Pranav Dhuri, Managing Director at Tato’s Fine Dining/ Café Tato

Name : Pranav Dhuri
Age : 27
Designation : Managing Director
Name of the Restaurant: Tato’s Fine Dining/ Café Tato
Duration of Career : 4 years

A chef by profession, Mr. Dhuri upon graduating from IHM Goa, joined the family business to gain a little experience. He then headed to Switzerland to pursue his post-graduation in hospitality management and from there he went to USA and worked there for one and half year as a chef with Hyatt Regency. He then came back to Goa and immediately joined his business.

He believes consistency and maintenance of quality over a longer period of time, being involved in the business and the hardworking staff is the secret to their success. He followed his father’s footsteps and all that he learnt while he was abroad has been of quite an importance. It helped them grow more and expand the business.

The Dhuris do not market their restaurant too much. They themselves put up a few posts on Facebook and Instagram of something new that is coming up or if they are opening up a new restaurant. When they renovated their Panjim branch they did not hire anyone to market it, they did it themselves, through word of mouth and that is how they have done things so far.

Bringing about small changes in the menu every now and then, getting more specials up, using more of fresher ingredients or locally sourced ingredients or organic ingredients helps to retain guest especially now since people are shifting their focus towards getting more healthy and are getting more inclined to home grown food which is more nutritious. That is what they are working towards and that is the next target they want to achieve that will please their customers. He wants to market his brand as one that uses locally sourced produce and nutritious products which help to make your food rich. He plans on introducing seasonal produce and make the necessary changes in the menu once in a way. This ensures that the customers do not get bored of the same item as they find something refreshing and something new in the menu with regards to either food or drinks as well, like Urrak during Summer.

Pranav says that it is a mix of both, food and service that influences the customers the most. They want the quality of food to remain consistent coupled with a little bit of change according to the seasons or according to different months. They also focus on the quickness and promptness in the service. They do not prefer to call out every time. They expect someone to understand their needs, wants and someone to explain to them what is being served. They don’t want to think too much because they are here to relax. Not forgetting that they also want hygiene. The sensory aspects play an important role that’s why they want cleanliness as what you see while you are eating plays a vital role. So basically they are looking for an overall good experience. But the most important is the quality of food. If the quality of food is high they will keep coming back to you as the taste of the food remains with them.

He proposes to make the transport more friendly in order to make Goa the most preferred tourist destination. Currently a lot of tourists feel a pinch in their pockets when they are travelling around Goa due to the high cost of transportation. The quality of tourists has also deteriorated drastically. It might not be possible to control that but the government needs to find a solution to this problem. The tourists that came in earlier wanted to spend and wanted to keep the place clean as well. They did not litter anywhere nor did they create a nuisance. It is sad to say that the quality of tourists that are coming in now are creating a nuisance. The local crowd also needs to think and understand that it is not just one particular time that you earn. If the rates are reasonable then you get business throughout the year as then people will come all throughout the year.

Mr. Dhuri would like to suggest that the IHMs all around should introduce more practical and focus less on theory. They need to have more events and conduct more outdoor activities to involve the students in the practical aspect of the industry rather than teaching them theoratically as they learn more this way. Also instead of having one internship they could have two internships during the course so that the students have 1 year of experience after they graduate. This is very useful as every hotel, every company looks for experience. He remembered that when he was in Switzerland his institute was involved more in the practical things that needed to be done as they provided on the hand training in the institute itself. The first year students had to learn how to use the pot wash, the dishwashers and anything from scratch. During the rest of the years they had to learn the different types of services such as Banquets and A La Carte kitchen etc.

He mentions about the various institutions that are moving towards providing a more practical scenario to the students in their courses such as Salgaocar is affiliated with a Swiss institute, Lavazza in Pune is also connected with a top university in Switzerland and provides a very good scope for students.

To his guests and customers he would like to give a small message. He says, “We are committed to providing you with quality service. We assure that we will keep that consistency going and in the coming years probably look for more spaces to reach out to you more and bring in innovation into picture as well. I would also like to thank everyone for keeping their trust and faith in us and also for the absolutely amazing response that the renovated Panjim outlet is receiving. Continue to love us the way you do”.