‘No Talent Involved’: How Bad TikToks Boosted a Curry House
Urban Tandoor, an Indian restaurant in southwest England, is using terrible music video parodies made by its staff to bring in new and younger guests.
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Isabella Kwai reported from Bristol, where she watched Urban Tandoor film their TikToks and tried their food.
The tables were filling up at Urban Tandoor, a British curry house wholesome enough for a family meal and elegant enough for a low-key first date. Painted flowers twist up its entrance and lights adorn the colorful walls inside, a homage to Bristol’s artistic reputation. The local haunt in southwest England promises an array of crowd-pleasers, from jalfrezi to moilee.
But it wasn’t only the food that had brought diners to Urban Tandoor on a recent evening.
“Their TikToks,” said Jake Smith, 22, who was celebrating his birthday. “I think they’re hilarious.”
Staff members at this local institution have charmed an audience online with their versions of pop songs, anthems and trends. By most judges of talent, the covers are, well, bad.
@urbantandoorbristol Come on bhaji lets go party 🕺 #urbantandoorbristol #urbantandooruk #urbantandoor #bristoluk #barbiethemovie #barbiegirl #barbie ♬ original sound - Urban Tandoor
There is “Bhaji Girl,” in which two employees wear blond wigs à la Barbie and Ken and sing about chutney. There’s a “Grease”-inspired “You’re the Naan That I Want,” featuring the group in leather and lipstick. In “Mr. Riceside,” the popular Killers anthem becomes a tale of a diner whose eyes are bigger than his stomach.
You might, kindly, describe the dancing as “fervent.”
The singing, reminiscent of a bevy of uncles at a karaoke night, is possibly worse. But production value is beside the point. And their “so-bad-it’s-good” marketing campaign is working, said Sujith D’almeida, the restaurant’s owner.
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