KATHMANDU, Dec 27: Next to Apex College at Mid-Baneshwor, there is a small, cozy and beautifully decorated restaurant. The restaurant is called ‘Michael Grills’. It serves authentic Nepali cuisines. Owned by three friends Ranjan Rawal, Pankaj Jung Khadka and Niraj Adhikari, the venture is fully focused on juicy ‘Sekuwa’. Within a short period of time, it is creating buzz among foodies, having raised their demands to launch its outlets in other parts of the city as well. 

Story behind initiation
Despite settling in Australia, Pankaj said it was a period of his learning phase for him. However, he had always wanted to own a business that will run for a long time. 

Pankaj names Michael Bajey as his inspiration. He adds, “Michael Bajey’s Sekuwa shop is around Shankhamul. As it can be seen that many  the Nepali foods are on the verge of extinction, people like Michael Baje have really contributed for the preservation of the local food. Since we always wanted to start a business, our only motive was to preserve Nepali food. And there was that bajey who was serving juicy ‘Sekuwas’. Our logo is inspired from him as well.” 

Hurdles
“Establishing a venture and leaving as it isn’t business. Running the venture after establishing it is true business,” added Pankaj. Niraj feels some hurdles while running a business. “When you own a business, you need to put your entire efforts to make it run smoothly. People who come here are really cool but sometimes it’s very hard to control them. Especially when they are drunk,” Niraj lamented. On a brighter side, Niraj thinks of it as a platform to run. “You will meet people of different natures. You just need to deal with it, accordingly” said Niraj.

Goals
Like in most of the start-ups, enlarging a restaurant is a dream. “We are currently located at Mid-Baneshwor, but we are thinking of expanding our business to all over Kathmandu on the long run,” added Pankaj.