Photograph by Robert Scheer
Samrat owners Jarnail Rai, Prit Gill and and Karnail Singh opened their Homestead Road restaurant in September.
By NATASHA COLLINS
Good, clean, tasty food is how the owners of Samrat restaurant describe their menu.
The owners--a CEO of a multi-million-dollar computer company, an ex-security officer and a chef--were fed up with mediocre Indian food and decided to do something about it.
"We tried different Indian restaurants and the food wasn't up to standard," said co-owner Prit Gill, "so we opened our own restaurant."
It is because of the owners' high standards they named the restaurant Samrat, which means "king of kings."
The owners--Gill, Jarnail Rai and chef Karnail Singh--believed some Indian restaurants in the area also lacked cleanliness; so, they remodeled Samrat before it opened in September and built an open kitchen.
"We have very high health and safety standards," Gill said. "We left the kitchen open so everyone can see how clean the kitchen and utensils are."
Another reason the kitchen was left open was to add to the enjoyment of the meal, Gill said. "People enjoy their meal better when they see how it is prepared," he said. "Everyone can see how and what is being cooked. They can also see that every meal is prepared fresh when they order it."
The greatest challenge in running an Indian restaurant is catering to different cultural tastes, Gill said. "We are trying to find a balance. In India we cook things one way, and the Americans don't like it, and the [opposite] is true," Gill said. "We are also trying to decide how much spice to put in our recipes. Some people like hot spices, and some don't."
Besides offering 35 to 40 original dishes on their menu, Samrat also offers a lunch buffet for $5.95. The buffet has 16 items, which are rotated daily.
"If someone eats the buffet twice a week, they won't eat the same thing twice," Gill said. "We are always changing the buffet."
Samrat offers takeout meals. Orders may be called in or faxed to the restaurant. The average cost of a meal, including drinks, tax, dessert, a main course and side dishes, is about $15.
The chef at Samrat, Singh, has been cooking Indian food professionally for 14 years. He met the other two owners while catering their birthday parties and other social events.
"He was so good, we asked him to come and work with us," Gill said.
The owners have agreed that quality and hygiene are the two most important aspects of their business.
"The day we are no longer reaching our high standards, we will close the restaurant and open a grocery store," Gill said. ""We would much rather sell groceries here than mediocre food. "
Samrat Restaurant, 20956-H Homestead Road, Cupertino. Lunch: Daily 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner: Everyday 5 to 9:30 p.m. Phone: 777-8198; fax: 777-9517.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 16, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.