The Big 'Dada' Of Food Business

Fish, Soy and Hummus on Fine Dine Platter

- Baishali Mukherjee

After completing his hotel management degree, Anjan Chatterjee joined the Taj Group as a management trainee in Mumbai. But, 18 months later he moved to advertising and earned many accolades in the field. A true food aficionado, he could not stay away from F&B business for much long. In 1991, Chatterjee, along with his wife Suchhanda started Only Fish, a 40x40 sqft restaurant, in Mumbai, which was later named as Oh! Calcutta. Hailing from a family of gastronomes, he still believes that his mother cooked the best mutton curry.

MAKING OF THE PROFESSIONAL 

A hands-on approach to work and a great love for his job marks Chatterjee’s career, be it in advertising or in the restaurant business. With excellent marketing and advertising skills, his passion for food led to the creation of a company called Speciality Restaurants. “I got my first exposure in the F&B industry during my first job with the Taj Group of Hotels. A stint with a reputed publication house (Anand Bazar Patrika) armed me with marketing skills. I have also worked closely with M.P Ramachandran (Jyothy Laboratories Ltd.),Sanjeev Shah (Everest Masala), R.S. Agarwal and Mohan Goenka (Emami). And all these experiences proved beneficial throughout my entrepreneurial career,” Chatterjee proudly informs. In a span of over two decades, it’s now the largest chain of fun and fine dining restaurants in India with over 123 restaurants across 22 cities across the globe. Brands like Mainland China, Oh! Calcutta, Café Mezzuna, Sigree Global Grill, Hoppipola, and Sweet Bengal are a rage among foodies today. Speciality Restaurants entered the Indian capital markets in May 2012, being the only restaurant chain in India to achieve that.