Pasta Bowl Company Planning for Expansion

OM NAYAK’S love for Italian and Sicilian culture moved him to open a Sicilian restaurant, The Pasta Bowl Company at Cross Point Mall, Gurugram. The chef entrepreneur is now slated to open two more restaurants, in the prime locations across India. The Pasta Bowl Company will also be coming up with its new menu by mid-November.

Being a hospitality consultant first, it was easy for Nayak to plan out his own restaurant. “since the consulting work is not perennial, initially my wife Aditi and I, thought of opening a small office where we could train the staff and develop recipes for our clients. Rather than getting into this we thought of opening up a small café. Italy being my favourite, I choose The Pasta Bowl Company.”

Nayak completed his bachelor degree in hotel management from WelcomGroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration in Manipal and has worked with Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Dubai, Goldfinch Hotels in Bangalore, ITC Windsor in Bangalore and Leela Kempenski in Bangalore. He started his entrepreneurial journey with Chef Om’s Hospitality in 2009, where he consults for various Hospitality Businesses and has created ventures all across India, Mid-East, UK and Hong Kong.

Speaking about his restaurant, Nayak said, “the whole process took us nine to eight months to bring the restaurant to work. We started talking to big malls but since we were no brands, getting a place was difficult. Till now there were no investors involved, but yes we are looking for one now. Money has always been a bi-product for me. My first priority will always be to serve great food”

The classic and rustic interiors with beautifully designed cutlery are the product of Chef Nayak and his wife’s imagination. According to Nayak, “spreading Italian Cuisine in India is not that tough. Indian and Italian culture is very similar, Italians are so homely, they believe in living in a joint family and having a closely knit culture similar to India. I am greatly inspired by Sicilian food and culture. We serve Italian but we focus more on what Sicily eats.” he said. “our guest satisfaction are above 97 per cent and we are having a good ratio of repeated customers”, he further added.

Speaking about the USP of the restaurant, Nayak said, “explaining the food you serve is important. We started educating our clientele. We trained our staff to tell stories behind the dishes and to explain the concept why we were different from anybody else. We are microwave free and focus more on fresh food. To keep the authenticity intact, most of our ingredients are imported from Italy. We grow our own vegetables and own herbs, moreover our open kitchen concept offer guests to involve themselves in the process of their order being cooked.”

As a consultant, Nayak advices, “hospitality industry is growing with competition, it is very important to have a good market research. Lack of planning creates a drift. According to me investment is never a challenge; real challenge lies in sustaining and to have repeat guests.”

The Pasta Bowl Company is planning for its expansion with three varied modules. The Pasta Bowl, the Grande, for casual Italian diners served with Wine and Beers, The Pasta Bowl, the Osteria, with a smaller all day dining with non-alcoholic beverages, The Pasta Bowl, the Rapido, which will be a QSR. Moving forward on these three formats, The Pasta Bowl Company plans to reach more than 100 locations across Asia in the next three years.