Basu Ratnam
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Indian food in New York city is synonymous to take-out. The moment the weather drops below 40 degrees, it’s Saag Paneer and garlic naan straight to our carts for us. A butter chicken if we are feeling extra indulgent. But we are changing our ways and leaving our apartments this winter. INDAY, a fast casual Indian restaurant with a few outposts catered to just Manhattanites but they just recently crossed the bridge and opened their first restaurant in Williamsburg. The moment we stepped into the restaurant, we knew this would be the spot for us. We wanted EVERYTHING on the menu and everything that wasn’t - from the yellow curry shrimp to the goldenrod menu and plates to even the statement tiger benches that were handmade in India, we wanted to stay here forever. We visited owner, Basu Ratnam to chat about being a people person has led to his successes today.
Full name, age, where are you from?
Basu Ratnam, 35, NY, NY
What is your title and where do you work?
Owner of INDAY and INDAY All Day
Was food a big part of your upbringing?
A very big part! Like many first generation Americans, food was a big part of how my parents held on to their culture, expressed affection and passed down the stories of our family's history. My mom is a really talented home cook and before there was a term for it, she was always experimenting with Indian flavors and ingredients with new American, seasonal ingredients.
What are your earliest memories of dining out?
I loved going out, even as a little kid. We used to go to Red Lobster when I was really little. It was a big deal. My parents used to dress up. My sister and I would fight over which snow crab legs had more meat. I used to drink the drawn butter. Hush puppies and shirley temples all around. It would get lit.
If you could give a piece of advice to someone who wanted to pursue your career, what
would it be?
Work for people you admire and learn the parts of the business that you that are most scary to you. Find mentors and nurture those relationships. It's the most welcoming industry in that sense. There's almost no experience prerequisites. If you follow the most successful restaurant groups, you could draw a fascinating tree of people that came out of Thomas Keller USHG, Craft/Colicchio. The number of chefs who went on to do amazing things I know who worked for Floyd at Tabla is wild. Someone needs to write the article.
What do you think working in this industry has taught you?
I think it's easy to fall in love with restaurants by being a customer, but owning restaurants is a people business. On every level. You have your restaurant teams, customers, your suppliers, vendors, lawyers, etc. I'm dealing with people all day. You have to love it and get joy in making people happy, finding ways to motivate and make people feel heard and understood. Everyday I'm reminded the importance of being really intentional with your language, the value we assign our words become the culture in the restaurants.
What’s your favorite drink or dish on the menu?
Right now the green mango curry with masala shrimp. I had a version of this dish in Florence at a legendary Italian old school restaurant. They served a curried prawn with mango chutney because they had so many British soldiers stationed there after WWII who wanted "curry". You'll see a version at Cipriani's. This is our version, which is more authentic Keralan curry - we add the green and use a special coconut milk. It's delicious. My drink is the mango margarita for dinner or turmeric tonic during the day.
What is your favorite place to go out and eat at and what are you ordering?
My current obsession is the lunch time burger at Luger's. I had only heard about it, but never found myself in Williamsburg during the day. Date night is with my wife at Altro Paradiso. We're ordering the fennel salad, charcuterie and the pomodoro when it's on the menu.
You’re on a desert island, what are the 5 kitchen items you need to run your business?
Chef's knife/sharpener, outdoor wood fired grill, cast iron pan, flash light and Mark Georgacopoulos, my director of get shit done.
