“Despite the competition, what’s a blessing for Lucknow is that we have been able to maintain a loyal fan base that keeps coming back for more. Even though there’s an influx of restaurants, our saving grace is the fact that people who try our food always return.”
ZEENAT CHOWDHURY is the Managing Director of Bengal Express and the Chairman of Blues Communications. She joined as the Director of International Publications at Bengal Foundation in 2011. Before joining the Foundation, she was in Dubai where she taught GCSE O’ Level English Language and Economics and had been in the teaching profession since 1992. Zeenat brought her knowledge and love for literature and linguistics to actively pursue the promotion of Bangladeshi writers opting to write in English. A culinary aficionado, she runs Lucknow, which offers a unique experience in Awadhi cuisine. Zeenat is an advocate of innovative thinking and her expertise spans over several different fields, from gastronomy to entertainment.
What is your definition of success? What are the key components of the success of your business?
My definition of success is doing something well and doing it with passion. If it’s a business venture, then success does entail making money, but for me, it’s more about doing things the right way. For the food industry, success lies in maintaining the quality of food, providing excellent service and creating an ambiance where people feel welcome and want to come to eat. It’s tough to ace a combination of these three because catering food depends on customers as well as employees.
With the food culture increasing its momentum every day, restaurants are opening up in every corner of the city. How fierce is the competition? Does Lucknow have any competitive advantage?
To be honest, the competition is tough; the generation now is all about what’s new, so you have to keep up with that pace to do well. While it’s true that restaurants are opening up every day, there are, however, restaurants which also close down within months or even a year. With the rise of social media, people are well aware of new food joints. Hence, they want to try something new. Despite the competition, what’s a blessing for Lucknow is that we have been able to maintain a loyal customer base that keeps coming back for more. Even though there’s an influx of restaurants, our saving grace is the fact that people who try our food always return. It’s the quality of food which serves as a competitive advantage.
Lucknow is famous for catering Indian cuisine here. Do you find it challenging to innovate since you are providing authentic tastes? Are there any plans for fusion meals?
Although Indian food is something that goes well with our palate and has been here for a long time, Awadhi cuisine has not been explored at length. This is what gives us our edge, because it’s different in terms of the combination of spices, so the taste differs from the Indian restaurants that are out there and this is reflected in our food. The Galawti kebab, for instance, is a specialty of the region; the dish is unique in terms of its texture and consistency. Apart from that we also have the Kakori and various other kebabs along with an assortment of biriyanis. In fact, we have a biriyani that is served with spinach, and another one prepared with keema; these dishes are not served in other Indian restaurants. Although some items are spicy, the dishes in general at Lucknow are flavorful and try to stay true to the authenticity of Awadhi cuisine. The fact that it’s an authentic taste is what gives it its strength; hence, we have no plans of doing any fusion meals.
What are your thoughts on the business climate for restaurants in Bangladesh? How do you view the corporate front in Bangladesh?
The food industry in Bangladesh is one which keeps frequently changing, given the rise of new restaurants. If one industry does well, then there’s a mushroom growth, and everybody tries to replicate that. While competition is always healthy for any business sector, a new restaurant opening up every day is not particularly helpful for the industry. Eventually, the quality of food and service is not up to the mark. So I think it hasn’t quite settled in as of yet. Although the frequent changes in the food industry may seem slightly unsettling, it’s a positive sign that people are willing to invest and by doing so, they are injecting money into the economy. I think the business sector is thriving because people are investing money which helps creates more jobs, and that again is being injected back into the economy. Therefore, people’s purchasing power has been increasing creating a multiplier effect on the economy itself; as a result, the standard of living is bound to improve and whether we see it or not, it generally has.
What is your vision regarding the expansion of your business?
From the point of view of Bengal Express, we plan on opening up more restaurants, and as a matter of fact, we will be opening our new restaurant Paturi after Eid. Reflecting on our country’s rich culinary heritage, Paturi offers fine dining of classic Bangladeshi cuisine. Bengal Express intends to open a few fine dining restaurants offering different cuisines and we want to stress on maintaining the quality of service and food. As for Lucknow, we do plan to open new branches of the restaurant soon. We are also looking into bringing in an international franchise which would be suitable for our palate.
What was the best advice you ever got?
The best advice that helped me in business and life is not to waste time on regretting mistakes, but instead to learn from them. Every experience is a teaching one, even if it’s a bad business decision; there’s no point in wasting time and energy regretting that. You learn from it, and then you move on and ensure not to make that same mistake twice. I believe it’s best not to dwell on regret.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
WHICH BUSINESS ICON(S) DO YOU FOLLOW?
I wouldn’t say I follow any business icon in particular but I have been fascinated with the business acumen of John Davidson Rockefeller Sr, and Sir Richard Branson (his eccentric personality helps) and recently I’ve become quite the fan of Mark Cuban.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS?
The Belgariad by David Eddings, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach are a few of my favorites.
WHEN WAS YOUR COMPANY ESTABLISHED?
Bengal Express was established in 2014.
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN THE COMPANY?
We have almost a 100 employees.
