Restaurant owner, property renovation specialist, business angel…
Paul Rouse meets the multi-faceted Tarun Choudhary.
Never have enough hours in the day? Always running behind schedule? In serious need of a time management course (if you could find the time)? You probably need some tips from Tarun Choudhary.
Solihull-based property renovation specialist by day, Dickens Heath restaurant owner by night, Tarun also helps several other companies in the region with advice on business investment, does more than his bit for local charities, and commutes in from Coventry.
Oh, and he also manages a couple of hours a day in the gym, or on the badminton court. “It’s my ‘me’ time,” he laughs.
It obviously works. You’d expect such a bundle of boundless energy to be a clock-watching, phone-obsessed neurotic, but Tarun is as laid-back as it’s possible to be for a busy businessman. And the relaxed vibe is certainly one that pervades through Janaki, the well-established Indian restaurant he owns in Dickens Heath, which is where we met (and which is reviewed elsewhere in this issue).
Tarun originates from Jammu, in the Kashmir region of northern India, but is the first to acknowledge that the label ‘Indian’ above the door and in the restaurant’s marketing is primarily a nod to received wisdom and tradition.
“It’s a term that everybody in the UK understands,” he explains, “and has been used here generically for years. A lot of ‘Indian’ restaurants, especially those in the West Midlands area, are actually Bangladeshi. Kashmir itself is very close to the border with Pakistan. And my head chef Gok is Nepalese. The whole region is a melting pot, with the differences between the cooking methods, ingredients and dishes ranging from the subtle to the diverse, but with Janaki, I’m not trying to buck the trend. We simply do our best to offer great food in comfortable surroundings.”
Popular
It’s a formula that has worked, as the 60-seater restaurant has been one of the most popular of its type in the area since it opened eight years ago. “There’s obviously a lot of competition,” Tarun admits, “but we have a loyal customer base, particularly from Dickens Heath, Hollywood, Monkspath, Shirley and Wythall. And we have done it by maintaining the consistency of the service and the food. The menu evolves, rather than changes dramatically, but we do offer a wide range of vegetarian options, and that – combined with the fact that diners are becoming increasingly sophisticated and knowledgeable about regional variations – means that we are also pulling in business from further afield.”
Tarun’s enthusiasm for the project might lead you to believe that he came into the restaurant business as a passionate foodie with hospitality in his blood. He shakes his head. “I’ve always loved good food and can cook,” he explains, “but I’m not a chef and never really have been. It was a business opportunity that happened to come up. And in my naivety, I probably thought: this can’t be too difficult, can it?
“I couldn’t have been more wrong! It was a baptism of fire. Literally, as in the early days, I ended up spending a lot of time rolling up my sleeves and pitching in, prepping, cooking and serving, as we had to cope with all manner of staff problems, supplier failures, and the sort of other day-to-day problems that restaurants always go through. It taught me the value of hanging on to my best people. And of maintaining a watchful eye on all aspects of the business.”
Background
Tarun’s background in finance explains his current multi-tasking roles. “I worked in banking and as a mortgage consultant for many years, and really enjoyed it,” he relates. “But after the financial crash of 2007-2008, the industry changed. There was suddenly no room for personal service or individuality, and I gradually lost interest. Which is why a new challenge like Janaki appealed.”
The other main string to his bow seems far more in keeping with his CV: Premier Home Build, which Tarun describes as a “one-stop shop for home improvements, specialising in kitchens, bathrooms, extensions and landscaping.
“We’re not in the DIY market,” he is at pains to point out.
“We only take on large projects such as extensions, garage conversions, remodellings and knock-throughs, which we manage from the outset. It’s the control freak in me coming out again! We’re based in Solihull but cover most of the West Midlands. Our focus is on residential properties, adding value, taking the hassle out of the work as far as the owners are concerned, and – as I think our track record has shown – proving the false economy of getting cheap quotes, or trying to oversee things if you are an enthusiastic amateur rather than a professional.
“That’s why I now leave all the cooking at Janaki to Gok,” he smiles.