Barbeque Nation

Background:

A brand owned by Mumbai based Sayaji Group, Barbeque Nation is the latest entrant in the food chain business. The restaurant brings to India, for the first time, the concept of a live grill on every table allowing clients to grill their dishes the way they like them. A novel idea in the field of hospitality, it combines the idea of unlimited snacks (originally introduced by The Kabab Factory at the Radisson Hotel in New Delhi) along with concept dining (brought to the forefront by initiatives like Oh! Calcutta and the likes) and offers it at an (almost) affordable price.
The first Barbeque Nation outlet was opened in Mumbai in March 2006. With the first restaurant proving to be quite a hit among its clients, the chain expanded base to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Kolkata, etc and now runs about 15 outlets across India.


Location: BIPL Building Omega, Sec V, Salt Lake City, Kolkata


Prior Expectations:

Disclaimer: I have to admit, my expectations from Barbeque Nation had actually gone out of the roof after I heard about the concept from my siblings and friends (some of whom are really good at exaggeration) who had the opportunity of dining there before me.
1. Great ambience – suitable for catching up with someone over food.
2. Huge variety of options in the three courses offered.
3. Excellent food quality and taste.
4. Professionally run by well trained, polished and courteous employees.
5. No hidden charges apart from the cover charges.


Factual Description:

1. The restaurant decor was modelled after a very Mediterranean theme, with lots of wood and exposed bricks. The look and feel of the restaurant was pretty neat and scored well on the first impression.
2. The service staff was well attired. The waiters wore aprons and a separate group – the ones who took the orders wore formal suits.
3. The tables had a slot in the centre where a barbeque was placed. A flag was present on the table which when raised indicated to the staff to serve the first course - the snacks (or starters). When the table was through the snacks, the flag was bent down.
4. Three seasonings were present on the table which could be brushed onto the snacks when they were being barbequed on the table. Alongside various chutneys were also present.
5. The first course was served by the waiters and the main course and the desserts were self service buffets.
6. The fixed menu consisted of 5 vegetarian and 5 non-vegetarian starters; 1 vegetarian and 1 non-vegetarian soup; 4 non-vegetarian and 6 vegetarian dishes in main course with roti & naan; 3 non-vegetarian and 5 vegetarian salads; and 7 desserts. The menu was changed daily and came with a complementary drink with option of picking beer or a soft drink. An additional package could be added on which would include live cooked sea food.


Pros:

1. The decor was very different from what we’ve become used to seeing. It was a very welcome change from the bland and tasteless interiors that have become the virtual norm these days. A soft music was playing and the ambience had a rich feel to it.
2. Once seated on our table, we were warmly greeted and welcomed by a waiter. He patiently explained the whole concept of Barbeque Nation and how we would be ‘proceeding’ with our lunch.
3. Once the order was taken, the barbeque with burning charcoal was placed in the slot and snacks started flowing. We were specifically asked if there either of us were pure vegetarians. Almost cooked preparations were placed on the barbeque on our table. The table never ran out of snacks and the service staff kept refilling till the flag was raised.
4. The kitchen had a glass wall and one could see the chefs at work. The kitchen was (expectedly) absolutely clean and projected a very high hygiene factor.
5. The main course was a mixture of well selected dishes, with a mix of Indian and exotic cuisines. A huge variety of salads were present at the salad bar.
6. The price of the whole package was very reasonable. There were no hidden charges and the whole pricing was very transparent.


Cons:

1. No adequate arrangement was made for people who were waiting for a table. We were just told to wait outside the restaurant till the time a table became available. A better arrangement is expected when one comes for a concept dining experience.
2. The service quality was not up to my expectations. The waiters were very mechanical and always in a hurry. But still my order for a naan, took almost 10-12 minutes.
3. Some starters served were half cooked and cold.
4. It took 10 minutes for the waiters to replenish the ice-cream on the dessert counter.
5. The washrooms were not clean and smelt bad!


A lot of the issues I faced could be attributed to the fact that the concept is not meant to handle hordes of people, which is why the service levels dropped drastically. Things like the waiters running around, replenishment taking time, ill-maintained washrooms were probably all a result of the huge crowd. But then the restaurant should be geared up to run at full capacity so to speak. Just goes to show that it is difficult to maintain a standard level of service in such an industry.

As for the starters which I had to barbeque on my table, I would say it could have added to the whole experience of the barbeque on the table if we had the time.

Overall I would give Barbeque Nation a 7.5/10 for this particular experience.