FROM FOOD TRUCK TO BRICK-AND-MORTAR

By Amy Lynch

In college, after graduation and now as a thriving entrepreneur, brotherhood means everything to Samir Idnani Georgia Tech ’01.

Born and raised in Georgia, Idnani moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with his family at age 9, returning to his home state to attend college in 1999.

“I loved math and physics, so I knew I wanted to study engineering,” he remembered. “Georgia Tech was a top-five school and only about a four-hour drive from Nashville, so I could stay fairly close to my family.” 

Samir hadn’t planned to go through rush but decided to check out a Phi Kappa Psi event during the fall of his sophomore year at the invitation of Tim Alman Georgia Tech ’00, one of the housing representatives in his dorm. 

“As I got to know the brothers as individuals, I realized that the fraternity experience was much different than what I had initially envisioned,” Idnani said. “No one in my family had ever been in a fraternity, and I had a preconceived idea in mind based on what I’d seen on TV and in the movies. Everybody was so friendly, and I really appreciated their commitment to academics, to having fun and to just being good people.” 

When Idnani pledged Phi Psi in the spring, Alman became his big brother in the house. 

“Samir was a very active member,” Alman recalled. “We didn’t have a large group at the time, as we were still building the colony and working to transition to a chapter. Samir was always willing to pitch in and take on leadership roles. I was so happy when he later decided to run for president; he became the leader the chapter needed to keep growing.”

From his Phi Psi experience, Idnani took away life lessons that included leadership and team-building skills as well as the ability to live and work with a variety of people — strengths that have served him well in his career.

After graduating in 2004, Idnani moved to Chicago where he worked a few years for Caterpillar. He then went into real estate development with his uncle for a short time before entering business school. In a major shift from his mechanical engineering degree, inspiration struck for a fast-casual restaurant concept showcasing his mother’s recipes.

“I had no idea I would wind up working in the restaurant industry,” he laughed. “Growing up, when friends who’d never had Indian food before would come to our house, they’d raid the fridge and devour everything!

We kept trying to convince my mom to open a restaurant in Nashville; we wanted to figure out how to introduce the Indian dishes we loved to an American market, making them accessible and fun to eat.”

After performing a feasibility analysis and writing up a business plan (winning best idea in his class), Idnani discovered his notion actually had legs. In 2011, he and his brother, Neal, teamed up to found NaanStop as a food truck concept in Los Angeles, moving the enterprise back to Georgia in 2012. Now, the business operates out of two permanent metro Atlanta-based locations serving salads, samosas and build-your-own rice bowls and wraps with a selection of proteins (Idnani says chicken tikka masala is the most popular choice). It’s now on the verge of franchising.

“I’m so thankful that I have my brother in the business with me, because that means we have each other to rely on,” Idnani said. “We always know that we’re going to have each other’s back, no matter what happens.” 

Through the years, Idnani has stayed in touch with Alman and his Phi Psi brothers as well. 

“Everyone I graduated with has been extremely supportive of the business,” he said. “I usually meet up with a big cohort of Phi Psi alumni once a year, and NaanStop donates food for Georgia Tech Rush events each fall and spring. I let the brothers know they can contact me and we’ll take care of them. They help us with distributing flyers, and we
help them with food, so it’s a win-win.”

While Idnani acknowledges that fraternity life isn’t for everyone, he urges prospective pledges to keep an open mind when exploring opportunities to find a community on campus. 

“Whatever your interests, there is a group out there for you,” he said. “For some people, it’s a sports organization or a business fraternity. For me, it was a social fraternity where I found a group of like-minded young men I knew I wanted to be part of. Every fraternity is different. I truly loved my experience with Phi Psi.”