When Yogi Sood was considering becoming a restaurateur
in 1995, his vision for a new Indian restaurant was
quite different from those already in the Boston area,
most of which followed the fine-dining table service
model. A frequent diner himself, he noticed an absence
in the availability of high quality Indian cuisine that
could be delivered quickly in a casual setting. The
concept seemed to work for other ethnic cuisines such
as Chinese and Japanese and thus he began wondering
why it couldn't be done with Indian food. "Wouldn't
it be great if people could enjoy good Indian food in
a casual setting without spending $40-50 per person,"
he considered.
The wondering didn't last long. That same year Yogi
decided to put his thoughts into action by opening Gourmet
India at the Burlington Mall Food Court. And, the concept
was a hit! His vision has become reality and is now
one of the region's first quick-casual restaurant chains
offering authentic gourmet Indian cuisine.
Gourmet India's menu of authentic meat and vegetarian
entrees along with its assortment of freshly baked breads
appealed to the mainstream, many of whom had never before
experienced Indian cuisine. In pursuing his restaurant
idea, Mr. Sood's focus was to offer cuisine of the quality
found at some of the better formal dining Indian restaurants
and to run the business with the professionalism he
developed during his corporate days.
Since then Gourmet India has made big strides with the
opening of four other locations in different upscale
mall settings and plans for several more in the works.
In addition to opening new restaurants, Gourmet India
has also become one of New England's top caterers of
Indian cuisine through its partnerships with many of
the area's finest hotels including the Ritz Carlton,
Marriott, and Sheraton.
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