement with potential customers.
Within a short period of launching, Kurika became one of the platform favourites for quality Indian takeaway in Nottingham, receiving hundreds of 5-star reviews on Google and Uber Eats. This is largely due to launching over the festive period, support from delivery platforms and our door drop campaign.
Kurika’s high-quality food and packaging quickly earned it a positive reputation online, spawning a loyal customer base. Their success demonstrates how solid brand strategy, menu strategy and launch timing can dramatically influence success in the delivery-first food market and establish a solid foundation for future growth.
