Indian American restaurateurs cash in on craving for comfort food in bad times

The Covid-19 pandemic hit the hospitality sector hard in America last year.
But for Indian American business partners and friends, Anthony Sankar and Premnath Durairaj, the story of installing their own bistro in the US has been very opposite and hopeful.
Their Spice Kraft Indian Bistro, which opened its doors in Alexandria in the state of Virginia in 2019, became a go to place for desi community members for comfort food during the pandemic.
Last year, the duo even moved to a bigger place and set up another bistro in Arlington nearby.

The two graduated from culinary school in the late 90s and kicked off their careers at Taj Coromandel in Chennai. “We met at the hotel and became good friends. From there, we moved to the United States to work with Marriott Hotels on a cultural exchange programme, after which we started working in an Indian restaurant, gained some exposure, and then were finally able to open our own restaurant as we dreamed of,” Sankar recollects.
The duo ran a smaller restaurant but saw an opportunity to move to a bigger space and extend their brand when they opened the twin bistros in northern Virginia. The properties they found were perfect because they replaced two other Indian restaurants Bombay Curry Company in Del Ray and Delhi Club in Clarendon and there was no need to buy tandoor ovens which were already installed.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Spice Kraft Indian Bistro, located in a family-friendly neighbourhood, was popular among mainstream customers and not just Indians. But the pandemic hit restaurants hard across America and exposed the vulnerability of Indian cuisine to flourish in the mainstream American culture.
“People tend to stay with comfort food during times like these. We are not only dependent on the Indian community to thrive in this situation, but simply just to survive,” Sankar says. People like to eat out, but the pandemic has made them order delivery and curb side pick-up more than dine-in, he adds. “Fortunately, we had adapted well to the technology before the pandemic itself - offering online ordering, partnering with a delivery service, etc.”
From the best samosas to braised lamb shank, these restaurants offer the entire range of Indian cuisine. And with vegetarianism becoming a fashionable option in the US, there’s a lot on platter that attracts that segment of customers.
“We believe in accommodating vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores with an innovative restaurant menu that will make customers feel welcome. Many diehard non-vegetarians quickly replaced chicken tikka masala with its vegetarian counterparts like vegetable, tofu, or paneer tikka masala,” says Chef Durairaj.
Customers can even customise their own classic dish with a protein and sauce of their choice. There’s a dedicated menu section for vegans and gluten-free lovers.
“We have a moderate number of fusion dishes and mixed drinks such as chicken tikka burger with potato kuri kuri fries; quinoa kale kofta with turmeric coconut sauce; lamb shank rogan josh with south Indian potato mash; blueberry chutney martini and curry leaves and smoked cumin margarita,” Chef Durairaj told us.
Despite the US economy opening up after the pandemic, challenges remain. “From workforce issues to Indian grocery supply chain and increase in product prices, we face many challenges. Fortunately, we didn’t get hit by the pandemic as much as other restaurants, mainly due to effective management of our operating expenses and adapting to the changing situations, Sankar says.
The two friends are now planning to install new branches of the restaurant at a couple of locations in Washington DC and Maryland.