For someone who comes from a restaurateur family known for their mouth-watering idli-sambar, Lokesh Gupta was surprisingly not very fond of South Indian food as a child. “Now, my day starts with tasting everything that’s made in the kitchens. And I can’t get by without my daily fix of filter coffee; even if I’m not coming in to office, I make sure to stop and have some,” he smiles. The managing partner of Ratna Café in Triplicane, who took over from his father Rajendra Gupta a couple of years ago, has several plans for the popular restaurant.
A few months back, Lokesh successfully bid for a 12-year contract to run the food court at Chennai Central Railway Station. While they are yet to begin operations, that hasn’t stopped father and son from keeping their plans ready. Speaking at their small, modest office behind the billing counter at the Triplicane restaurant, Lokesh says, “This gives us an opportunity to change the perception of food that’s available at the station. Usually, people are worried about the quality, taste and freshness, but we want to ensure that not only is there safe and nutritious food, but also a wide variety of cuisines for them to choose from. No more watery soup and stale sandwiches.”
While it’s a project that’s vast and challenging, Lokesh says that he sees the potential for a lot of business. With four lakh people using the station every day, it’s going to be no mean feat, but he says, “With fresh food, great pricing and and interesting combos, we hope to bring customers back to us time and again.”
Although Lokesh trained to be an architect, he did not hesitate to take over the family business once his father asked him to. “Dad stepped down a couple of years back, but I still rely on him for business advice. He’s the expert and I’m a novice, but I’m learning every day; not just about the restaurant business, but also about the heritage of this cafe. A while ago, I found the very first menu card from 67 years ago — it was postcard-sized and had 10 items, with prices in annas and paisa.”
He credits the founder, his grand-uncle TrilokNath Gupta, for bringing basundhi, rasmalai and soan papdi to a South Indian restaurant. “I want to go back to our roots. This place was a hangout back in the day, and I want to bring that back,” says Lokesh, explaining that they have downscaled their corporate catering and intend to start several small fast-food units across the city, instead of having huge restaurants everywhere, which might not be as profitable. He also has plans to rope in his younger sister, who is a biotechnologist in the U.S., to help produce a range of frozen foods.
As for the original cafe, he has strict instructions from long-time diners that, in case of any renovations, he should not alter the nature of the dining area in any way. With a laugh, he says, “We still have a couple of granite tables that were part of the original furniture. Some of the customers, who are close to us, request for those tables only when they visit. Frankly, I’m a bit afraid to take up any redecoration here.”
Rajendra, who has been part of the cafe operations since he was 15 years old, started by packing food parcels. Now, he smiles as his son says, “I really wish someone had written down or preserved more of the history of the cafe. We don’t even know who it’s named after; no one in our family is called Ratna. Even dad has no idea.”
Apart from the business, Lokesh admits to being quite the foodie and doesn’t miss out on trying new places, with Italian cuisine being his favourite. But there’s one thing he’ll never eat at any other restaurant. With a grin, he says, “South Indian food, of course!”
