Does he look like a man who's winding up his business?

Indigo, the restaurant that put Mumbai on the global fine dining map celebrates its 12th anniversary on Sunday, even as rumours of the restaurant shutting down are doing the rounds. Business at Indigo took a hit after the 26/11 terror attacks, and owners Rahul and Malini Akerkar who opened the restaurant in 1999 in a bylane behind the Taj Mahal hotel, divested their stake in deGustibus Hospitality the same year, to open Tote on the Turf at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. While Rahul remains the managing director of the company, the board now has a new chairman, Naresh Oberoi and eight other directors, besides the Akerkars.


Rahul Akerkar. Pic/ Prathik Panchamia

DeGustibus Hospitality is the parent company under which brands Indigo, Indigo Deli, Indigo Cafe, Tote on the Turf and catering service Moveable Feast, operate. In an interview with Sunday MiD DAY, the Akerkars assert that Indigo is fine, reveal their plans of expanding to New Delhi by the year end, and tell us why all the competition from newly-opened SoBo eateries in their neighbourhood is actually good news for them.

Is Indigo shutting down?
Rahul: Not at all!
Malini: These are baseless rumours. If we were shutting down, we wouldn't be expanding to Delhi.

What are your plans for Delhi?
Malini: We are planning to open an Indigo by the year-end and follow that up with an Indigo Deli in New Delhi. We would like to do several more Indigo Delis, our all-day caf ufffd chain. We are looking at a couple of delis in Delhi. We may not open more Indigos other than the one in New Delhi.

Why Delhi, and not Bengaluru or Chennai?
Rahul: Delhi is probably the next obvious market, in terms of returns, financial viability of projects and risk. It is the best option.
Malini: Delhi is a huge foodie market and our obvious choice. Bangalore shuts down at 11 pm, Delhi doesn't. I used to live in Delhi as a kid and I've seen it change and become quite an exciting city.

Do you have an expansion plan in place?
Rahul: Whenever you have a restaurant company, there is always a thought in the back of everyone's mind concerning growth. Your shareholders and partners expect growth too. However, there is no five or 10-year plan on paper, on the basis of which we are rolling things out. Ours is more of a time-based or opportunity-based growth.

A lot of new trendy restaurants have come up in Indigo's neighbourhood, like LPQ and The Table. But in the middle of all this, Villa 39 shut down. What does Indigo do to survive?
Rahul: It's not a question of surviving in South Bombay, it's a question of surviving, period. A lot people get into the restaurant business thinking it's a very sexy business. The fact is that (the business) is a pain in the a'', because you work when everyone else plays, and then you spend the rest of the time gearing up for work.

Restaurants always start with a bang. They do well in the first six months and then go through a cyclical phase when business is slow, like in the monsoon or during summer holidays. That's when inexperienced operators are caught unawares and scramble to find a way out.

When Tendulkar's first opened, a lot of hype and interest was generated. My dad was asked whether I was worried about competition from it and he replied, saying would Tendulkar be worried if I picked up a bat. We are not worried, we are here to stay.

Malini: I think it's great, because it means more people will come to this area to eat. Initially the restaurants may have affected us, but it is fantastic for the environment of the city that more restaurants are opening. We welcome more restaurants, because when you have that kind of competition, you have great food.

What's your secret to tackling competition?
Malini: Serve great food.
Rahul: And stay original. The minute you start aping someone else, you are doomed.