Zorawar Kalra: Man on a Mission
Zorawar Kalra, son of celebrity chef Jiggs Kalra, is the Founder and Managing Director of Massive Restaurants Pvt. Ltd., a venture focused on a chain of fine dining and casual smart restaurants, along with a chain of luxury mithai shops. Zorawar’s famous father previously established and successfully exited the acclaimed multi-award winning brand Punjab Grill, putting him on the map and making him a celebrity known name. Here, Zorawar shares his story of success and business philosophy.
How has having a celebrity chef / restaurateur father influenced your vision?
My father’s father was in the armed forces. However, coming from a family of foodies and being influenced by his mother made him interested in delving deeper into food. He has over 40 years of experience studying, promoting and redefining Indian cuisine globally, and it is his passion for Indian food that has influenced my vision over the years. Both of us believe that it is the responsibility of Indian people to showcase our cuisine to the rest of the world in a way that retains its authenticity.
My father is an institution of knowledge on Indian cuisine and it is an honor for us to have him as a mentor and guiding force behind our brands. Having said that, I believe his strength lies in the cuisine itself, while my expertise is handling the business end of things. Both of us come up with some great ideas, but we spend hours discussing each of our perspectives to make sure they work from a cuisine vision standpoint as well as a business standpoint. We both have our respective strengths and complement each other really well.
Why did you decide to focus on opening chains vs. individual restaurants? What is your vision for Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, Made in Punjab, and Luxury Mithai?
The beginning for every chain starts with a flagship restaurant. But the intent of developing a chain of the same brand is simple; we want to offer our guests across cities/countries the chance to experience authentic Indian flavors, which we believe are often lacking in today’s more commercialized restaurants.
For us, Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra is still just a restaurant with one location globally, while Made in Punjab, which is a more scalable concept, has two operational locations in Delhi- NCR and Mumbai. We are looking at expanding Made in Punjab at a faster pace than Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, which is more of a premium fine dining progressive Indian cuisine concept. We only plan to have one of these restaurants per city to maintain the integrity and visionary aspect of the brand. The next international location of Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra is likely to be in the Middle East, followed by further expansion within India, Europe, and the United States at some point. With Made in Punjab, we are hoping to add another five to six locations within the next year.
We are also introducing a revolutionary new brand, Farzi Café, which will be a unique, first of its kind modern Indian bistro and tapas concept. The flagship of this brand will be launching in Delhi-NCR in the next couple of months, after which we plan on expanding it to the rest of India. Lastly, Luxury Mithai is a very premium brand ideation for which we are still in the process of finalizing the concept. We will hopefully be ready to introduce a few locations of the brand within the next year across key markets in India.
Who is your greatest source of inspiration?
All I know about Indian cuisine, I attribute to my grandmother and my father. Both of them have been my inspiration for loving Indian cuisine and wanting to take it to the next level.
What do you think could be improved in the Indian dining scene today?
While there has been tremendous response to our restaurant Made in Punjab from guests and critics alike, our premium fine dining concept Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra has established new benchmarks in the Indian culinary scene. From winning nine prestigious and critically acclaimed awards in less than seven months to having a fifteen day waiting period for reservations to serving Indian cuisine in a manner which entices all five senses, Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra has been instrumental in setting new standards. While it gives us immense pride to have established a dining destination which is appreciated by people across the city, it shows that there is great opportunity for innovation in the Indian dining industry.
How do you manage so many different ventures at the same time?
I have always believed that if you invest in people, half the battle is won right there. I have an extremely bright and hard working team, from the top-level management to the line cooks. Moreover, we believe in the concept of teamwork so while everyone has their specific job descriptions, a chef will go to tables and serve if help is required, without having to be asked. It’s about good people and giving them a sense of ownership. Building the kind of culture where employees feel it’s their company has made it easier for me to entrust others with critical tasks so I can manage multiple ventures successfully.
If you could change one decision you’ve made to date, what would it be?
I don’t believe in looking back. Whatever decisions I’ve made in life, personal or professional, have enabled me to become a better restaurateur, businessman, son, husband, father and above all, a better person. I don’t regret any decisions I’ve made to date and don’t think that there’s anything I’ve done in the past which, if given another opportunity, I would like to redo.
What are your top 3 passions / interests in life?
My family is most important to me, especially my three month old daughter, Aaliyah, and my son, Fateh. They take most of my free time these days! After that, technology interests me greatly so I like to keep myself in touch with the latest gadgets. And most of my Sunday mornings are spent at the golf course teeing off with friends or driving our sports cars at the Budh International circuit.