The Hindu Business Line : Mars Hotels plans to take `Dabbawallah' to US, London

Come March '06 and Manhattan's smart set can look forward to dining at Mars' newest restaurant, `Dabbawallah', which is scheduled to open at a suburban Manhattan location.

The 100-seater restaurant will serve up the taste of India with a twist and will be targeted more at the local American rather than the Indian community there, Mr Narang told Business Line on Tuesday. "The food will be different from the usual chicken tikka, kaali dal fare that Indian restaurants abroad serve and the accent will be on lighter, more innovative fare."

The restaurant is being designed around the concept of the Mumbai dabbawallah and diners walking into the restaurant, with its open style kitchen will be served their food steaming hot, in what else, but gleaming dabbas! "The food at Dabbawallah will be Indian fusion, the dosa with an interesting innovation and much more," adds Mr Samir Kuckreja, Joint Managing Director, Mars Hotels & Restaurants.

While the Manhattan project will be owned by the company, the 140-cover restaurant in central London will be in joint venture with a local partner according to Mr Kuckreja, who said the restaurant will be launched in June 2006.

Mar's gameplan in its overseas ventures, to begin with, seems to be providing value for money, casual dining options to those interested in Indian food but unable to afford eating in the expensive Indian restaurants abroad. While a meal in an upmarket Indian restaurant will typically put diners back by $75-80, a meal at Dabbawallah will be priced in the range of $35-40. "We are not positioning ourselves in the premium segment. Instead we will be in the mid-segment but attract footfalls by the variety on offer on our menu," Mr Kuckreja said.

Mars, which runs at least seven F&B brands including Not Just Jazz By The Bay, Tendulkars, Dosa Diner and Roti in the domestic market, has its sights firmly set on other overseas markets too says Mr Kuckreja. "We will establish the first two restaurants, learn from them and take it to other markets abroad. Indian food is popular like never before and we will tap the interest in it,'' he signed off.

Mars Hotels and Restaurants is in expansion mode in the domestic market too with Malaysian venture capital fund Navis Capitals Partners picking up 74 per cent stake in the company.