Pune ticks all the boxes when it comes to food: missal, bakarwadi, biscuits – or even beer for that matter. And just in case you thought this was all, the new lineage of restaurants that have opened in the city have given way to a young generation of entrepreneurs who not only believe in their ideas but are also charting a history of successful restaurants.
And by young entrepreneurs, I mean ‘boys and girls’ in the range of 25-35 years.
High Spirits, Aufside @Hotfut, Picantos, Le Plaisir, Bombay Diaries, Cafe Mestizo etc., the list does seem pretty exhaustive. And these aren’t your run off the mill restaurants, either; each has something new to offer.
How Has the City Changed?
Pune, once a retired man's paradise, is now easily one of the most sought after cities for youngsters.
According to the 2011 Indian Statistical report, Pune was the second highest earning location in Maharashtra, after Mumbai, at almost about Rs 1.27 lakh per capita income. A growing number of working class women in the city has bolstered household income. Thus, sources report that an average Indian in Pune spends around 60-70 percent of their income on food!
A city that was infamous for people who preferred home cooked food, is now seeing an exponential growth in the number of people who prefer eating out in restaurants. Whether it's a casual dinner out with friends and family or the more formal dinners with office clients, the focus has suddenly shifted to restaurants.
A Diverse City with a Cosmopolitan Crowd
The city is an important Army base – something that lends the city a very cosmopolitan diaspora.
Dheeren Jagwani, for instance, moved to Pune from London after his Masters; he was gravitating towards the restaurant business at the time, and an upcoming market like Pune appealed to him. At 25 years, he already owns two restaurants – Cafe Mestizo and Bombay Diaries.
Pune has a diverse market segment and people are ready to try out new things. I feel like if a brand works in Pune, it will work anywhere else in the country. Pune is the next big thing!
Another young restaurateur, Uma Badve, who returned from a holiday in the US and decided to start her own chain of Mexican restaurants, can’t stop singing the city’s praises:
The palette of Pune has really evolved over the years. From fine dine options for Brazilian food to sushi bars springing up sure and fast, Pune is poised for the next food revolution. Moreover, thanks to the IT industry, people are well travelled and have developed a palate for different cuisines. They are ready to experiment with food.
Badve began with setting up one of the first chains of Mexican restaurants in Pune which multiplied to four outlets in a span of just two years.
Perfect Place to Experiment
Most entrepreneurs believe that Pune has the right ingredients to make it work. Relatively cheaper infrastructure, along with good connectivity and a growing economy with minimal entry barriers, make Pune a favourable place for a startup.
Honestly, the entry barriers to starting a restaurant in Pune are low in comparison to many other cities. Also, Pune is a relatively young market, has close proximity to Mumbai as well as value for money in terms of affordable labour which favours startups.Uma Badve
Siddharth Mahadik, another 31-year-old restaurateur from the city, quit his well paying job as a marine engineer and set out to follow his passion – that of starting a restaurant after pursuing an advanced two-and-half years' diploma in the culinary arts from Le Cordon Bleu, Sydney.
Mahadik set up Le Plaisir Patisserie and Bistro on Bhandarkar Road and soon enough had to look for a bigger space, thanks to the roaring success of his restaurant. Says Neel Genjie, a food blogger with a prominent food bloggers group, The Bteam,
Le Plaisir is the best in European cuisine that we have in the city. Besides, Siddharth is really good at innovation and the menu keeps changing every season – much like the vibrant palate of the city.
Another young restaurateur, Kapil Punjabi, was quick to realise that the city needed a place to marry their love for food with their appetite for sport – and launched the hugely popular Aufside @Hotfut.
Says Punjabi:
There was a major gap in the space of fulfilling the passion towards sports in the city. A few close friends and I got together and came up with a unique concept – and decided to take the plunge. Today, Aufside is a home for fan clubs, sports enthusiasts and people who enjoy playing a good game as much as indulging in good food!
With these young chefs bringing fresh new ideas to the table, Pune’s food revolution seems well on its way.
(A freelance food and fashion blogger, Pranjali Bhonde Pethe aims at getting people and their favourite food and style closer through her blog moipalate. Email her at pranjali.bhonde@gmail.com and follow her on @moipalate.)
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