Almost every local's favourite food joint, Royal India Restobar has become known as Dubbo's most relished dining experience providing 3,000 meals every week with only four hours of service each day.
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With no formal culinary credentials, owners Pradip Rai and Pratap Dey Sarkar owe the restaurant's success to their passion for Indian food, imagination, intelligence, and immense hard work
The two friends from Kolkata led a fine life in India. With well-paid work in the information-technology sector and job satisfaction, they had no complaints. However, curiosity led them to explore opportunities beyond what they already knew.
"We said 'It's one life, so why not? We'll see the world'," Mr Rai told Daily Liberal.
He and Mr Dey Sarkar attended University of Tasmania in the early 2000s where they completed masters degrees in IT, but didn't see themselves working in the same field they had been for the last five years.
Following their love for food, the business partners decided to open a restaurant. Mr Rai's interest in cooking found him working in several different restaurants where he picked up his current taste for Indian cooking.
"To open a restaurant, if you don't know cooking, it's really very hard. Finding the chef is hard and you can can't control the quality. So I started working in Hobart, for four years I worked in seven different restaurants. I didn't work only at one place, because you can only learn one thing in one place," Mr Rai said.
"After years of saving money, dollar by dollar, Pratap and I leased this place in Dubbo in 2016."
They found the city's demographic to be attractive, their research showed while Dubbo had about 50,000 residents, its surrounding areas boasted double that population. The pair also didn't care for the same urban lifestyle they had in Kolkata.
Since folks from all over visited Dubbo for countless reasons including work, shopping, and on their way to other places, in a way, the business partners had found their regional Goldilocks Zone.
"The first choice was to stay in a regional area. [Pratap and I] were born in cities and we don't want the city life anymore, we are not made for that. That's why we went to Tasmania too," Mr Rai said.
Starting from a small team of three to a 36-strong hospitality contingent, the restaurant underwent renovations in 2021 to incorporate dazzling decor true to its name.
With grand chandeliers, Indian temple embellishment, Italian glasses, regal chairs finalised after eight revisions and carpet designs hand-drawn by the owners themselves, much effort was put into realising the Bultje Street restaurant.
Royal India Restobar quickly gained popularity far and wide for its swift and friendly service, mouth-watering food for every spice tolerance and atmosphere fit for royalty.
From his homestyle cooking to personal recipes, Mr Rai is the mastermind behind everything that comes from the kitchen. He has specially trained all of his 12 chefs and cooks from Punjab, Haryana, parts of south India and Sri Lanka.
While the restaurant mainly serves north Indian cuisine with some south Indian varieties, Mr Rai hopes to expand the menu as their customers become more open to trying new things.
Mr Dey Sarkar, responsible for the 24 front-of-house staff, has trained each of them to embody true Indian hospitality which keeps their customers coming back.
The restaurant warmly welcomes people from every walk of life for every occasion whether it is a gathering of friends and family, date night goers, or parties of MPs and CEOs.
Once, a traveller from Brisbane even changed their route to come through Dubbo and dine at Restobar.
"We are really proud, we have so much appreciation," Mr Rai said about their supporters in and outside Dubbo.
In the next few years, the owners will be setting up a "more royal and classy" second floor plan with a sophisticated bar. They also have plans to open up another Royal India Restobar in the coastal city of Newcastle.
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Bageshri Savyasachi
I am a general reporter with an interest in community stories and issues that need attention. Contact me with tips and thoughts at bageshri.s@canberratimes.com.au or send confidential tips to bageshri.s@proton.me
I am a general reporter with an interest in community stories and issues that need attention. Contact me with tips and thoughts at bageshri.s@canberratimes.com.au or send confidential tips to bageshri.s@proton.me
