Team Salt and Sandals interviews Vikrant Batra, the brainchild behind the popular Cafe Delhi Heights. Entrepreneur Vikrant Batra, an established stalwart in the Indian Food and Beverage Industry, is the mind and force behind the ingenious concepts of his stand-alone ventures. A graduate from Hindu College, Delhi University.He completed his MBA from Fore School of Management. Starting off by working in his inherited business at Batra Banquets, Mr. Batra opened his first Delhi Heights Restaurant in Rajouri Garden in 2009.
In 2011, he inaugurated Café Delhi Heights, which currently has six outlets at Cyber Hub, Gurgaon, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon, Crosspoint, Gurgaon, Dlf Promenade, Vasant Kunj, DLF Place, Saket, IGI Airport Terminal 1D and now at Sangam Courtyard, R.K.Puram. In his words, “Delhi has witnessed the rule of many Emperors from varied cultures and regions of the world. Therefore it has adopted all kinds of traits in its culture. Food being an integral part of that adaption, we at CDH have tried to encapsulate all those flavours giving you the look and feel of the capital in its totality.” He plans to take this legacy forward by making it a global venture. Mr. Batra is expanding his business on both national and international levels. He plans to take forward his Café in various parts of the country. He has definitely proved to be someone who can be looked up to, as an inspiration in every way. He did not cease to expand his ideologies and businesses till the Cafe’s, but advanced further with global restaurants and banquets. He is a bonafide meticulous man with great dignity, whose ambition in life to serve people has reached the zenith.
Proving his go-getter attitude, he opened Palm Springs, a state-of-the-art boutique hotel in Naraina in 2013. Also, he has started Terminus 1, which is one of its kind fusion restaurants, providing different varieties of food from 17 countries. Currently there’s one outlet at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj where he is experimenting with this new concept and if successful, he plans to open more soon.
Amogh Tiwari : Is there a change in the palate of an average Delhi clientele?
Vikrant Batra : Delhiites today are well informed. They know what they want and how they want it. They are well travelled and have a good understanding of different flavors and tastes and how they are meant to be brought together. The social media also plays a very crucial role in spreading information. In this global age, one corner of the world is well connected with the other part. People are becoming experimental with their taste buds and want to try out various things. They want something that is authentic and pocket friendly at the same time. We make sure that we cater to their requirements and taste-buds the way they expect their experience to be.
AT : When you’re at home or someone else cooks for you, do people feel pressured to cook you something fancy because you’re a restaurateur?
VB : This doesn’t usually happen as I am a person who is extremely receptive to something new and different. I love food and anything that a person cooks with love for you is always interesting and brilliant in its own way. Though there have been instances where my friends pull my leg teasing me about it, but that hasn’t ever been a point of pressure. It is all in good humor.
AT : What are 3 tips for running a successful restaurant?
VB : I believe that the three things one needs to take into account for running a sustainable and successful restaurant are – Time Management, Food content and Quality (which includes taste and presentation) and Consistency in Service.
AT: If you were to open a new restaurant, what style of food would you pick and where would you want it to be located?
VB: My dream is to open an all-vegetarian restaurant. Considering there are hardly any options for people in Delhi to enjoy a scrumptious yet exclusive vegetarian meal, I would like to take a step towards making that an experience for our vegetarian customers.
AT : What was the worst meal that you’ve had?
VB : I don’t believe in the concept of there being such a thing as a ‘worst meal’. I might have had a few bad experiences but then, not every palate has the capacity to like certain tastes and flavors. Sometimes, one adjusts to them and sometimes they don’t.
AT : In the midst of such a hectic schedule, how do you manage to relax?
VB : Being a restaurateur, it gets very difficult to take time out sometimes for yourself. This industry is such that the days that are to relax for the world are the days we have more to do. I have to run errands around all the restaurants I own and I try to manage covering up for the most of them in a day, every day. I am a family person and whenever I need some time to unwind, spending time with my family is the best way of doing so.
AT : Who has had the deepest influence in your life?
VB : My mother, Mrs. Usha Batra has always been the highest inspiration and the deepest influence in my life. Ever since I have remembered, I have seen her being the strength and backbone of our family and the one who built everything single handedly. She is strong and has been my guide and mentor ever since. She is the one who laid the foundation of this hospitality business and I plan to take this legacy forward to greater heights.
AT : What are the future projects in your kitty?
VB : We intend to open at least 3 outlets every year. The idea is to branch out to other metropolitan cities keeping our roots strong in Delhi. To name a few, we plan to establish the brand in Mumbai, Bangalore, etc.
AT : What inspired you to become a chef/restaurant owner?
VB : Food has been a passion since childhood. I use to watch my mother cook at home and as a part of the business. It always intrigued me and with age it only grew bigger. After completing my studies I started helping in the banqueting business. Gradually my interest in food led me into the field of luxurious and grand outdoor catering. After spending years into catering the idea of a buffet-concept restaurant bloomed in my mind. I did a lot of R&D and opened a restaurant that serves Indian-Chinese buffet in west Delhi. As I was always very fascinated by the concept of a café, I later thought of upgrading the concept of a restaurant to one. The idea of a café in India then was more of a coffee place. I wanted to introduce this metropolitan city to the concept of a casual dining place. It was this reason that Café Delhi Heights was born.
AT : What will be your ideal meal?
VB : For me an ideal meal has always been ‘ghar ka khana’. What you get out of that is something extraordinary. Hailing from a Punjabi family and growing up as a foodie, the favorite has always been Butter Chicken and Daal.
AT : Which chef’s food would you go back for tasting again and again?
VB : Honestly, my mother’s.
AT : Mention one project which is very close to your heart
VB : The first baby is always the closest to any parent. My first restaurant – Delhi Heights, which is an Indian-Chinese buffet concept restaurant in Rajouri Garden is and always will be the closest to my heart.
AT : You’ve just had a customer tell you that your food is inedible. What do you do to deal with the situation?
VB :Criticism should always be taken positively. The fact that a customer thinks our food does not suit their taste-buds is an opinion. We would respect that and try to present the customer with something that is of their liking. With such a vast variety of items served at the restaurant, there will definitely be something that will make up for their experience to be brightened.
AT : Do you peruse food reviews and review sites such as Zomato?
VB : Yes we do. It is a medium of understanding customer psychology better and helps us get instantaneous feedbacks.
