Nepal's Ethnic food idea
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Initially compiled on Nov 5, 2025
Note: A lot of this was improved using genAI, but there’s more that needs to be done. I’ve been thinking and planning around this for the last three years! Lots of money to be made, lots of money to be invested!
Creating a standard for Nepal’s ethnic foods
The goal is to make Nepali ethnic foods a global brand, protect their authenticity, and boost the national economy. This is a two-part plan to solve the problems of weak branding and high barriers for new restaurants.
If Nepalis don’t do it, someone else will, and ‘steal’ Nepal’s global culinary branding. See the Indian “Momo King” brand that runs thousands of global franchisees under it’s brand. No Nepali involvement.
Opportunities for which ethnic food? Newari, Thakali, Tharu, Tamang(?), Who else? Maybe aboriginal peoples?
The Two Core Solutions
1. Supply-Side: Building the Foundation
The main tool is the Restaurant Opening Template for each ethnic cuisine (Thakali, Newar, Tharu, etc.). This template is a complete business guide to make opening a restaurant easy and reliable.
| Template Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Menus & Recipes | Detailed, step-by-step instructions to ensure consistent quality and cultural accuracy. |
| Sourcing & Logistics | In-depth lists of regional farmers and suppliers to create a reliable supply chain for authentic ingredients. |
| Design & Ambiance | Guidelines for architecture, décor, and music to create an authentic cultural dining experience. |
| Training | Optional courses on cooking techniques, management, and food safety for new owners. |
Templates will be made in multiple tiers (basic, mid-range, upscale) to fit different budgets and will focus on flexibility for the owner’s personal touch.
2. Demand-Side: Creating Buzz and Branding
This will use a high-impact, low-cost marketing strategy.
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The Competition: A nationwide social media contest (YouTube/TikTok) where people submit videos showcasing their ethnic cuisine’s recipes and restaurant concepts. This will create a massive amount of content to generate excitement and drive global interest.
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The Brand: Establish a “Nepali Select” certification (like Thailand’s “Thai Select”) to assure customers of quality and authenticity, combatting the “dilution” of brands like Thakali khana. This will be backed by a simple, voluntary checklist for adherence to core elements.
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Targeted Marketing: Use Nepali migrants abroad as “culinary ambassadors.” Promote the food globally by stressing that it is unique and different from Indian/Chinese cuisine.
Benefits
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Empowering Entrepreneurs: The templates significantly lower the cost and effort of opening an authentic ethnic restaurant, making it easier for new entrepreneurs, including Nepali migrants abroad.
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Cultural Preservation: The project involves deep field research and community workshops to document and preserve authentic traditional recipes and cooking techniques.
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Economic Growth: Creating a demand for authentic ethnic ingredients boosts local farmers and suppliers across all regions of Nepal, leading to increased local tourism and potential food exports.
Getting Started
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Initial Focus: Start with a pilot project focused on the Thakali community to demonstrate success and create a unified brand and supply chain. Maybeee. Maybe other ethnicities? Whoever is the most willing!
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Funding: Seek support from the Ministry of Tourism, Nepal Tourism Board, local governments, and private investors.
Timeline (15 Months)
This plan is divided into three main phases: Foundation, Execution, and Scaling. It starts with the Thakali Pilot and the launch of the Demand-Side marketing.
Phase 1: Foundation and Pilot Launch (Months 1–5)
The focus is on funding, team building, and launching the high-impact social media campaign.
| Month | Focus | Key Activities | Output/Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Securing Support | Engage key partners (Tourism Board, Ministry, Investors). Secure initial funding for the Thakali Pilot. Form the core project team (Culinary, Marketing, Logistics). | Funding Secured. Core team hired. |
| 3 | Thakali Pilot Design | Partner with the 5–7 interested Thakali restaurant owners. Design the “Great Thakali Food Challenge” competition rules, prize structure, and social media promotion strategy. | Thakali Pilot Plan finalized. Competition rules ready. |
| 4 | Demand Launch | Launch the “Great Thakali Food Challenge” on YouTube and TikTok. Start the national conversation about ethnic cuisine standardization. Hire a research team for Step 1: Research and Collaboration. | Social media buzz starts. Research fieldwork begins. |
| 5 | Initial Template Research | Host the first Community Workshops for Thakali cuisine. Document signature dishes, key ingredients, and traditional techniques for the template. Start mapping the Thakali supply chain. | “Basic Thakali Standard” documented. Competition entries coming in. |
Phase 2: Execution and Tool Development (Months 6–10)
Focus on creating the first full-detail templates and running the competition.
| Month | Focus | Key Activities | Output/Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-7 | Template Creation | Step 2: Template Development begins. Use competition video entries and research to write detailed recipes, sourcing guides, and design guidelines for the Thakali Template. Final judging of the competition. | First Full Thakali Template draft completed. Competition winners announced. |
| 8 | Supply Chain & Training | Building a Sustainable Supply Chain begins: Document the database of Thakali regional suppliers/farmers. Draft the content for the basic Training Programs (culinary and management). | Draft Training Modules ready. Supplier database launched. |
| 9-10 | Refinement and Brand Kit | Final review and testing of the Thakali Template by partners. Create high-quality photography, videography, and translation for the final template. Design the “Thakali Select” certification logo and simple checklist. | Final Thakali Restaurant Template. “Thakali Select” brand kit ready. |
Phase 3: Scaling and New Cuisine Rollout (Months 11–15)
Roll out the core tools and applying the model to other ethnic groups.
| Month | Focus | Key Activities | Output/Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Rollout & Training | Officially launch the Thakali Restaurant Template and the optional Training Programs to aspiring entrepreneurs. Launch the “Nepali Select” certification for voluntary self-assessment. | First Template Rolled Out. Entrepreneurs start using the template. |
| 12 | New Cuisine Research | Apply the same research model to the next 2-3 ethnic cuisines (e.g., Newar and Tharu). Host first Community Workshops for these new groups. | Next Set of Cuisines initiated. |
| 13-15 | Scaling the Model | Launch a new, broader Social Media Competition covering all ethnic cuisines. Continue Template Development for Newar and Tharu. Secure funding for the next year. | New Templates in Progress. Project is proven and ready for full national scaling. |
The initial contribution of two lakhs (NPR 200,000) from each of the five to seven Thakali owners is seed money. It will be spent directly on the demand-side activities that create immediate brand value and content.
The main expenses for this pilot will be content creation and market outreach, not paperwork or long-term research (which the main project fund will cover later).
Assuming five owners contribute, the total pilot budget is NPR 10 lakhs (NPR 1,000,000).
Here is a breakdown of where that initial money would go:
| Category | Estimated Percentage | Estimated Cost (NPR) | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Production for Competition (Pilot Episode/Promo) | 40% | 4,00,000 | To hire a small production team (videographer, editor, director) to film the pilot episode and promotion videos for “The Great Thakali Food Challenge.” High-quality video is important! |
| Social Media Advertising & Promotion | 30% | 3,00,000 | Direct ad spend on platforms like TikTok and YouTube to push the pilot episode and competition rules to a wide audience. |
| Prizes and Incentives for Competition Winners | 15% | 1,50,000 | Cash or equipment prizes for the winners of the Thakali Food Challenge (menu, recipe, or branding ideas). |
| Workshop and Documentation Costs | 10% | 1,00,000 | Costs for the initial community workshop to document the “Basic Thakali Standard” (hall rental, travel for a food historian, printing materials). |
| Administration and Contingency | 5% | 50,000 | Small costs like bank fees, minor legal review of rules, and unexpected expenses. |
| Total | 100% | 10,00,000 | Total Pilot Budget |
Logic for the Spend:
The initial money is a marketing investment that will pay dividends soon enough
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We need content! Cannot rely on people to create good content for free. The money pays for a professional video crew for high quality videos.
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We need reach! Digital advertising is easy way reach thousands of people and start a trend. Maybe more effective than traditional marketing.
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We want results! The prizes give people a reason to spend time creating and submitting the high-quality recipes, designs, and sourcing ideas that will form the backbone of the final Thakali Restaurant Template.
