Working Model
And how Bhatia’s ventures have worked — with five restaurants in the GCC (one in Dubai, two in Doha, and one in Saudi Arabia with another slated to open in February 2014) on the cards, he isn’t showing any signs of stopping.
On the international front he says nothing is finalised yet although there are three or four projects in the works. Bhatia adds: “We are looking at North America, we are looking at the Far East, and we are looking at India very closely.”
When asked specifically about the region, Bhatia reveals: “We are looking at doing more projects in the UAE. Abu Dhabi is a great place to look at and we are very keen to do something there down the line.
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“We would also like one more venture in Dubai, with a slightly different kind of a setup — something more informal and casual. We already have fine dining, so there’s no point in doing a second. We are thinking of something which complements the fine dining, with a better price point so you can have a larger volume of people coming through. But we will strongly focus on quality of product, which is paramount for us.”
Speaking about new openings, will he consider opening in the newly opened The Oberoi Dubai, considering his relationship with the group in India — his highly acclaimed Indian restaurant Ziya has tasted success in The Oberoi Mumbai?
“No. I would consider whatever comes my way but I have never in my life gone and said, open my restaurant. The Oberoi has opened up in Dubai and I’m pretty pleased, and very happy to note that a lot of stuff they have used has been inspired by my restaurant in Mumbai, Ziya — the table set-up and layout are nearly identical so I must have done something right for them to have taken that further. I wish them all the luck; they are still friends of ours.
“People always say, ‘more Indian restaurants are opening up, there’s more competition’. And I say, yes the more the merrier ... you will always know the masters from the boys. As long as you have an ace up your sleeve you will do well.
The main thing is to look after your guest. As long as you continue doing that they will come and Dubai can take 10 more Indegos’ — they will all survive. There are so many people going out to eat. It’s a very buoyant industry.”
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