Today we’d like to introduce you to Meherwan Irani.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in London but moved to India’s Maharshtra state at age four. I came to the United States in 1990 to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and spent 15 years in a successful sales and marketing career in the San Francisco Bay area.
In 2009, I quit my day job to open my first restaurant – Chai Pani, a unique Indian street food joint in downtown Asheville, NC. Whether it was a midlife crisis or a stroke of genius is debatable. In any case, with five restaurants now under my belt, things seemed to have worked out. We have Chai Pani in Asheville, MG Road Bar, and Buxton Hall Barbecue in Asheville, Chai Pani in Decatur, and Botiwalla in Midtown Atlanta.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t think there is ever such a thing as a smooth road in any enterprise. Mine for sure was punctuated with challenges, breakthroughs, moments where everything was going well, and all the usual ups and downs of the restaurant businesses.
We opened the first Chai Pani in the middle of the great recession in 2009. As hard as that was, it also taught us a lot about running a restaurant lean and mean, and the important of branding and differentiation in a competitive market when not a lot of people were dining out. Another challenge we had to figure out was when we opened our second location in Atlanta and learned how to bring the same consistency and quality of food, a caring and engaged staff, and a distinct identity without physically being there all the time.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Botiwalla story. Tell us more about the business.
At Chai Pani, we set about to redefine American expectations of traditional Indian food. We’ve become known as pioneers in bringing a lighter, brighter, and more fun take on Indian street food and Indian home-style cooking, in a distinct, vibrant, and colorful environment. With five restaurants, we’ve also been recognized for being industry leaders in operations, branding, and company culture.
At Botiwalla in particular, we applied the same ideas to North Indian style grilled meat and kababs, served in fresh naan wraps with unique and innovative sauces and toppings.
We’re most proud as a company of being innovators in redefining Indian cuisine, as well as keeping a true sense of family and identity amongst a large and diverse staff.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Being Indian by birth, I’m pre-programmed to believe more in destiny than in luck. And, the American half of me believes in this idea of creating your own destiny. So along the way, there were many opportunities that were a matter of good timing, but we worked hard to be in a place where we could take advantage of those opportunities when they came along. So, for example, two James Beard nominations can certainly seem like good fortune, and have had a huge impact on the business, but we also did everything right to be even considered in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Address: Botiwalla
Central Food Hall, Ponce City Market - Website: www.chaipanirestaurantgroup.com
- Email: info@botiwalla.com
- Instagram: @botiwalla
- Facebook: /botiwalla
- Twitter: @botiwalla
Image Credit:
Emily Schultz, Mia Yakel, Lindsey Max, and Andrew Thomas Lee
