Chand Sahrawat: restaurateur and KOL co-owner on shutting the restaurant amid 'challenging' trade conditions

Another famed Kiwi restaurant has been forced to close its doors amid the ongoing economic downturn.

Sid and Chand Sahrawat are shuttering Ponsonby's KOL, citing challenging trading conditions.

Chand Sahrawat says they're tried a number of solutions set to fix the concept - but they're hoping to take on a new challenge.

"I think there is some other concept out there - we've got some ideas of what we would do with the space...but we want to see if there's a better idea out there than what we have for the space and hopefully mentor someone."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now, one of Alkan's best known restaurants, He Couples,
is shutting down one of its businesses, but with a twist,
Sid and Chant sadahwit on the French Cafe and Sid
and his wife are shutting there Ponsonby Road restaurant Cole,
which will be disappointing for many, but the premises won't
be empty for long. They have been taking applications for

(00:23):
a new venture to take over the space with the
bonus of mentorship from the couple. Chant is with us
this evening, Good.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Evening, good evening, Ryan, How are you very good?

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Thank you. I'm sad to hear about Cole. I went
and loved it. What's the decision? What has forced the
decision or made the decision?

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Well, I mean, you have to be fiscally responsible, and
we've been seeing a downturn for about the last three
or four months, and we've been putting in our own funds.
But you know, you can only hope for so long
and try and change things around, offer a cheaper deals.
But we've decided, I did, we'd need to pull the
pin on this concept and try something different.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
And what is that something different?

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Well, we thought about it. We think that the market
has changed with the cost of living crisis, and discretionary
spend has gone down for most of the middle class.
So I think there is some other concept out there.
We've got some ideas of what we would do with
the space, but we feel like, look when we started

(01:30):
in two thousand and nine, we started our first restaurant, Sidark,
and we were helped along with a bi Alovely mentor
who was also an angel investor, and he took a
chance on this not known couple and gave us some
funding and we wouldn't be here without that angel investor.
So we want to do the same thing and see
if there is a better idea out there than what

(01:53):
we have for the space and hopefully meant to someone
who's a budding chef or front of house or someone
who's got hospitality in their blood take the next step.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
So how does it work? Will they have to pay
for the space and then you know, pay for the
basically take on the lease or are you stub leasing?
How does it work?

Speaker 2 (02:12):
So it's not a sublase, it's what Of course, it
has to have a viable business plan, which is why
we've got a panel eff experts helping us. We've got
Kelly Brett, We've got of Goody magazine, Marissa Biddue of
the Restaurant Association, and well known restaurant Al Brown helping
us make this decision to be fair as well to

(02:34):
all the applicants because we know so many people in
the industry ourselves, and we don't want to be favoring somebody.
So they need to have a good business plan, describe
their concept to us and the panel will decide they
need the business has to be a business and pay
rent and help us with the rent. But all the
chattels are there, the spit out, which is expensive, it's

(02:56):
just two years old, is there for them to use
all these things. If you were to try and buy
a business, you'd have to redo and you know, you'd
have to buy the plate, you'd have to get a
liquor license, you'd have to do all that. All of
the setup is there, so they don't have to buy
the business. They don't have to take the responsibility of
the lease either, because the lease remains an un name.

(03:16):
The concept does not work out for whatever reason, the
lease is still are and they can walk away.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Ah, So it's a sort of a risk free trial
for someone who's wanting to get into it, or maybe
someone who does takeaways at the moment has never done
a restaurant that exactly.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
It could be someone with a food truck. It could
be someone who's running a cafe somewhere else in the country,
someone in the cargo Hokatika. We don't know, someone who
wants to try the hand in the big small confountant
road and see if their concept will be appreciated by
the current market. And there's no risk involved. We're there
to help mentors, so is the restaurant Association. We just

(03:57):
want to see someone else succeed and give them that
up in life.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Interesting. It'll be interesting to see how it goes. Chand
I really appreciate you coming on the program. That's chance,
said Hwit, who's a restaurant tour with us. It is
twenty one minutes away from seven. I've been to that restaurant.
I really enjoyed my meal and I really enjoyed my cocktails.
Thank you very much. I'm sad it won't be there anymore.
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