Avinash Byanna
Lost Caravan, Church Street
Travel is the overriding theme at The Lost Caravan on Church Street, with the décor, menu card and the food having associations with various aspects of travel.
It was set up by 27 year old IT professional Avinash Byanna. He says, “ I was working with Amazon for a couple of years, but never enjoyed my stint as an engineer. I always wanted to do something on my own. My family was in the liquor business and had all the licences in place and that ensured that The Lost Caravan came into being. I put in a lot of effort to make this place different from the rest and came up with the travel themed bar and kitchen concept. I have enjoyed the journey so far and am getting used to the pressures of running a business.”
He adds, “Bengaluru is a city full of people who have the money and are willing to try out different things. In the restaurant business, this is a new development. A decade ago, you would not see many standalone restopubs in the city.
With more youngsters making the city their home, and an army of investors willing to back people with a strong idea, it is a good time to think about starting a new restaurant.”
Karthik Shankar
Sotally Tober, Koramangala
Six months ago, 32-year-old Karthik Shankar, quit his plush marketing job at United Spirits to fulfil his childhood dream with his friends Prarthana Prathap, a hotel management graduate and CA Niveditha. Karthik says, “We decided to do something different and took it up a as a challenge to run our restobar, Sotally Tober. We took help from consultants and wanted to get the basics right. We felt that often in an attempt to stand out from the crowd, restaurants forget their basic function and that results in disaster.”
He adds, “Bengalureans are receptive to new ideas. It is known for start-ups, in all fields and the restaurant business is also not immune to this trend and does not always stick to established brands alone.
Bengalurans are willing to experiment and is very informed about the latest innovations. It is scary but will help bringing about more innovation. At Sotally Tober, We introduced a range of liquor glazed dishes that are extremely popular, went with quirky décor and created a watering hole kind of atmosphere. The response has been great so far.”
Amit Ahuja
Open box, St. Marks Road
Real estate consultant Amit Ahuja was toying with a idea to start something on his own, when he learnt that Spiga, an upmarket restaurant on St.Marks Road was shifting out to a new location. “A friend suggested that I should take up the space and try something on my own and The Open Box was born.”
Initially, Amit decided to balance his work with the modalities of setting up and running a restaurant. “As I got more and more involved, I decided to quit my job and entered the restaurant business full-time. We focused on getting the basics right and divided the space up, so that a cross section of people will find it comfortable, from young college students to corporate professionals and families.”
With his savings in place, Money was not a major concern for Amit. “I had some savings and approached the project like any other business venture. We are already looking at expanding and moving to different locations and experimenting with newer concepts. We believe in being creative and tried out new things in everything from design décor to crafting the menu. Our most popular dishes are fusion cuisine from across the world, including a Thai interpretation of the Biryani.”
He adds, “In Bengaluru, this trend of new restaurants has caught up with many stand alone restaurants managing to innovate and gain popularity. Unlike Delhi or Mumbai, where customers prefer an established chain, people in Bengaluru are willing to give you a chance and showcase your skills. If you start out in a big city without a background in the industry, you may end up being forced to shut shop. That is something that does not happen in Bengaluru, where most of our sales have been driven by word of mouth publicity alone.”
Vikram Baderiya
Horn OK Please
26 year old Vikram Baderiya has been creating startups and working on freelance projects for almost a decade. “I am an engineer and have founded three startups. I had created a plan to set up a restaurant in 2011, but that plan did not work out. I started to think about starting a resteraunt a year ago and did my research about how to go about it. I hired professionals and used my experience in marketing and product creation to use. We are attempting to give a contemporary feel to the highway dhabas.”
He contends, “Starting a restaurant on your own is a huge risk. You need to know what you are getting into , despite the occasional success stories like Fasoos. It is changing a lot. I am happy with what I have done and do not think I am going back to an IT job again.”
