A landlord’s decision to sell his property has forced the closure of a long-running Indian restaurant in Thorndon, Wellington, adding to the long list of failed businesses to hit the hospitality industry since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vikramjeet Cheema, his wife Manjinder and cousin Lovedeep Singh took over the Indus restaurant in 2013. The outlet had been around for over 20 years.
Business was good until Covid restrictions caused a lull.
Staff shortage followed. They struggled to find a chef specialised in Indian cuisine, as well as other staff. The couple ended up doing day jobs and doubling up as chefs at Indus in the evening.
And though the borders had reopened since and visa restrictions eased, hiring staff from overseas was time-consuming and frustrating, Vikram said.
To make matters worse, when their liquor licence came up for renewal, neighbours objected.
Vikram said the building next door used to be for commercial use until it was converted into a residential unit.
“The residents who moved in complained they had trouble sleeping because of the noise,” he added.
The matter went up for arbitration before the Wellington City Council.
The neighbours wanted the customers out of the restaurant by 9pm. But Vikram held firm on staying open till 10 pm.
The restaurant’s liquor licence was renewed after the petitioners relented.
The closure move has come just when business has started to pick up.
Though an Indian eatery, Indus restaurant’s customers were largely non-Indian. Its regular lunch hour crowd poured in from government offices in the vicinity, including the Police Department and the Ministry of Health, drawn by the “Kiwi style” Indian food served up by the restaurant.
To retain this loyal customer base, Vikram looked to relocate the restaurant within the neighbourhood.
“We did try to find a suitable place to open a restaurant, but we couldn’t find one,” Vikram said.
For now, Vikram and Manjinder are putting their dream of owning a restaurant on hold and returning to their day jobs.
The ‘closed’ sign will appear on the front door on September 18.
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