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Arizona's first drive through Indian restaurant now open
Tikka Drive founder Rahul Sahota also set-up the Tikka Drive Business Club, a nonprofit created to help and mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Sat, 27, Jun 2026
- 01:26 EDT
- 34
Tikka Drive / Tikka Drive via Facebook
Indian American restaurateur Rahul Sahota has opened Arizona’s first drive-through Indian restaurant, Tikka Drive, in Chandler, Arizona.
"In 2015, I came to America from a small village in Punjab. No English. No money. Just a dream, and the grit of a farmer’s work ethic passed down through generations," notes Sahota while reminiscing his journey.
Today he has imported clay tandoor ovens from India and has opened a drive through restaurant in Arizona. He started off with a small 12-table restaurant in Arizona.
"No investors. No marketing. Just heart, hustle, and handmade dishes," says Sahota while talking about his prior venture.
However, he soon realized, "75% of our customers didn’t want to dine in. They wanted Indian food… to go."
This insight sparked a bigger idea, a drive-through Indian restaurant.
Also Read: UK's oldest Indian restaurant takes Crown Estate to court over eviction
Sharing details, Tikka Drive said on X, "At Tikka Drive, we keep our menu small on purpose with only six main dishes because we don't have freezers or microwaves in the restaurant. Everything is made fresh, and you'll never be served frozen food here."
It continued, "We're proud to be setting a new standard for the Indian food industry with food cooked in ghee, no seed oils, no artificial food coloring, fresh naan, fresh lemonade, and a drive thru experience without compromise. We are here to raise the bar and set the standard."
The speed required to run a drive through is achieved through keeping the menu small. He offers six popular Indian dishes, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Curry, Butter Chicken, Chicken Korma, Paneer Tikka Masala, and a Mixed Vegetable. They also offer two types of naan, regular and garlic.
The founder shared how difficult the journey was. He faced multiple rejections when he tried to raise funds for his drive thru Indian restaurant dream. He noted, "But I believed in the idea, I believed in the mission, and most importantly, I believed in myself enough to keep going."
He further said, "Tikka Drive is more than a restaurant to me. It is proof that perseverance, faith, hard work, and refusing to quit can turn an idea into something real. This is my American Dream story."
Sahota also set-up the Tikka Drive Business Club, a nonprofit created to help and mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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