Little India Denver - Indian Restaurant In Denver, Colorado

DENVER, COLORADO, USA, February 28, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A second-generation restaurateur serves up culinary diversity. Some people take decades to find their place in the restaurant industry, but Simeran Baidwan was born into it.

Baidwan operates Little India Restaurant & Bar, a small, mostly Dine-in & Take-out restaurant in Denver, Colorado. The 4 locations are located @ 330 E 6th Avenue, 2390 S Downing St., 3496 W 32nd Avenue, & 7352 E 29th Avenue. Baidwan opened his first location in June 1998 officially. Still, he practically grew up in kitchens alongside his father, mom & grandma—who all worked @ restaurants—as well as many other family members.

"When my mom & dad immigrated from India in the late 1980s, my dad worked @ Burger King & mom @ Wendy's," Baidwan says. "Eventually, in 1998, after I graduated from the University of Colorado in 1997, we decided as a family to open up Little India, located @ 330 E 6th Ave, our first location & offered a Lunch Buffet. It was an epic failure, but we as a family never stopped trying."

Eventually, we didn't give up, and with my grandma & mom's recipes just kept plugin away until we got our first write-up from a food critic named Kyle Wagner, who used to write for a local newspaper called Westword. We found some success with her write-up & saw the light at the end of the tunnel & didn't give up; instead got more innovative with more creative ideas.

"Sometimes life requires you to take a leap of faith. Even if you feel scared or discouraged, you still have to go for it."

"I ate the lunch buffet for years & years straight till today when I work there," Baidwan said. "My mom and the other curry & tandoori chefs made special dishes based on things they learned from their travels to India and customer requests. Our menu development process was to ask for input and keep adding and tweaking until we thought it tasted good."

After many customer requests, Baidwan decided to open an additional location on 2390 S Downing St. where customers could order Indian curry & tandoori dishes under one roof. When his parents decided to pursue another opportunity, Baidwan took over the first location restaurant, the one-off of 6th Avenue, to give his parents a sigh of relief & help them retire as they aged.

"Because my restaurants are medium-sized, dine-in is comfortable," Baidwan says. "We can accommodate company dinners or large gatherings. It's also to-go orders; we offer walk-in, call-in, and online ordering. We have a nice staff & management, so we rely on delivery apps."

Like his restaurateur friends & followers, Baidwan's menu development strategy is a group effort. Like many foodie friends & acquaintances, Baidwan and his cohort enjoy eating out and always look for the latest food trends. He also gets ideas from his friends' multicultural backgrounds, with many vegan and vegetarian options.

"Every culture has its perks in terms of food, and America is a big melting pot," Baidwan says. "Having a Northern Indian fusion restaurant means I can be creative and provide the best of both worlds."

It also means he can offer something unique to the local food scene. Denver is a predominantly amazing community with different & unique demographics. So naturally, many local restaurants serve Mexican and American food to a clientele who crave a taste of home—but everyone wants something different sometimes.

For example, the "Chicken Tikka Masala" is the best of both worlds. It involves both tandoori looking & preparation similar to curries, but having thicker sauce... "Punjabi Samosas "Crisp pastry with mashed potatoes & peas, deep fried.

Like any good, hands-on small business owner, Baidwan looks for several specific qualities in his staff members—mainly good communication skills, a respectful attitude, and a willingness to work hard.

"For front-of-house staff, attentiveness is critical. You want someone who anticipates guests' needs. For example, if someone's drink is getting low, they proactively refill it, or if a guest is in a hurry, they drop the check with the food."

The kitchen staff is more skilled work, but, Baidwan says, he doesn't expect chefs to come in with the specific skills needed at Little India. Instead, he is willing to invest time in training prospects who seem like a good fit.

"I don't expect people to come in with all the skills, but you do need someone who wants to learn," Baidwan says. "When you work with people and teach them, you must be patient, show grace, and give constructive criticism. So many of my servers are young, just out of high school, and it's their first job. Good or bad, I hope they get something from their time here that they can use in their next jobs."

Because of its size, Little India's tech stack isn't complicated. Its most important business tool is the POS system, which automatically translates orders from English into Indian for its skilled workers from India, who are the primary chefs whose first language is Indian. He also leans on a strong partnership with BEC Aloha, which supports Merchants year-round through the Shop Small Resource Hub, where small business owners can access complimentary supplies.

"We have lots of travelers, locals, single-family homes, students & elderly passing through the area for work, so we take most forms of payments," Baidwan says. "Our customers are happy to be able to use our loyalty & rewards program."

Baidwan has 4 Little India Restaurants in Denver, but maybe not his last four. Like his father and mother, who kept experimenting until they found their business stride, Baidwan is a calculated risk-taker.

"If I've learned anything from the restaurant business, it's not to be afraid to try—and fail. A part of me never wanted to open a restaurant, but I also wanted to own a business and make something of myself. Sometimes life requires you to take a leap of faith. You must go for it even if you feel scared or discouraged."

Simeran Baidwan
Little India Restaurant & Bar
+1 720-341-8444
email us here
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok

Indian Restaurant in Denver, Colorado, The lunch buffet is just amazing and lots of vegan and vegetarian options. The best you can get from authentic food.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.