SNAPSHOT — Mama Tigre

| BY ED AVIS | Mixing Mexican cuisine with other ethnic flavors is not new — many fusion cuisines have appeared in recent years. But the owners of Mama Tigre in Oakton, Virginia did not develop their fusion of Mexican and Indian food just because it tastes great. They also wanted to unite people.

“We wanted to bring cultures together,” says Renu Prakash, who owns Mama Tigre with her husband Ajay Prakash. “We wanted to convey the idea of getting together, of sharing. Let’s not say the food tastes Mexican or Indian, let’s just say it tastes great. And we’re not just Americans or Indians or brown or black or blue, we’re all in this together.”

Mama Tigre opened in the summer of 2020, but the idea of combining Indian and Mexican flavors was brewing in Prakash’s mind since the couple opened

their first restaurant, Café 10, in 1983. That restaurant focused on healthy sandwiches and salads, but when they did a “Taco Tuesday” special, the line was out the door.

“We figured, ‘Wow, there’s something good about a taco,’” says Prakash. “That’s where our journey began to explore the cuisine, traveling to Mexico a few times a year, going to roadside cafes and little corner restaurants in small cities in Mexico to really explore the food.”

The couple, who met when they were teenagers in Mumbai, India, quickly noticed the parallels between Mexican and Indian cuisine. Both cultures incorporate a variety of peppers and chiles in their food, as well as ingredients such as cumin and cilantro. And many Mexican dishes have twins in India. Mexican lamb birria, for example, is similar to rogan josh, an intense Indian lamb stew.

Mama Tigre translates to tiger mom, and Prakash feels like she is the tiger mom of the restaurant.

“There is a depiction in Indian mythology of the goddess Durga who rides a tiger,” Prakash says. “It depicts the woman’s capability of being on two extremes – you are the most loving, kind and nurturing, but also you can ride the tiger, you can tame the tiger. So that’s for me. I’ve felt that in the last years there has been a lot of male energy in the world that is aggressive and selfish. There was an unbalance. We needed more feminine energy to bring understanding. So, there’s a lot of female energy in this restaurant. Mama Tigre conveys that I’m doing all I can to bring you good food and nurturing, but I’m not weak. We’re bringing balance to this world.”

In 1987, the couple opened Casa Rico in Frederick, Maryland; over subsequent decades they opened 10 Casa Ricos and one restaurant called Tequila Grande. The food in those restaurants was decidedly Mexican, but Prakash occasionally slipped in some Indian flavors to add complexity.

“I was using some Indian ingredients all along, but it was in a subtle manner,” Prakash says. “I was feeling a little guilty about that. So, when I opened Mama Tigre, it was, ‘Hey, let’s just be out there and tell the world this is what we do.’ Mama Tigre is using the mixed cuisines in a very bold way, and those are the most popular dishes on the menu. I find people are ready for the spicier flavors and the complexity. They say, ‘Give me clove, give me cinnamon, give me star anise.’ I’ve become to feel like an artist. I’m using spices the way a painter would, adding them to dishes to create another layer of taste and flavor.”

another.” — RENU PRAKASH

Prakash’s artistry in mixing the cuisines is evident in Mama Tigre’s menu. Consider the Crispy Cauliflower Tacos, which are described as “Spice rubbed charred cauliflower, exotic tikka masala sauce, sesame seeds, queso fresco, spicy mango chutney.” Or the Chicken Tikka Fajitas — “Spicy! With basmati rice, charro beans, toasted naan bread, habanero-mint-cucumber crema, jalapeños, pickled onions.” Or the Masala Enchiladas, which are topped with “a spicy queso-tikka masala sauce.”

Those dishes express the union of cultures that Prakash aims for.

“I believe we have a moral responsibility to share our talents,” she says. “They should not be used just to make money — they must be used for bigger purposes, to spread the feeling of solidarity, to make us all become aware of one another.”

Mama Tigre has thrived, despite opening at the height of the pandemic, and Prakash says they may open one or two more locations. They don’t want to expand to the point where they can’t be intimately involved. “We all want to stay very much involved, so the restaurant has the personal touch it’s supposed to have,” she says. “We want customers to always feel that energy and passion.”

ABOUT OUR DATA: The information that allows us to create the Top 50 Mexican MultiUnits list comes from several sources. It starts with data from restaurantdata.com, which compiles multi-unit information year around. In many cases, we further refine the data by visiting the multi-units’ websites, reviewing their press or investors’ material, and talking with company representatives. The numbers are not 100 percent accurate – chains open and close locations constantly – but we believe they are the most accurate available.

| BY ED AVIS | COVID affected many aspects of the Mexican/Latin restaurant business, but it did not stop the growth for many multiunits. In fact, our research shows that the number of units operated by the largest 50 multi-unit brands has steadily climbed since the pandemic hit, from 15,811 units in 2020 to 16,702 units this year.

This stands to reason, as most multi-units offer robust delivery, drive-through and/ or patio service. It’s probable that all of the top 50 multiunits offer delivery, at least with a third-party service, and 17 of the top 50 have drive-throughs at most or all of their locations. Furthermore, a majority of them — 35 out of 50 — have patios as part of their store design, allowing them to serve clients on-premise even when dining rooms were shut down.

New to the Top 50 list this year are Velvet Taco and Fajita Pete’s.

Velvet Taco, based in Dallas, has steadily added units during the pandemic. The restaurant is known for its gourmet tacos — such as the Chicken and Waffle taco, the Falafel taco, and the Korean Fried Rice taco — and lively dining rooms that stay open late. It debuts at 43rd place on our list, with 30 units. The company, founded in 2011, says it will have 40 units by the end of 2022.

Fajita Pete’s, founded in Houston in 2008, opened a dozen locations in 2021 and debuts on our Top 50 list at 48th place, with 27 locations. As the name implies, the restaurant specializes in fajitas, with several “family size” options on its menu. Part of Fajita Pete’s success is due to its focus on off-premise dining, which definitely has helped since COVID started.

Read on to learn about the growth strategies of two other Mexican multi-units, Barberitos and Freebirds World Burrito.

Downing Barber, owner of burrito chain Barberitos, is looking forward to growth in his company as COVID and other challenges ease. Barberitos has 51 locations spread from Virginia to Florida.

“We were growing rapidly before COVID, and then over COVID we lost three or four stores and now we’re back growing again,” says Barber, who founded the restaurant in 2000. “We have four stores in construction now.”

Barber says COVID taught his company a few lessons