6 Indian celebrities who turned restaurateurs with ‘delicious’ business ventures

Global star Priyanka Chopra Jonas is in the news again. Not for her movies or her head-turning red carpet looks, but for starting a new business venture — this time in the hospitality space. Along with her friend and New York-based entrepreneur Maneesh Goyal, the actress launched ‘Sona,’ a restaurant, in New York. 

“Sona is the very embodiment of timeless India and the flavours I grew up with,” the actress wrote on Instagram, while announcing the launch of the restaurant. 

Sona — which means gold in Hindi — has been receiving rave reviews.

The hospitality space, which has a global footprint of $500 billion according to Health Tech Report, took a hit in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but the industry seems to be in a revival mode with the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. 

This week, YS Weekender curated a list of Indian celebrities who ventured into this space. 

Arjun Rampal

Model-turned-actor Arjun Rampal launched a luxury discotheque — LAP, — in Delhi’s Hotel Samrat, located in Chanakyapuri. The Bollywood heartthrob, known for movies like Rock On!!, Om Shanti Om, Roy, and Inkaar, among others, launched the lounge bar in 2009. Known for its striking interiors and lush ambience, the restaurant was last in the news after getting into a soup with the cops for flouting certain rules.

Sachin Tendulkar

The cricket legend may have broken several records on the field but failed to set the cash registers ringing when it came to his business endeavours. The cricketer, considered one of the greatest in the history of the game, launched his restaurant — Sachin’s — in Mumbai in 2002, along with hotelier Sanjay Narang. The restaurant ran for five years before shutting down in 2007. 

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Shilpa Shetty Kundra

Shilpa Shetty Kundra has managed to stay relevant, not just in Bollywood but also in the business ecosystem. The actress, known for being a part of hit movies like Dhadkan, Baazigar, and Life in a Metro, among others, has an envious line of several business ventures of her own, along with husband and businessman Raj Kundra, whom she married in 2009. 

Shilpa, whose love for food is also quite well-known, thanks to her ‘Sunday Binge’ series, is also the co-owner of Bastian, an eatery in Mumbai’s Worli. The actress was recently joined by friends Ritesh Deshmukh along with Genelia at the restaurant.

Dino Morea

The half-Italian, half-Indian model raised several eyebrows when he made his debut opposite Rajesh Khanna’s daughter Rinkie Khanna in Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi. Though Dino’s Bollywood career didn’t quite take off over the years, that didn’t stop him from venturing into other segments. He tried his hand in the restaurant business when he launched Crepe Station, along with his brother Nicolo Morea. The cafe was known for serving European cuisines, including waffles, pancakes etc. As per the latest reports, the cafe has closed down permanently.

Virat Kohli

The Indian cricket team’s captain, who recently welcomed a baby girl with wife and actress Anushka Sharma, wears several hats outside the field. The global icon, who with over 100 million followers on Instagram can be safely called one of the most bankable Indian celebrities at the moment, launched Nueva — a fine dining restaurant in Delhi’s RK Puram area in 2018. The restaurant serves European, Asian, and American cuisine. Virat also recently launched a men’s clothing line — WROGN. 

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Suniel Shetty

Suniel Shetty, who has had a successful run at the movies, has had an equally successful run in the business ecosystem. Suniel, who ruled the big screens in the 1990s, launched restaurant businesses such as Mischief Dining Bar and Club H20 in Mumbai. He also runs the production studio — Popcorn Motion Pictures. The Dhadkan-fame actor turned investor with men’s grooming startup Beardo in 2016.