Marketing 4 Business · 2026-07-01 · 1h 1m
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
35 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Silky and Joanna, founders of Little India, reflect on 35 years building a franchise empire that began unexpectedly in a Ravensbourne dairy in Dunedin. They started selling samosas to local delis, then experimented with tandoori chicken in a rotisserie before Joanna's mother suggested cooking Indian curries upstairs and selling them in their fish and chip takeaway. A single batch of lamb rogan josh sold out in an hour, sparking what became an unplanned expansion. Rather than strategic planning, the growth of Little India across Dunedin, Queenstown, Christchurch, and Auckland happened organically through customer demand and word-of-mouth. The founders emphasize how closing for reflection, switching from buffet to à la carte service, refusing fusion cuisine, and building a family-oriented culture proved key to longevity. They also discuss grind-your-own-spices protocols, sugar-free recipes using cashew and tomato paste, and how developing young staff from India and treating hospitality teams as family created operational excellence across locations. For B2B operators in franchising, hospitality, or community-based retail, this episode offers practical lessons on organic scaling, operational consistency, staff development, and authentic brand positioning without dilution.
Little India started as an Indian food side business operated from above a dairy and fish and chip shop in Ravensbourne, Dunedin, where Joanna and her mother would cook curries like lamb rogan josh and sell them in the takeaway shop on weekends.
Expansion was unplanned; customers from Queenstown and Christchurch requested the restaurant open in their towns, and Silky and Joanna accommodated demand by sending staff (including Silky's sister and brother-in-law) to set up new locations rather than through strategic franchise planning.
After the initial honeymoon period, business dropped and they realized customers wanted to see a defined menu, there was significant food wastage in buffet service, and they could better understand which dishes were popular to adapt their offerings accordingly.
They grind their own spices rather than buying pre-ground, never use sugar in their curries (instead using cashew and tomato paste to create natural sweetness), and maintain consistent home-cooking methods that replicate how the founders eat Indian food at home.
Becoming part of the community through sponsorships, supporting local charities, inviting local school children into the kitchen, and treating staff as family - rather than just employees - has been crucial to building loyalty among both customers and team members over 35 years.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
A handful of genuine business lessons are buried in extensive celebration filler: franchising by financing existing staff into ownership, the à la carte pivot to cut waste, and the community-sponsorship growth model are non-obvious. But the ratio of signal to noise is poor - food preferences, personal anecdotes, and congratulatory padding dominate the runtime.
nobody had the money to buy a franchise. Yeah. So we were there to back them up.
we decided um, we weren't going to muck about with the food. It was going to be exactly the same.
The episode recycles standard hospitality wisdom - look after your staff, don't change what works, become part of the community - without any contrarian or first-principles framing. The sugar-free/cashew-tomato base is a mildly interesting product differentiator but not a business insight; expansion driven purely by gut feel and inbound demand rather than strategy is presented as admirable rather than examined critically.
it's always been a gut feeling with me
stick to the basics. It works
Suki and Joanna are genuine founder-operators who built a real 35-year franchise from a dairy above a fish-and-chip shop, with authentic practitioner experience in kitchen operations, franchising, and staff development across New Zealand. Their credibility is real, but they are regional restaurant owners rather than operators who have scaled complex B2B systems, and this limits the transferable operator-level depth.
I'm an accountant by profession and a chef by choice
we've been through the earthquake, we've been through Covid. Uh, now there's the war situation. And I still have to say that we're going to be 35 years old.
There are concrete specifics - two kilos of lamb to start, a three-week crash course in Sydney, roughly 10 - 12 restaurants at franchising, 28 years in Hamilton, a tandoor sourced from a potter in Cromwell - but these are storytelling-level details rather than business-actionable metrics like unit economics, franchisee financing terms, or cost structures. No revenue, margin, or growth-rate data appears.
we started with, I think, two kilos of lamb and rice
I think 10, 12 [restaurants when they franchised]
The host is transparently promotional - Little India is clearly a client - resulting in unrelenting softballs, zero pushback on any claim, and repeated 'how good is that?' affirmations. A lengthy personal Ireland anecdote hijacks several minutes, and the host's own business plug (AI playbook) is inserted mid-episode. No genuine probing of failures, unit economics, or franchise dispute dynamics.
I remember I was in Ireland, and we'd been traveling around Ireland for three and a half weeks and probably had too many beers
How good? How good? What are some of the lessons that when you look back on that you wish you'd done differently?
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
They started selling lamb curry out of a Diary shop in Dunedin. Thirty-five years later, Little India is one of New Zealand's most-loved restaurant brands. In this Marketing 4 Business episode , Scott chats with Sukhi and Joanna, co-founders of Little India , about what it really takes to build a hospitality brand people return to for generations - from a tiny dairy in Ravensbourne to a franchise network that has changed the lives of staff, families, and loyal customers across New Zealand. This is one of those conversations where you keep pulling out the notepad.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Foreign.
Speaker B: Silky. Welcome to the Marking for Business podcast.
Speaker C: Thank you.
Speaker B: Uh, I'm excited to have you on. I know Arjun made you come on, but we're going to have a m. Great chat today. Look, you guys are the founders of a highly successful franchise, Little India. Um, we're celebrating with you today 35 years in this. How good is that?
Speaker C: Oh, it's unbelievable. Really.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: Yeah. Who would have thought?
Speaker B: Who would have thought? And. And I want to go to the. To the. To the first place you started. Uh, was it. Is it Ravensborne in Dunedin?
Speaker A: Yes.
Speaker B: Tell me about it.
Speaker C: You.
Speaker B: You had a dairy that also had a fish and chip attached. Fish and chip shop attached to it.
Speaker A: Correct.
Speaker B: And you started to sell Indian food from it. Talk me through that. How does that even happen?
Speaker C: Joanna?
Speaker A: Oh, uh, thanks. Well, even before the dairy, when we first moved to Dunedin, I started to make samosas and sell them nice to local delis.
Speaker B: Yep.
Speaker A: And then I had another baby, so that stopped. We moved into the dairy and the first thing we did, we had a rotisserie. So I thought I would play about with it and try some tandoori chicken in the rotisserie. Y.
Speaker C: It didn't work.
Speaker A: It didn't work? No. That was a failure. And then, um, I can't remember how the idea started, but your mom came.
Speaker C: Mom was there. And we used to live on top of the dairy.
Speaker A: Yep.
Speaker C: And I think it was. My mom said that, try some. We'll make some food up here and sell it in your takeaway.
Speaker B: And were you just looking for other opportunities to make some more money to create, you know.
Speaker C: Well, of course revenue was involved, um, that if you could increase sales, get more people coming in. So we started with, I think, two kilos of lamb and rice.
Speaker B: Yeah. Good.
Speaker C: And on a Friday. We used to do it on Friday and a Saturday, but within the first hour it just went.
Speaker B: And it sold.
Speaker C: Sold. What was it? It was a lamb rogan Josh.
Speaker B: Rogan Josh.
Speaker C: And.
Speaker B: And like, were people surprised? Cuz at the time you're running a fish and chip shop, were people surprised that when they saw, uh, hey, I can buy a lamb rogan Josh here?
Speaker A: I. I don't think they knew.
Speaker C: Some. Some of them didn't know.
Speaker B: That's exactly what I want to know. Because you would have been the first to do this. Like, how many Indian restaurants?
Speaker C: There were a couple in town, but we were in Raven Ward, so no one.
Speaker B: Yeah, so. So they saw it. They were curious.
Speaker A: Yeah. One gentleman came and, um, he came back and he said, oh, it wasn't very spicy. I said, oh, what did. But he only bought the rice. Oh, he had no idea.
Speaker B: That's brilliant.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker B: So he bought the rice.
Speaker A: He bought the rice and he didn't. And so, uh, the next week he came back and he.
Speaker C: You're thinking like the Chinese steak, basically fried rice or something.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: So he.
Speaker B: Oh, brilliant. So he bought the rice and so lamb rogan, Josh, which is obviously, I think is one of the greatest dishes. I. I love it. I love ordering it. Um, were you, how spicy were you making it?
Speaker A: Like, were you not too spicy?
Speaker C: No, we, we were doing it as we would eat it at home.
Speaker A: Yeah, it was home cooking. It was just home cooked.
Speaker B: Home cooked. And when did you start to think, oh, this is, this is. We got something here.
Speaker A: We just got busier and busier.
Speaker C: We did. And then Joanna was finding it really hard, you know, in the dairy seven day business. And it took us about a year and a half to sell it.
Speaker A: Y.
Speaker C: Then we went to India for a break, came back and the thought came, I said, here's something we can capitalize on.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C: And.
Speaker A: And we also.
Speaker C: That's what we did.
Speaker A: Yeah. We got to the stage where we. The capacity. We couldn't cook anymore than we were selling.
Speaker B: I read in this brilliant book, by the way, Little India at Home, by the way, we're give away two copies here. There'll be a question at the end of this podcast if you answer correctly and tag us in. Uh, we're going to give two signed copies away. By the way, um, I read in here that you are actually cooking above
Speaker A: the dairy and above the fish, because we lived above.
Speaker B: They lived above. So you're cooking on your stove, cooking
Speaker A: the food and taking it down. And he'd be shouting downstairs, I need more.
Speaker B: I heard in here. And it says in here that you were yelling at Suki that you needed more because you were Suki giving away free Cokes.
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker B: Tell me about that.
Speaker C: Well, just to keep the peace, really, you know, uh, and it was such a small takeaway shop, um, so there are quite a few people and the demand was there. And so to keep people happy, I said, look, here's a free Coke. More food is coming.
Speaker B: Nice. Well, it must be a cool thing to see though, all of a sudden. Uh, something, you know, that you've an idea that you've had. Uh, you know, it's really good food because it's food that you've, you've eaten all your life. Uh, you're now sharing it with people that starting to come back. And now you've got to queue out the door. Like every business owner wants a queue out the door. Right. Like that's the ultimate dream.
Speaker A: Yes, it was until it's there and it gets a bit scary and, you know, you. But we got to the stage we couldn't fulfill.
Speaker B: Okay.
Speaker A: You know, there was just. We couldn't do any more in that space. And the method that we were using to cook.
Speaker B: So when you sold it, the. You sold the. Insulted.
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker B: Went away, back to NBA for a bit, rest up, come back. And then you started to devise a game plan for creating something.
Speaker C: Well, yes, we said, let's have a look for some premises. And we found some. And Joanna told me, sign up, sign up. I said, geez, you know, I need to think about it.
Speaker B: Because you have an accountancy brain as well. You're very good with the numbers. You're looking at the finer frame. Was that what was happening?
Speaker C: That was. And, um, so we, we took the plunge.
Speaker B: Nice.
Speaker C: And we signed up. And because Joanna's got, um, you know, she's a chef.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: So she has that knowledge. And I had the accounting skills, I suppose. But then when I thought about it, I said, we need something more. So luckily we've got a friend in Sydney.
Speaker B: Yes.
Speaker C: And I rang him up and he said, suki, there's one thing. Home cooking on a is not going to work. You need to come over. So he was kind enough and I went to his kitchen.
Speaker B: So you went over to Sydney and I, uh, read in the book that you started peeling onions.
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker B: Cutting. And you, you learned the trade to some degree.
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker A: Yeah. Because he's an accountant. He had no idea.
Speaker C: Um, but I enjoyed cooking. I suppose. So when I say, but, you know, like, I'm an accountant by profession and a chef by m. Choice.
Speaker B: Nice. Yeah, I like that. I like that. Um, I wish I was a chef by choice. I did. I did 751, 752 at Hospitality Management. I know how to cut a knife and stuff, but, um, I don't. Yeah, I think it's fascinating though. And how cool though, a friend rings you up or you ring them up, they give you an opportunity to go over there, tell me some of the stuff. What did you start to learn and did you start to think, hey, what we had created back in New Zealand could actually make a go of? Was there any. Did you start to get the. That, hey, this, we could do this?
Speaker C: Yes. I mean, it was. I was there only for three weeks, so it was a crash course. Really? And I understood what he was saying, that to run a commercial kitchen.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: There are different ways of doing it.
Speaker B: Nice.
Speaker C: So that was the fundamentals we learned came back. Mom was here with Mom's help. The recipes. I mean, she's a fantastic cook.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C: So that's how we developed it.
Speaker B: There's a big part in. In the book and a big part of your history is your mum. Yeah. And. And your mum actually in the day was all the chefs are trained.
Speaker C: Yes. They used to be.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: But now Mum's 96. Are going to be 96. So.
Speaker B: Amazing, though. But she's definitely part of the history.
Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A: And she was there at the beginning. Yeah, you know, she was there in the kitchen upstairs.
Speaker C: So we grind our own spices. We don't buy them in.
Speaker B: Oh, like, it's amazing. I was in a kitchen one day at Little India Miraval, and, you know. You guys don't use sugar? Uh, no, you use it. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I thought I heard a cashew and tomato paste to create the. And so that allowed us to have license to say it's sugar free.
Speaker C: It is, absolutely.
Speaker B: And no one was saying that at the time.
Speaker C: No.
Speaker B: Fascinating.
Speaker C: We've never used sugar.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: So good.
Speaker B: So good. Um, so in Dunedin, and you start your first restaurant, did the name Little India come from?
Speaker C: Oh, that was a long process, really. We had. We were thinking of a name and I can't remember the lady's name who was helping us, but it.
Speaker A: It was a. An agency we went to to try and help us. We'd got lots of ideas but couldn't quite nail it.
Speaker B: Yep. And you. And, um, they came up with Little India.
Speaker C: We did. You did in the end, after having
Speaker A: a chat with them.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: You know, something simple.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: You know, and it was.
Speaker C: It was a little restaurant.
Speaker B: And at that time, obviously, you were thinking one restaurant or were you thinking no?
Speaker C: One? One.
Speaker B: Yeah. One.
Speaker A: That was hard enough. Yeah.
Speaker C: Ah. There were no plans to actually expand.
Speaker B: Oh, wow.
Speaker C: So what used to happen is we had a few people from Queenstown come and they enjoyed the food. There's a tsuki. We need you there.
Speaker B: Really? So good.
Speaker C: So that's how we went there for some time. Same thing happened for Christchurch. Suki, we need you in Christchurch. So there was no strategic planning at all.
Speaker B: But one thing I do know, because you already had a queue out the front door. Um, you had a good product. Yes. You had demand for a good product.
Speaker C: And also when we first opened the restaurant, for the first three months you know, it was really busy. The honeymoon period.
Speaker B: Yes.
Speaker C: And then it died.
Speaker B: Yeah. Tell me about that because I read about that. I wanted to ask you what went on there because you did. Had to change a few things, but. But you were really busy when you opened.
Speaker A: And then.
Speaker B: And then it just.
Speaker C: Just died.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker B: Was that a Dunedin factor? Like the students go away or did
Speaker C: something we don't know. So. So I thought. And that's what we did. We close the restaurant and went away. Took the kids all over New Zealand.
Speaker B: Nice.
Speaker A: Yeah, we just needed a break.
Speaker B: Were you burnt out? A wee bit. Call it back then.
Speaker A: At that stage, I think Suki, was he trying to work out, you know, why, you know, what's happened, why, uh, were we so busy? Why isn't it working now? And we just needed to step away and rethink it.
Speaker B: There's a great saying I learned from a coach in America that we deal with. And he said sometimes as business owners, we can't do it. See the picture because we're standing inside the frame.
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker B: And it becomes blurry because we're right in it. And I guess that's where you guys were. Right, Right.
Speaker A: We were so busy. We'd got three children. Yeah, I was busy, Suki was busy. We were. We didn't have a lot of time together to work things out because we sort of were in shifts.
Speaker B: And was the restaurant. Was it seven days a week or six days a week?
Speaker C: It was six days a week. Yeah. And another mistake we made, we used to close on a Saturday.
Speaker B: Okay.
Speaker C: You can't close on a Saturday because that's a busy time. So then when we came back, we then opened seven days a week. Oh, wow. Yeah.
Speaker A: And.
Speaker B: Yes.
Speaker A: And we changed the whole operation. Yep.
Speaker B: So, okay, take us back to where you. When you went away with your family, you got some away time. Um, I know as a business owner you have away time, but things are always going on in your head. Did you start to sit down together and work a few things out and start to pull the pieces down?
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker A: Yeah. Um. And we decided we changed the whole service. Yep.
Speaker B: So what were you doing?
Speaker A: It was all going into a Bain Marine.
Speaker B: Okay. So like a buffet style style.
Speaker A: Yeah. And so we came back and we. It was all out of carte.
Speaker B: Nice.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker A: So that was the fundamental change.
Speaker B: And was that. Why did you make that change? Was it just, hey, this, we could make the business better this way, or was it. Did you learn from somewhere else? Were you going to restaurants when you're traveling?
Speaker C: No, I think I think there was feedback from the customers as well that suki, you know, this is. What is this?
Speaker B: Yes.
Speaker C: You know, we would like to see
Speaker B: a menu, the quality product. They wanted to know that New Zealand's palate probably got more defined. Right. And wanted that experience on a plate.
Speaker A: And it had a little bit to do with wastage. We were wasting a lot of food.
Speaker B: True.
Speaker A: You go into a la carte, you're gonna waste. Yes.
Speaker B: Less food.
Speaker A: And then you can work out which of your dishes are popular. What do the public want? So then you can adapt the menu to that, and you can adapt what you're offering to that.
Speaker B: So. Good. And what were the popular dishes back in the day?
Speaker C: Well, just still the same.
Speaker B: Still the same.
Speaker C: Butter chicken, tikka masala, rogan joe and the vegetarian dishes. Uh, but the other thing I found is the kids at university, some of them go abroad, come back and they. They got the taste of Indian food.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C: And we've got those students now. They came 35 years ago. Now they're coming in with the children.
Speaker B: Yes.
Speaker C: That. That I think is amazing.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: And I thank them.
Speaker B: Yes. How good. And you have some very, very loyal customers. I've got a good friend of mine who would go there most weeks. He, uh, used to go with his parents. Now he takes his daughter to Little India Mirabel. Nice weeks. Shout out to Nick. I know he'll be listening. Um, but how cool is that? Right?
Speaker C: That is, you know, and we have a lot to thank them. Yeah, basically.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C: They helped us along the way.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: And.
Speaker B: And it's funny, like, obviously Dunedin as well is like the deep south of New Zealand. Um, you must be doing something right, because if the students are liking it, that's where you know you've got something. Queenstown. How did you start to open up? Because I think a lot of people and the listeners that listen to this now, there'll be people here, and I think this is a good lesson for some of them. There'll be people here that have something and they think, oh, maybe I could go and start somewhere else as well. And I know you didn't have a plan, but how did you start to put it into play? Like, did you start to look for key people in those areas that could help you? Because.
Speaker A: Yes.
Speaker C: Um, basically, first of all, we drove to Queenstown, stayed there a couple of days, talked to an agent, showed us premises, and we knew at the back of our mind that, ah, this is going to work.
Speaker B: Uh, um, so there was risk.
Speaker C: There was huge risk.
Speaker B: But tourists at the time that probably understood what Indian food was like was.
Speaker C: Yes. The tourists and the locals.
Speaker A: Yeah, we, we like to think that the first, our first customers are locals.
Speaker B: Yep.
Speaker A: And if you can get the locals.
Speaker B: True. Yeah.
Speaker A: That's what you need.
Speaker B: They'll do the heavy lifting telling everyone else.
Speaker A: The other thing is that we decided um, we weren't going to muck about with the food.
Speaker B: Yep.
Speaker A: It was going to be exactly the same.
Speaker B: Perfect.
Speaker A: And we weren't going to go into Fusion. We're not going to, we, we've, we've got our base and we were going to stick to that.
Speaker B: When I've been reading and obviously we've been working for Little India like a number of years now, that's been one of the keys to your success because lots of people have tried to Fusion this and cut there and do that. You guys have stuck to what you're good at and, and people, I think people understand and respect that because when you try to do other things, if you confuse mind never buys, you know, and, and I think and, and you
Speaker C: around with Indian food. Indian food is Indian food, you know. Uh, well, yeah, I just like you said, stick to the basics. It works.
Speaker B: Yeah. So though you're in Queenstown and how do you there, you're in Dunedin, someone's in Queenstown. How are you putting this together?
Speaker C: Well, I had. Joanna was in Dunedin and to set it up, I was there working in the kitchen and then my sister and my brother in law, they were there. So that became their Little India at that stage. And then over a period of time they changed the name because they wanted to add their own um, touches to it.
Speaker B: Okay.
Speaker C: So we exited from the Little India was there and it was doing really well. Then my sister sort of took over and from there I went back to the Indian and then Christchurch happened.
Speaker B: Nice. And so. Okay, so they've got their own um, new name in Queenstown. Was there any other Indian restaurants in Queenstown at the time? There were a couple of.
Speaker A: No, no, that came later, came later. Cool.
Speaker B: So you've exited out of the air. You're still growing Dunedin. Dunedin's still going well.
Speaker C: Oh yes.
Speaker B: Yeah. And then you're up to Christchurch. Um, how did you grow Christchurch again? Like what would it. Because like the operators, you know, one of the things I do like about what you guys have done to grow is you bring people that you know in to grow them and some of them start on the start might be in the back of the kitchen and all of a sudden they end up running it. Years later. Tell. Talk to me a bit about that philosophy.
Speaker A: Uh, well, I think we, we treat our star, uh, it's family, so it grows organically because you've got the people there that note.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: C. All the stages.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: We had a wonderful team, basically, who believed in us and we believed in them.
Speaker B: Yeah. So what I love about your restaurants, I guarantee this is what you loved about it too, is you got a lot of feedback every day from your customers, from you. You know, like people that come in like it, they give you feedback and your team would start to experience that. Hey, man, everyone loves us. Everyone loves coming here. Um, and. And that's a good feeling, right, for, for your. For your team to experience.
Speaker A: And it was a young team, young boys. Yes, that came out well.
Speaker C: We were young as well then.
Speaker A: But they were, but there were a lot of them were younger than them. And um, so they got, they got the energy, they've got that. And they wanted to do well.
Speaker C: And also they'd been through hospitality as well before. You know, they got, um, their hospitality degrees. Um, and they were working in India. Yeah, from them to come from India and work with us and understand how we think things should be done. They liked it. Yeah, basically. So it just worked.
Speaker B: How did they get along with New Zealand being so cold though?
Speaker A: That was a bit of a shock to the systems. We would give them, um, the chefs and the managers. We'd give them a list of what they needed to bring with them.
Speaker B: Brilliant.
Speaker A: A jacket, warm socks, jerseys.
Speaker B: And obviously you know, then you duned into Christchurch. Christchurch. I'm m picking a staff to be successful. Uh, and then surely you start thinking expansion now. Or do you. Does someone come and say, hey, absolutely.
Speaker A: Honestly, we never, uh, the only place
Speaker C: we thought that we should open in Auckland.
Speaker B: Okay.
Speaker C: And Auckland is the hardest market because Auckland is made of tiny suburbs and even worse now. Yeah. So Auckland was the hardest. Now we. We've got Little India in Glen Eden. Yep. Little suburb does. Really?
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And. And because it's localized, people in the, in, uh, those areas. Yeah. So that's fascinating. So people just started coming to you, hey, why not over here? Why not here? And people start traveling around and going to Little India and then. And you. And you just like, okay, yeah, let's open up.
Speaker C: That's what we did.
Speaker B: How good? How good? What are some of the lessons that when you look back on that you wish you'd done differently? Is there anything that over 35 years you go, hey, you know what? And the reason I ask that question is because there'll be people watching this and listening to it, are going, man, I've been in business five years and I've just started out. Or I've, um, been in business 10 years. Um, have you get to 35 years in business? You know, what are some of the lessons along the way that you go? You know what, Uh, I learned that.
Speaker C: What I learned, or we learned, is to become part of the community. Basically. Let's get involved. Like, the parents would come in, they. They got a soccer team. Would we sponsor them? Yes, we would.
Speaker B: Yes, we would.
Speaker C: Uh, the kids.
Speaker B: That's a great takeaway.
Speaker C: Um, the kids from local schools, we would, you know, if see our children are there, then we would invite them to come into the kitchen and give them butter chicken.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C: Support, ah, a few charities. Um, so that's what I. Becoming part of the community is important.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And I think local people like, uh, it when local businesses support them too, because there's lots of big businesses out there and, you know, there's always stuff going on, but you can definitely see the ones that support local. You know, that's so.
Speaker C: And then they support us.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: So it's going back to that family thing.
Speaker B: Yeah. You know, and so talk to me about that, though. So when you think family, what draw what. That's obviously a value that you have. What drove that, that you wanted that to be part of your business was
Speaker A: that I don't think naturally, I think it just came because we're bringing, um, a lot of staff out from India. They're coming to New Zealand. They have no idea what New Zealand's going to be like. Um, some of the boys brought their wives. The wives. Again, it's big culture shock for them. So I would get involved with the family.
Speaker C: When you went to how many birds have you been to?
Speaker A: Yeah, I've been to a few births to get the phone calls. It's time. Can you come to the hospital? Um, so it did happen just.
Speaker B: Yeah, naturally.
Speaker A: Uh, because we were concerned about, you know, we wanted to make their lives easier for them and just help.
Speaker C: And they relied on us basically, because we were the only guardians, I suppose.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, that's very nice. And like the, the heart of that too. Right. Like, if you look after your team, they'll look after your customers, they'll look after your business.
Speaker A: Like, um, last night we had a family dinner at home and we had, uh, one of our original managers, Bobby, and, um, his wife, and they brought along their daughter, who I remember as a tiny Little girl who wouldn't eat anything.
Speaker C: And now she's in the last year. Uni here.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: And she's at uni here now, and she wanted to come and meet us. Yeah. So it's still there, you know, from these young boys who used to blow up my kettles and scratch my car and so. Yeah. But I think, uh, when you think
Speaker B: of that, though, like, that's part, uh, of what a really good business does. It looks after its people, you know, and it wants them to be successful, and it creates an environment that is safe for them to be successful, you know, and you allow people, especially allow people to fail, uh, and learn. And I think that.
Speaker A: And trust them.
Speaker B: Trust them. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker A: If we hadn't trusted our guys to go out and do. Because we couldn't be everywhere.
Speaker C: And then also there came a stage. I knew that. How do I keep these guys with me? Because they're getting married, they're having kids, financial. They need to be more financially secure.
Speaker B: Yeah. And what did you start to think of there? Because that's an interesting one for a lot of business owners. How do I keep good people with me? What did you start to, uh, well,
Speaker C: we thought that we have to share Little India with them, basically, and that's how the franchise started.
Speaker B: Nice.
Speaker C: And also Arjun was concerned. He said, dad, it's too much for you. Because I. I had a, um, heart attack. And, you know, I had a stent or stains put in. And that's when the whole thing came is, how do we keep Little India and how do we keep our stuff?
Speaker B: Nice.
Speaker C: So we gave it to them.
Speaker B: Nice.
Speaker C: We. We financed them into it.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: So nobody had the money to buy a franchise.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: Yeah. So we were there to back them up.
Speaker B: That's brilliant, because you've already got the people there that know the systems, can run it, want to run it.
Speaker A: They were running.
Speaker B: They were running it. And now you've given them opportunity. So is that how you were, uh, able to grow? Because you had these people that were.
Speaker C: Yes, yes.
Speaker A: Well, how. How many did we have when we franchised?
Speaker C: Oh, I think 10, 12.
Speaker A: Yeah. And we couldn't be everywhere. Ajah, uh, had started. He was working in the business, but again, you know, you can't be everywhere, so you've got to give them responsibility to do what they're doing and let them do it.
Speaker B: What were some of the things that surprised you when you started to give people those opportunities in a good way,
Speaker A: that they were keen to do it?
Speaker C: It's just that to see them grow Basically, it's. Yeah, they are happy. We are happy.
Speaker B: You started to see them take a bit more ownership of stuff and really start to run with it, come with their own ideas, come with their own, uh, you know, I guess, strategies. And they probably started to do the things that you were doing when it comes to looking after stuff.
Speaker C: Absolutely.
Speaker B: Just like you guys were doing.
Speaker A: Right.
Speaker B: You set the standard for that and then they followed along.
Speaker A: And once you become a business owner, you do look at the business differently. You look at, you know, how do you keep the customers coming in? How do the bottom line? Ah, you know, where is the profit wastage?
Speaker B: Yes.
Speaker A: Things, you know, it gives them a different mindset about things.
Speaker B: Yeah, totally. Because they're skin in the game now. Right. And if you. Yeah, and if you want to do it better, you will do it this way, you know, and, hey, maybe take a look at that and see if you can improve, you know, those.
Speaker A: They started to realize why we did certain things.
Speaker B: Yes, yes.
Speaker A: Because they realized why and then they wanted to do it for the same reasons that, that.
Speaker B: How good is that, though, you know, all of a sudden you've got a group of people now going in the same direction.
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker B: You know.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker C: And it's still happening. But we've been through the earthquake, we've been through Covid. Uh, now there's the war situation. And I still have to say that we're going to be 35 years old. That, to me is brilliant. But what's going to happen in the next 35? We want that. How we changing? Before it was radio advertising. Today we are doing a podcast. Yeah.
Speaker B: And this, um, is your first one. Yeah.
Speaker C: And please, please spread the news that we would like to open more. If somebody is listen and you think you've got it in, you come and see us. Yeah, we're there. We're still. Arjun wants to expand now.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: But at the right time.
Speaker B: At the right time. But you've got the good, you've got the formula, you've got the, you've got the product, the other systems, you've got the people. Um, yeah, there's, there's opportunities for, for other people. It is interesting, though. Like, you did talk about, you know, earthquakes and covert and all that sort of stuff. It's been, it's been a tough old time for, for restaurants, you know, like,
Speaker C: uh,
Speaker B: all hospitality has.
Speaker C: I mean, read about it. So many are going into liquidation, you know. So once again, thank you people for supporting us. Please do it.
Speaker B: I had little India on, uh, Saturday night actually, and I. I just love it. And my wife orders the same dish every time, but we just. We love it. And, um, you know, I always try different ones. Um. Was there a time that you came close to walking away?
Speaker C: Oh, yes. Jesus. I used to cry in bed.
Speaker B: Yeah. Just tough.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker A: You're responsible.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: For so many people.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that weighs heavy.
Speaker C: Look, I say that's emotion, but.
Speaker B: No, but that's. That's what it's about, though, you know, I employ, uh. I think it's around 17, 18 people, you know, and it's, it's, it's. It. It weighs on you. Right. Like you've got. You've got not just yourself, but you've got other mouths. And. And it's, it's. It's mentally a lot.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker B: But at the same time, you choose. You choose it. I chose it. You chose it, too.
Speaker A: Um.
Speaker B: But, yeah, you know, when you walk out that door, it doesn't leave you, you know?
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker B: And even when you go away on holiday, uh, or go away somewhere, it doesn't leave.
Speaker C: No, it doesn't.
Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So. So why didn't you walk away then?
Speaker C: Well, I did try to. I rang my boss up, being an accountant. I said, would you like me back? He said. He said, no, we've got. We're fully staffed. So I said, well, you know, it's now down to me. Yeah, it's down to me. Don't, um, give up. And, you know you're going to make it.
Speaker B: Yeah. When. When was this? When was that? Was this in Dunedin or was this Dunedin?
Speaker C: Yeah, in the early days.
Speaker B: Yeah. And it's, um. Are you glad now that you didn't give up?
Speaker C: I'm so glad.
Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Because. Because one thing, I think it's real cool that you should celebrate and I know you guys do.
Speaker C: Um.
Speaker B: But, you know, how many lives have you changed, you know?
Speaker C: Well, that's something to feel proud of.
Speaker B: Super proud of.
Speaker C: Like, you know, that's the biggest joy we get.
Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Look, I know we've helped people here buy houses and do things. We've got people on holiday all around the world at the moment. And, like, you just think that's cool, right?
Speaker A: Like, that's part of, you know, you see, our boys, their children, they're at university. They've left university. You know, they would have never had that opportunity if they stayed in India.
Speaker C: Yeah, I suppose so. Yeah, that's right.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker A: I don't think so.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: You know, their lives would have been completely different.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: So they did it for their children.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: You know, and. And, you know, what are their kids going to do?
Speaker B: Yeah, true. And now to see that play out in New Zealand and have people.
Speaker A: It's lovely.
Speaker B: It's very cool, isn't it? It is, yeah. One of the coolest things I think you guys have done, though, is you've created a real life for yourselves here in Christchurch and New Zealand. You got family here, you've got a lot of friends here. You've actually now taken people on trips to India. Yes, tell me about that, because that's really, really cool.
Speaker C: Basically how it started is, while playing golf, the guys used to joke, they said, okay, we're never going to go to India.
Speaker B: You know, it's. Yeah.
Speaker C: And I said, guys, how about we go, we'll go to India, we'll play golf. Bring your wives along and Joanna, look after them. Um, and they did.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: Because they said to me, suki, we are only going to India because we're going with you. Otherwise we had no inclination to go there.
Speaker B: Why do you think that is? For some, like, New Zealanders, they go, uh, oh, not India. What is it? Is it just too mysterious, too?
Speaker A: I think it's what you see on the news. You only see the bad bits and pieces. Everybody thought they were going to get deli belly. They all think it was going to be too hot. They thought there were too many mosquito. All the negative bits, you don't see a lot. There's tourism. Tourism isn't really promoted that much here. Not Indian tourism. And so it's.
Speaker C: But now it's getting more popular.
Speaker A: It is, but it's all those. In the early days, when we took our first group, all those misconceptions, we had to have, um, a group meeting with all of them to tell them what sort of clothes to take and what injections to get, what medicines to take with you and all that sort of thing.
Speaker B: That must be cool, though. Like, you've got to grow in a group of friends, a group of people, fruit, golf and other things. And all of a sudden you're on a plane and you're taking people to your country.
Speaker C: A proud moment.
Speaker B: Proud moment, yeah. And the golf courses. I just need to ask, because I like golf, what are the golf courses like?
Speaker C: They're pretty good. We. We made sure that they played golf and, uh, on. On good courses, international courses, um, and some local golf clubs as well.
Speaker B: Brilliant. So they got a bit of taste of everything and obviously. Is the shopping good in India? Like, is it? Yeah, it's great, yeah.
Speaker A: I look forward to that. If you know where to go and what. And that I think that was what made it so successful is that the local knowledge that we had and knew what to do. We knew to take them out into the rough and gruff bits and pieces so they could see the real India. But then we stayed in nice places. So you know, you come back and the boys would go off for golf and us ladies would go to the spa and do the shopping.
Speaker C: Okay, good.
Speaker B: I think that's like once again, like, you know, you created credit a community around you, not only in the workplace but in your friendship group as well. I think it's awesome. You mentioned Arjun a couple of times. Um, and I know the team here love working with them. Recently, uh, they've been all over New Zealand filming and doing stuff. Um, how does the stepping back from the operational data.
Speaker C: It was very hard for me. It was really hard. Talk to me about that because working with, with my son, he's got different ideas. He sees a result, the same result, but achieved in a different manner.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: So he's the, well the young mind. And um, for me he said, dad, you know, you take too long to make a decision. For example, um, this is easy to do. But also he was so young at that age, at that stage. Even my franchisees, the staff, they didn't consider him. They said he's the boss's son.
Speaker B: Oh really?
Speaker C: Yes, it was tough. So it was for him as well.
Speaker B: Is that just purely because of hierarchy or you're seen as the like.
Speaker A: Yeah, definitely.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: Okay.
Speaker A: So he had a tough role. He bosses son. Yeah, he not only had, you know, the staff, but he had.
Speaker C: So nobody would talk to him. They would ring me and then I
Speaker A: had to tell him and then he'd come to me. Mom, can you, can you talk to dad?
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So, so, so you had a testing period there and you know, but, but obviously it worked because you worked through it and, and now, you know, like the day to day Arjuna would probably be involved in most of it. It's not all that. Yeah.
Speaker A: So he didn't give up.
Speaker B: No, no. And, and look, you know, when you, when you think of that like that's another proud moment after 35 years. Um, you know, your son'. I, I can tell you from an outside outsider looking in with a bit more view of what's going on, you're in good hands. You know, he's a, he's a really very shrewd operator. Smart, savvy. Um, and you know, like it's It's. He's very, very cool to work with. Like, he's.
Speaker C: That's good to hear. I mean, you know, can be a happy.
Speaker A: Yeah, he's a good boy.
Speaker C: Y. Yes. Yeah, there you go.
Speaker A: He is. No, he's a good.
Speaker B: That $20 you own.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker B: Um, I think. I think, you know, when you. When you look over 35 years, are there any special moments that you. That you look at from running a restaurant? And like, any. Any characters, any customers that you remember like that coming in the door? Um, does anyone order anything super, super special or super hot or.
Speaker A: Some people used to, you know, it was never hot enough.
Speaker B: Never hot enough.
Speaker A: Never hot enough.
Speaker B: I remember I was in Ireland, and we'd been traveling around Ireland for three and a half weeks and probably had too many beers, and we went to an Indian restaurant. We got told to sit on the ground, and then on banana leaves, the food came out, and I was like, oh, okay. And all of a sudden you had to dip your hand in to eat. And I've, uh, never had India like this before. And I could also then start to feel my fingers starting to bite. And I was like. I said, boys, we're in trouble here. And I put a bath. And I was like, oh, my gosh, I've never had it so hot. Um, I didn't realize you could get it that hot. Like, we don't.
Speaker A: We ended up making a special paste.
Speaker C: Yeah, the chili paste.
Speaker A: Chili paste.
Speaker B: Chili paste.
Speaker A: Which I put together.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: And so this is. That was for the people that, you know, it's not hot enough. Well, okay, Try this.
Speaker B: Put that in it.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker B: Oh, wow. Um, you did a couple of interesting things inside the restaurant. Um, one is the Tandor. Uh, and. And had it made locally. Is that correct?
Speaker C: Yes, yes. Why.
Speaker B: Why was that? Why did you start to think, like.
Speaker C: Well, I. I couldn't find one ready made.
Speaker B: Oh, really?
Speaker C: Even in. I think I had to go to a potter in Cromwell.
Speaker B: Oh, wow.
Speaker C: From Dunedin.
Speaker A: Yep.
Speaker C: And explain to him what we're trying to achieve.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: And he did it for us.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: And.
Speaker B: And so that's. That then became part of everything that you do inside.
Speaker C: Correct.
Speaker A: We didn't want gas fired. Tandoor. Okay.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: And I don't think there were any of those available when we first started it.
Speaker B: Pretty. Yeah.
Speaker A: Um, because you get. It's a different flavor. So you've got the charcoal in there. So that's. Yeah, yeah. If you. If you want your meat to take. If you want the flavor.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: And. And that is Indian food.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker C: You know, I mean, so you, you need to get it right.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: If you're doing something, uh, just. And I learned that when I was in Sydney as well. My friend said, look, a tandoor is a must.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: So that's what we did.
Speaker B: Yeah. And because that's just how it should stand out. You're doing it the way it should be done or the way people like it. So invest in it and make it happen. I think, um, I've interviewed a number of business owners and one of the traits of successful people, they do the things that are not that easy, but they know what will make it better, you know, and that's what you've done. You know, you could have gone a shortcut. And I got done it another way, but made going and finding someone, making sure that the 10 or charcoal, because you wanted to do it the right way. Lots of successful people, they don't take shortcuts.
Speaker C: And, um, I suppose that you're right, but just doing it the right way.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: And you don't really think about complexities. You want to achieve it.
Speaker B: Yeah, true, true. Because you'd want to produce the product that you'd want to eat.
Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. So we need to tinder. Where are we going to get one? Well, I don't. Well, they look a bit like a pot. Real.
Speaker B: Talk to me about hospitality, because where did you learn the hospitality side? Because it's one thing to cook good food, it's another thing to provide good service, that people want to start coming back again and again and again and again. There anything that you started to learn or do when it comes to providing good hospitality.
Speaker A: Can I say something about the dairy? So it really came from the dairy?
Speaker C: Oh, yes.
Speaker A: So Suki, being an accountant, didn't really come face to face with people that often. Um, so in the dairy, he would come upstairs and he said, uh, oh, the woman's just come in. All she's bought is a loaf of bread. It took her 15 minutes and she just wanted to talk to me. Yeah. That's what you've got to do. You've got to have a chat. You got to talk to them.
Speaker B: Yeah. Part of, like, sometimes you just have to get a good talking to.
Speaker A: Yeah. Well, you know, there's no profit in one, you know, one loaf of bread. So, uh, I said, keep her long enough and she might buy another one.
Speaker C: I suppose that was a learning trait as well.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A: So.
Speaker C: But also also that you treat your customers like you would like to be treated yourself. So that. That came also naturally yeah. And I've made so many friends from the restaurant who are dear friends today.
Speaker B: Nice. And what do you think that is? Like, what's your take on that? Just.
Speaker C: Just naturally, I suppose that, you know,
Speaker B: you both are very caring and I think that people are drawn like people that are caring people. Like people that are probably listening to understand versus listening to reply all the time.
Speaker A: And I think that's talking to people and, you know, being interested. Starting getting compliments for the food.
Speaker B: Ah.
Speaker A: Say thank people to ask you questions. You know, what, what's it. Because it was all new in Dunedin. You know, what's in it?
Speaker B: What?
Speaker A: Talk to them about how it's created, what.
Speaker B: You know, and then they start to feel part of the process. They start to feel engaged in it.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker A: They would say, you know, the breads have turned up. Well, we'd say, come and have a nice.
Speaker B: Yeah. So getting people behind that. In, behind as well.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker B: That is cool.
Speaker A: And a lot of people had a misconception about, um, what people would. Foreign food, you know, what is the state of the kitchen? So that was another thing we did.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: We tried to keep our kitchens open so people can see in.
Speaker B: Yeah, well, because your kitchens are very, very clean. I was lucky enough to work in the gas industry and I went to a number of restaurants around New Zealand.
Speaker A: Was my bugbear.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: A lot of the staff. Oh, she's coming in the back. Yep. You know, kitchen's open. You know, you people, it's not just having a clean kitchen, it's how you work in the kitchen.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: People can see you.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: When you're cooking a dish, when you're cleaning the bench, when you're. Whatever. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B: And look, not only on show, but you can, you can smell Indian food. And yes, you're, you're, you're buying Indian food with your nose. A lot of the times, especially if you go to Mirabel, you can smell it. No one's got.
Speaker C: No.
Speaker A: It just lives in the car park.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker B: You know, it's good. Right. I reckon that's part of the. Part of the secret recipe. Um, that's a cool standard, though, like being able to, you know, hey, guys, the kitchen's open. You can. People can see you. You're. You're. You're on, um. And you're part of, you're part of, mate, what makes this thing successful.
Speaker C: Yep.
Speaker A: And even our first kitchen was.
Speaker C: Yeah, it was open.
Speaker A: Yeah. Walk in, see what's going on. In fact, you had to go through to get to the toilet and yeah,
Speaker B: but this way, when you look at the cookbook today, um, and. And firstly, what made you want to create a cookbook? Like, what's. What was the story behind.
Speaker C: We were approached by Penguin in Auckland.
Speaker B: Nice.
Speaker C: They had come for lunch or whatever, and I think. I think the story on the menu. Yes, they read the story on the menu and they said, but would you guys like to do a cookbook?
Speaker A: We certainly.
Speaker C: To start with, why don't you just say, no, it's too much? Uh, basically, yeah.
Speaker B: Busy doing everything else.
Speaker C: And then it was Arjun working with Joanna to create this. So every, Every dish, uh, is being tried and tested at home.
Speaker B: At home, yeah.
Speaker A: Because.
Speaker C: Because the restaurant. You can't do restaurant food at home.
Speaker A: So we had to. All. All these dishes in here, uh, menu.
Speaker B: Yep.
Speaker A: So it's. How do you cook that at home and get the same result?
Speaker C: Nearly the same result.
Speaker A: Nearly the same result.
Speaker B: So that, once again, that's a standard that you guys see, because you could have just gone, oh, yeah, put them. But, you know.
Speaker A: Yeah, but. But I love cookwheep. I've got some. So geese tells me another one. Um, but you read some and you try the recipes and they don't. If they don't work, they have to work.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: And you. And if they're coming to the restaurant and ordering something and eating it, it's got to taste basically the same.
Speaker B: Yeah. The story and everything in it is beautiful, though. And the pictures in it are really like, they kind of bring you into the whole little India story.
Speaker A: Well, that was Arjun. Yeah, I just helped him with the recipe.
Speaker B: Yeah. Because I think when you start to read this and you start to read the story and you start to see the pictures, you really get involved in what a sense of what it was like in India. Uh, and then how this knowledge has traveled, uh, from one side of the world to the other and, and created a. And a fascinating and an amazing, uh, brand that is little India, you know, and this actually putting the. The icing on the cake to some degree.
Speaker C: Yeah, it's, uh.
Speaker A: Who would have known?
Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm lost for words, really. I mean, these are, again, things just. Why did it happen?
Speaker B: They approached us just about to say that. Once again. They approached you. But I think, you know, like, success leaves clues, and I think sometimes you just have to stay in the queue long enough and good things happen to good people.
Speaker A: Right.
Speaker B: And I think one of the things is you've had a good, uh, you know, a good offering, a good product, good people. One thing I know with Little India. And I'm grateful that we have our, uh, Christmas doo. The year, every year for our style, for our.
Speaker C: Thank you, you.
Speaker B: Every year.
Speaker C: That's the support we need.
Speaker B: Well, that's every year we have it. We have. And every year it's growing. And every year, um, Jose is like, oh, we're going to have. I think we had the whole restaurant last year, which was fascinating, but it doesn't matter what time or when you go there, people make you feel at home now. How good's that? Like, and it's transferred to all staff. It's not like, well, you. You go to some restaurants sometimes and you get a. You get a bad day off. Someone like, you don't get that at Little India. And that, I think, is a byproduct of what you guys created 35 years ago, you know?
Speaker C: Well, that's. Yeah, it's. It's humbling as well, really.
Speaker B: Yeah, it's. I think it's exciting and I think, uh, you know, when you look back, um, and so that's the question. Have you given yourselves time to look back on what you've done?
Speaker C: No.
Speaker A: Very often, no.
Speaker C: No, there's no time.
Speaker B: I think there's a time that you should look back and really, uh, celebrate those. What, what you have done and what you have achieved. And I know. Are you going to have a party for your 35?
Speaker A: Have to ask about you.
Speaker B: I can't say. Um, you know, like, I think otherwise, time goes by and you don't. You don't capture those moments. And I think that's one of the reasons we wanted to do this podcast is to. To really celebrate 35 years. Because, yeah, it's a real achievement in business.
Speaker C: It's a proud bondage.
Speaker A: But I don't think we realize how much has been accomplished.
Speaker B: Yeah. And I think that's the thing I would say to you. Spend some time talking about that maybe over a glass of wine or two, because you've changed people's lives. Um, you've allowed people to live their dreams out, which is pretty cool. Uh, you're allowed other people to step into your picture, uh, and grab their own picture and, uh, make another picture with it, which is really, really cool, you know, and you've been there through some experiences that, um, other people just loved being part of. And I think 35 years, uh, I would just. I would just take a minute just to sit back and, hey, well done, you know.
Speaker A: Thank you.
Speaker B: It's, um, a long way.
Speaker A: We're always looking forward.
Speaker B: Yeah. And I think that's great. But at the same time, I think, you know, um, one of the gifts you can give yourself. And that's a question I would ask. Hey, it's 2026. You're listening to this podcast, and you've probably heard of AI. So here's what I want you to do. We've created a free playbook that'll actually help you with AI and help your business get recommended. So all you need to do is go to the show notes or the link that's in, uh, this video and I'll send you this playbook for free. Channel for you. What is one of the guys, one of the gifts that Little India has given you?
Speaker A: Well, I think we started off talking about family, and it's been great to see other families grow and benefit from Little India. But our personal family has benefited. We've been able to do things for our kids that benefited them. So beneficial for us as well as other people.
Speaker B: And as a business owner, that's so good to hear because business owners take a lot of risks. You know, you know, you, you wake up in the middle of the night going, why are we doing this? Um, but then, you know, I know from my own experience, time in business give you perspective in business gives you opportunities to grow, and you start to grow and you do start to make some more money, uh, from that. You have other choices and you can actually help your family do other things that maybe you didn't get to do before. And I guess that's what you're sort of saying, right?
Speaker A: Definitely.
Speaker B: The, the hard work was worth it.
Speaker A: And, and now we have seven grandchildren.
Speaker B: So. Good.
Speaker A: And it's now that we've stepped back a bit, it's nice to have time. We didn't have time with our kids when they were small.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: Um, especially Suki.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker A: But now we get time to spend with our grandchildren.
Speaker B: That's.
Speaker A: That's lovely.
Speaker B: Yeah. And. And the work that you put in allows you to do that, right?
Speaker A: Yeah. And.
Speaker B: And obviously, you know, your, your grandkids get the benefit of that.
Speaker A: We can spoil them. Yeah. Good.
Speaker B: How good?
Speaker A: She's lovely.
Speaker B: I love that. I love that. Um, 35 years. But also you got Hamilton. 28 years.
Speaker C: Yes. So Hamilton closed two years ago. If somebody's listening from Hamilton, look, we are going to get there. The restaurant wasn't fit for purpose.
Speaker B: Yeah. So when you say the restaurant wasn't. It was. The building.
Speaker C: The building, yes. Yeah.
Speaker B: The restaurant was going good.
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker B: The building was a bad. Yes. So we need someone With a decent building.
Speaker C: Yes. And a good landlord.
Speaker B: And a good landlord. So if you're a good landlord and you live in Hamilton, uh, then, hey, what do they need to do? Yeah, we'll put Arjun's details in the, uh, in the show notes. But so. So Hamilton's an area you still, you know, you haven't forgotten, even though you're not there at the moment.
Speaker C: Loyal customers. And Arjun still gets calls, you know, say that. Why aren't you there yet? Yeah, so, yeah, we will be there.
Speaker B: Yeah. Well, let's make it happen.
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker B: You know, the power of social media, podcast, um, because, you know, life's too short to not have a little learning in Hamilton.
Speaker A: Right.
Speaker B: I've been to Hamilton a few times recently, just doing speaking and stuff like that. And it's definitely a place that's growing. Like most of New Zealand is growing. Where else would you love a little? And India?
Speaker C: Oh, I don't know. Once again, if you live in a town or city or suburb and you say that little India will work, please talk to us.
Speaker B: Yeah, Yeah. I think, uh, I think it's driven
Speaker C: by the people, really.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C: Rather than doing studies and.
Speaker B: Yes.
Speaker C: Um, it's always been a gut feeling with me.
Speaker B: Yeah. Wanaka would be a good place for a little.
Speaker C: We would love to be in Wanaka in Queenstown, but we can't afford it.
Speaker B: Yeah, well, that's the. The challenges.
Speaker C: The.
Speaker B: The. Maybe there's some opportunities. You don't actually have to be in Queenstown anymore. Like, right in this. In the center. Um, because this has been fascinating, I really appreciate you coming along and sharing your story. Um, I got to ask a question. What is your favorite dish, though? Like, if you were.
Speaker C: Uh, all of them are.
Speaker A: What do you eat all the time?
Speaker C: I like. I like my lamb dress.
Speaker B: Lem. Why?
Speaker C: I like it hot and hot. And how hot is it?
Speaker B: Like on. Cuz I. When I order, I look at the menu, I look at the. It's medium. I don't think there's a medium. No, there's.
Speaker A: There's no mild.
Speaker C: Mild.
Speaker B: Medium. Then there's medium to hot, medium to hot, and then I'm always worried about the next step.
Speaker C: I ordered medium to hot.
Speaker B: Medium to hot.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker C: And it's. I just love it.
Speaker B: And the rice, because you.
Speaker C: Kashmiri pilau.
Speaker B: Yeah, that. And that's the one I was talking about. That's the one that has the beautiful orange, um, texture to it. It has some, um, peanuts. It has raisins. It's the one I ordered, like, that's cashew nuts. Yeah.
Speaker A: Beautiful coconut sprinkle.
Speaker B: That is something else. Yeah, but you never have white rice again. You know, the only reason I started ordering that is because when you started to say, if you don't need rice, rice, then don't order it, and I started to look at the. The rice menu and go, oh, let's try that. And that must have been, I don't know, two years ago or a year ago, whatever. And now I just order that as. Didn't. Didn't know it before. So, uh. Very cool. So, Lambadrass, do you do. Do you personally have entrees?
Speaker C: No, no, no.
Speaker B: You have now.
Speaker C: Oh, yes.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: Garlic n. Garlic naan, Onion culture. Plain naan.
Speaker B: Let's go.
Speaker C: Um, Kashmiri nut.
Speaker A: If you like your Kashmiri rice, you should try Kashmiri naan.
Speaker B: Okay.
Speaker C: And that's got sultanas, a, uh, bit of almond, cashews. And you put it on before we put it in the tandoor.
Speaker B: Lovely. All right, well, you've got me. Jonah, what's your favorite dish?
Speaker A: Chicken sagwala.
Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah. Is that the green? The green, yeah, yeah. So it's what. Please tell me, what is sagwella?
Speaker A: Because spinach.
Speaker B: Spinach. That's very nice. You do also do a. Is it a paneer one?
Speaker C: Is that a yes?
Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. Oh, but I. I like the chicken, and I got my plain naan and peace Palau and the rice.
Speaker B: Peaceful hour. That's another rice. Rice.
Speaker A: Oh, and prawns. Yeah. Anyway, how do you have it?
Speaker B: Like, hot, medium?
Speaker A: Medium.
Speaker B: Medium, yeah. I'm. I'm medium as well. After the time in Ireland, I'm not scared of it. Like, just, um. One of the dishes I love to eat is a love of vindaloo. I love a rogan. Josh. But I said before, I love the chili chicken, and I love the chili chicken the next day. So I'll always order more than I need. I'll get the dish I want. Because Kerry always orders the butter chicken. Chicken. Uh, which is. How do you actually pronounce the butter chicken name? Okay. Oh, won't even try that.
Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B: I'm going to tell her to order that one day. She won't know what it is. But it's a butter chicken. Yeah, it is. I remember we put we. When we were running the curry championships a few years ago with Little India. Um, we put that in the championship up against the butter chicken. They were both the same dish, but people didn't know what it was, which is kind of funny. But check of wine. At the end of the day, it
Speaker A: is our most popular dish.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: And chicken tikka masala.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker C: And the madrasas and the vindal, the KA and the KMA.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. When you, when you fast forward another five, 10 years, what do you hope to see with the Little India brand?
Speaker C: First of all, we need to be trading. Yeah, that's totally the, the current times, it's the most difficult we've ever experienced.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: That's all over the country.
Speaker B: Yeah. So. So number one, still trading. Yep, yep, yep.
Speaker C: And maybe more Little Indias.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: And in smaller communities, they don't have to be restaurants.
Speaker B: Yep.
Speaker C: You know, we have Little India at home, basically. So you have a nice little takeaway.
Speaker B: Yeah.
Speaker C: In. And so we want to share our food with more people because you've got
Speaker B: some other ventures starting to, starting to sprinkle up, haven't you? Like doing some stuff at homes and stuff like that. I know Arjun's thinking about some stuff which I think's really, really cool. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to share that. Um, little, um, India at home and, and things like that is, you know, uh, that's exciting. You know, like, there's, there's, I think today's. There's so many different ways to do business and you have to be open up to, to be able to do.
Speaker A: And different ways to do food now.
Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C: It's not just, oh, different to cook the same recipes, to cook the same thing.
Speaker A: Yeah. We're not going to change.
Speaker C: No, no, no.
Speaker B: And what do you mean by that?
Speaker A: Um, well, you don't have to go out to a restaurant. You don't have to cook it yourself at home.
Speaker B: Yep.
Speaker A: Um, takeaways. But there's also these, um, you know, online, you can order things in kits.
Speaker B: Yes, true. Yes. Yeah. And you guys would, would be, you know, like, you, you actually have the, the playbook for this as well.
Speaker A: Right. Yeah.
Speaker B: Which is exciting.
Speaker A: But it would be nice to see people experimenting at home and trying, trying, you know, Indian food. It's not as difficult as it looks,
Speaker C: so it takes a long time.
Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. You have to have patience.
Speaker B: Well, for the people that are watching that are lovers of Indian food. I want you to hold that up there for a second. Um, there was a dish that was cooked first, uh, in the restaurant or the dairy fish and chip shop in Dunedin. Uh, tag what the dish was and tag the podcast. Um, and, and we'll choose two people to win a signed book, um, of, of the little near at home. Uh, As a gift from us to you. Um, and it's pretty easy. Just you. You heard at the start what the dish was. If you've listened this far, you're in for a treat because, you know, um, you. You will win one of those two books. I appreciate you guys coming along. Appreciate you. You're going to sign those books for us. It's going to be fantastic.
Speaker A: Thank you for.
Speaker C: For having us.
Speaker B: Look, look, I love to celebrate my victories. It's one of. It's one of the things I've. I've done for years. So I've got a little gift for you guys. Um, this is something that we have at digital influence in the marketing for business podcast. This is a gift from us to you.
Speaker A: Oh, thank, um, you.
Speaker B: The good thing about that gift.
Speaker C: Thank you so much.
Speaker B: There is a little bottle of champagne in there. Well, it's not so little, but there's a lot of champagne in there. Do me the favorite of. Of sitting down and once it's chilled down, and take a minute to celebrate your victories of where you guys have come from. Because I think that is the greatest gift I could give you as a gift to look back. Uh, I know from my own perspective, when you start to look back, you see how far you come. You get energized to go even further.
Speaker C: Yeah. All right.
Speaker A: Thank you.
Speaker C: Thank you.
Speaker A: We will do that.
Speaker B: Brilliant. Send me a photo.
Speaker C: I'll definitely do that.
Speaker B: All right. Hey, you've heard from the founders of Little Indy. You what? Uh, a fascinating story. Um, now it's your job. I want you to share this podcast. Definitely share it in Hamilton, because guess what? Little India's come back. Um, Sheridan to Wanaka, Queenstown, because literally, India is coming there as well. Um, but really, once again, just want to say thank you for coming along and sharing this conversation with us. Because, look, I think business owners out there will enjoy listening to this one, because, you know, you. You've come a long way. Uh, and now you have the gift of being able to give back in so many different ways. So thank you. Look, share the podcast. Tag us in if you want a copy of this. You know what you need to do? Put. Put what the, uh, the. The land or what the dish was about. Gav it away. Um, put it what it was, and. And you could win one of those books. So until then, until then, have fun. Um, go out there, um, take action, and as always, celebrate your victories.
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