This Wichita convenience store has just added an Indian food drive-though

He’d hoped to have his biryani restaurant open by now.

But a family emergency took Ahsan Tahir’s mother and head chef — Shafqat Tahir — unexpectedly out of the country.

Now, though, she’s back, and Tahir has opened his Biryani Express, a new food business he’s operating out of the Super Express gas station at 2849 W. 13th St. that he’s owned since 2017.

Tahir is now serving biryani — a popular Indian dish that’s made with rice, various meats and vegetables — both to-go and from a drive-through window at the store. People can choose from regular or large servings of classic chicken, spicy chicken, classic beef or spicy beer biryani.

Once the restaurant is more established, Tahir said, he plans to expand the menu.

He quietly started serving food last week, Tahir said, but now he’s ready for bigger crowds. He’s also planning to launch the business on Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats starting today.

Tahir’s mother, who in her native Pakistan was a well-known doctor who ran her own clinic, also is an excellent cook, he said, and she’s preparing the food out of a commercial kitchen space Tahir is renting at Studio School at 751 George Washington Blvd.

The hours for Biryani Express are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, call 316-303-5755.

Biryani Express menu