Mahua Narayan, Managing Director, Ambrosia Resort & Spa, shares with Tania Roy the challenges of running and reinventing a restaurant, serving to the growing tribe of discerned Indian foodies and more

If you visit Ambrosia Resort & Spa, the transformation is evident. Manicured lawns, pruned plants and a changed facade lend a refreshing look to the place. The indoors too have been refurbished. Buddha statues, cane furniture, wooden floors and panels add warmth to the swanky interiors and Balinese-style decor which runs through the spacious Frangipani restaurant, the cosy in-house Patisserie and the Xanadu lounge.

A heads-up
A few steps away from Xanadu, labourers busily work on the blue and white-themed Lebanese restaurant, which is coming up at Ambrosia soon. “We are looking forward to a mid-April 2014 launch for our speciality Lebanese restaurant,” says Mahua Narayan, Managing Director, Ambrosia Resort & Spa, who has been reinventing the resort ever since she took charge of the operations.



“By the end of the year, we will be launching our residential wing as well. Right now, we have five rooms, but by December, we will have a four-star property offering 60 rooms. I am also planning to come up with a 24-hour coffee shop and a future rooftop restaurant. For our lounge visitors, I am planning to host bands and stand-up comedians,” says she.

Every business must reinvent itself so that there is always fresh appeal in its products. “Ideally, a restaurant must reinvent itself every 6 to 8 months or at least a yearly transformation is needed,” avers Mahua.

Lessons learnt
When she took charge of Ambrosia, she was all of 21. “Initially, I found it challenging to survive in the male-dominated hospitality industry,” says Mahua, who was younger than most of her staff. They had more hands-on experience, while she, having done her Post-graduation in Hospitality from Switzerland, had more technical knowledge. It took her almost four years to gain the confidence of her staff.

Her parents, who are both lawyers, handed over the reins to Mahua, but her mother still helps her with the business and day-to-day operations. Talking about the skills she has acquired from her parents, she says, “My mother has taught me how to be diplomatic, and dad is teaching me how to be patient. I am very short-tempered otherwise. But most importantly, they have instilled a work culture in me that does not prevent me from picking up a table, do the cleaning or helping in the kitchen. When we have wedding banquets, I enjoy interacting with the guests and getting their feedback,” says Mahua, who has done her graduation in Hospitality and Computer Science, and Masters in Labour Law as well.

Training students
As Joint Secretary, Ambrosia Institute of Hotel Management, which was launched in 2007 and is affiliated to the University of Pune, she has been sharing her expertise and teaching students. “The institute offers a three-year BSc course in Hospitality Studies. In the first semester, I teach students communications and computer practicals and in the second semester, I teach French and production practical. Our students have been employed by big city hotels and a few have gone abroad for higher studies,” she shares.

Dining etiquette
Talking about her learning experience in Geneva, she says, “The way they treat stewards and other staff is very different from how we treat them here. At Ambrosia, I have tried to inculcate a discipline wherein the stewards or attendants introduce themselves to the customer with their first name. This helps avoid disrespect to waiters because once the clients know their names they won’t possibly be clicking their fingers to call the waiter!”

Running a restaurant or food business in India has become challenging than before because more Indians are travelling and getting wider exposure to various foods and cultures. They know what is being served on the table and how it should be presented. “You can’t take them for a ride. So if you are serving Hakka noodles, they know it must have spring onions. Or, if you are serving biryani, it must have the right amount of moisture,” informs Mahua.

Fitness and more
Besides her culinary skills (she has specialised in Lebanese food) and baking art (she loves making 3D cakes for her patisserie), Mahua is a 4th Dan Black Belt. “Before going abroad, I learnt a few self-defence techniques. Now, I am learning the Samurai Sword. I also play squash,” says she and adds, “Diet is mostly home-cooked food with a lot of salads. But a lot of times I also end up tasting food at the restaurant,” signs off the enterprising restaurateur.