Indian’s Hobby in Lithuania Turned Into Business

Banker, businessman Pradeep Das Gupta (59), who arrived in Vilnius, missed Indian and Thai cuisines – they found only a few. So he decided to bring oriental aromas and flavors here himself. Founded an Indian and Thai restaurant “Blue Lotus”. Niche business was not easy, but it hit the hearts of Lithuanians and gathered the circle of its customers.

From India and the USA – to Lithuania

A native of India, Mr. Gupta completed his bachelor’s degree in engineering and business in his home country. He worked for a year in his father’s electronic cable manufacturing company. He later went to the United States to study business management at Yale University. After studying, the talented man turned to banks: first in the USA, later in the Finnish capital Helsinki, and finally in Tallinn, Estonia. He worked here not only in banking but also in the stock market. He came to Vilnius two years ago, where he opened his fourth Indian and Thai restaurant, Blue Lotus.

Indian and Thai dishes are valued in the world. They are unique in their variety and taste. The Blue Lotus Restaurant serves traditional cuisines, but also European dishes. The dishes that come here often ask them to season the dishes with salt, sharpen them or add a lot more sugar to the desserts, ”laughs P. Gupta.

An unplanned turn of careers

The restaurant business is a complete departure from my professional career. I never dreamed and did not plan to do so, the businessman is still surprised by the turn of his career.

He bought his first Villa Thai restaurant after leaving the bank 14 years ago. Walking down the street in Tallin’s Old Town, he accidentally noticed a place for sale and was seduced: I thought, will it be difficult to run a restaurant? I will buy it for fun. It will be like a hobby. ”

Now Mr. Gupta admits that he was wrong – it is very difficult to manage a restaurant. Here he is rich in daily, small and large jobs, to which he was not accustomed in managing the investment fund. Eventually he hired good managers who took care of the restaurant and it became a successful place.

When the economic crisis disrupted the interlocutor’s activities in the stock market, he plunged even more into business. With a partner in Tallinn in 2010. opened the second, and in 2014 – Third Indian and Thai restaurants.

It required twice as much investment

While still living in Tallinn, P. Gupta once visited Vilnius – it was enough to start living here. That’s what it did two years ago.

“I expected the work to be completed in two months, but it took five.”

P. Gupta

“I was considered by my restaurants in the Baltics. I always said: if I stay here, I will live in Vilnius. It is the best city in the Baltic States – it has an attractive old town, good transport links. “Tallinn is too small for me, and Riga is too chaotic, not so clean,” the businessman opens.

He says that he has been looking for a suitable place for the planned restaurant in Vilnius for a long time – he found it in the Old Town, Totorių Street. Here the restaurant had to be built practically from scratch.

“It simply came to our notice then. There was really a lot of work. The restaurant required twice as much investment as I originally planned. In addition, site preparation took time. I hoped to complete the work in two months, but it took five, ”recalls P. Gupta.

There were also difficulties in finding suitable, professional staff. Four chefs decided to bring it from India. They do not need to be trained, and change will not be so frequent.

Competition hit the corner

The interlocutor says that attracting customers and ensuring the successful operation of the restaurant in Vilnius was more difficult than in Tallinn. After all, Indian cuisine is very popular in the Estonian capital, and so far there have been only two such places in Vilnius.

“Indian and Thai dishes are valued at an average or slightly higher price. It is not worth opening a luxury restaurant with such a kitchen – the market would be too small for that. And the prices of Blue Lotus are slightly higher than average, so it is difficult to compete with really unusual pizzerias, kibinas and other cafes in practically the same price segment. They are in higher demand because they are more popular in terms of quality, food acceptability and price, Mr. Gupta is convinced.

He says that the limited start of business in Vilnius was also due to his own lack of time – Blue Lotus could not pay enough attention. So he hired two great managers, who turned things around in a much better way. The number of customers, individual and regular, is growing and the restaurant itself is making a profit.

“Vilnius’s economy is growing rapidly, people living here find it easier to find work, have more income, and have free money, so they can afford to taste different, interesting, high-quality cuisine at a slightly higher price. Often, especially in the evenings, the restaurant is crowded. I think it will be even better in the future, says the businessman.

Learned to plan a business budget

Mr. Gupta and his partner already on November 4. Tallinn promises to open its fifth restaurant. He is not considering business development in Lithuania yet, but mentions that he has a dream to establish Indian and Thai cuisine in Klaipeda.

The interviewee says that it would be difficult to create and maintain another catering place in Vilnius. Because there are a lot of restaurants here. There have been quite a few of them in the last three years.

In Vilnius, I had to learn to properly plan the budget needed for business. Now I know he needs to set aside more money than it initially seems. It is also necessary to provide more current finances, which will be necessary to support the business at a time when it will not make a profit or the costs will exceed the income. Entrepreneurs are optimistic, so part of their budget can’t be estimated. I have seen many businesses that did not succeed for this very reason, Mr. Gupta shares his experience.

BLUE LOTUS