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Tikka Tikka Taco

Help us introduce America to Fast-Casual Indian Food (and give an Army Veteran a career)!

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Tikka Tikka Taco

Tikka Tikka Taco

Tikka Tikka Taco

Tikka Tikka Taco

Tikka Tikka Taco

Help us introduce America to Fast-Casual Indian Food (and give an Army Veteran a career)!

Help us introduce America to Fast-Casual Indian Food (and give an Army Veteran a career)!

Help us introduce America to Fast-Casual Indian Food (and give an Army Veteran a career)!

Help us introduce America to Fast-Casual Indian Food (and give an Army Veteran a career)!

Michael Swaleh
Michael Swaleh
Michael Swaleh
Michael Swaleh
2 Campaigns |
St. Louis, United States
$6,755 USD 114 backers
45% of $15,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Choose your Perk

The Benefactor

$5 USD
19 claimed

The Shout Out

$10 USD
1 claimed

The Coupon

$15 USD
Est. Shipping
April 2013
15 claimed

The Out of Towner

$25 USD
Est. Shipping
February 2013
27 claimed

The Local

$50 USD
Est. Shipping
March 2013
17 out of 200 of claimed

The Option

$100 USD
Est. Shipping
April 2013
0 out of 100 of claimed

The V.I.P.

$125 USD
Est. Shipping
March 2013
8 out of 100 of claimed

The Rich Uncle

$250 USD
4 claimed

The Foodie

$500 USD
Est. Shipping
April 2013
1 claimed

The Sponsor

$1,000 USD
Est. Shipping
March 2013
1 out of 4 of claimed

The Opportunist

$3,000 USD
Est. Shipping
April 2013
0 out of 4 of claimed
Highlights
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Like the video?  Then "Back" us by offering a donation in exchange for one of our delicious rewards! 

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We are dreaming big, but starting small...and MOBILE!

This campaign is to raise funds to put a down payment on a fully equipped Food Truck!  We hope to someday raise enough money to open a Fast-Casual restaurant, but also love the idea of mobile vending.  So, we are asking for your help in collecting funds to buy a truck.  If you have a few minutes, like Indian food, want to help us make TIkka Tikka Taco a reality, and can spare some cash in exchange for a reward, then please donate here and spread the word.  THANKS!

Tikka Tikka Taco Foodie Truck will "deliver" the unique and incredible flavors of Indo-Pak (Indian and Pakistani) cuisine in modern style; using fresh and high quality ingredients paired with a shiny, clean and attractive distribution method:  A Food Truck!

I know, I know, there are plenty of food trucks in the U.S.  There may even be a decent Indian food truck in your town (especially if you are sitting in Mumbai as you read this).  In my town though, NOPE.  And this isn't just about more of the same Indian food.  Our recipes have been adapted and modernized to appeal to the masses, thereby enabling me to introduce people to a new and exciting flavor!  All I need is the opportunity.

 

What We Need & What You Get

The request for $15,000 is to place a downpayment on the truck itself.  Right now we are doing some catering and working a booth at an upcoming event, but do not have enough cash to buy a truck.  So, if you can help us with as much as possible to put down, we will finance the rest.

On IndieGoGo, you will not get any ownership by donating, but you also do not have to walk empty-handed!  Hopefully, you find the rewards listed to the right to be compelling!

 

The Future.The Impact.The Dream

There are many people in this country that love ethnic food of all types.  We are a few of those people.  We have learned along the way that sometimes the difference between someone that loves vs. hates these foods are the way they are introduced.  So, we seek to introduce the masses to Indian Food in a way we feel will make them comfortable with it.  That's our vision! 

 

Other Ways You Can Help

Some people just can’t contribute, but that doesn’t mean they can’t help.  We also need to reach more and more people.  If you can help us reach thousands, even if they only donate $5, we can be successful!

Help us get the word out and make some noise about our campaign.  If your excited about helping us, others will be too!  

The message is simple, so feel free to copy and paste:  

Please help our friends and receive a delicious reward!  Click here, donate as little as $5, and spread the word further:  https://www.indiegogo.com/tikka

You can also use the Indiegogo share tools!

 

 

 Biography

 

Shaun and MikeWhile this idea is not exactly the reinvention of the wheel, it is a journey into a previously unoccupied space. So then, what makes me the ideal guide for this journey? The rather unique background I have experienced has led me to desire this type of food enough to bring it to market myself. My grandparents spent time living in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma before moving to the U.S. Having been raised in the United States by their son and my Italian mother has made me a very American man with a very ethnic taste for food. When I was young, I grew up on foods from all over Asia as well as my mother’s spaghetti and (well-meaning attempts at) meatloaf. I learned quickly what I liked and what I preferred not to eat, and most importantly, I learned about flavor. Of all the foods I enjoy today, there is nothing quite like the flavors represented in Indian and Pakistani cuisine.

My professional career (after leaving the restaurant industry) has been spent in three roles: as a Banker in 2005, then Mortgage Consultant in 2007 and now as a Sales Manager in charge of a team of Mortgage Consultants since 2010. I have been successful in each endeavor thanks to a relentless drive, good decision making, uncompromising ethics, and a skill for solving problems and recognizing patterns. I also have a substantial social network across the country that I plan to leverage to help this project succeed. I plan on trying to maintain my employment because I find the resources and network I have available to me at a national lender and bank to be extremely valuable, and I will need that income to maintain my non-business responsibilities. Thankfully, my brother Shaun has plenty of food service experience and will be right along side me managing the day to day truck operations.

 

Swaleh Family

 

I hope to have daily management responsibilities transferred to Shaun quickly so I can focus on business development and maintain my career at Citibank.  He has more recent restaurant experience as he currently works at Chili’s as a server and quality assurance manager.  Through his employment there he has access to a network of “industry” people that will come in handy to find trusted employees for our business.  As far as management experience, he has a unique skill set.  While he has never managed in a restaurant or in corporate America, he was a Team Leader in the 101st Airborne division of the U.S. Army.  During his deployment in Afghanistan he was responsible for a team of infantrymen and led several successful enemy engagements.  He was honorably discharged this year after earning his Expert Infantrymen Badge, Combat Infantrymen Badge, Air Assault Badge, two Army Accommodation Medals, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal as well as several others.  He made E5 quickly, as he was pinned Sergeant on his 3-year anniversary.

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