Shrestha was forced to leave his home in Ramechhap and was driven to Kathmandu while he was studying in grade seven. His father, who was in the (Royal Nepalese) Army, retired after 30 years of service in the force, and Shambhu was chosen as the next breadwinner for the family. [break]
“I didn’t have much of a choice and I had to do what I was told to do,” shared Shrestha.
“When I first came to Kathmandu in 1981, I had no clue as to what I wanted to do. I had to break my studies and come to the city to work,” said Shrestha, who entered the capital city at the age of 15. “But one of my relatives didn’t want me to work; so I continued studying,” he added.
After completing his regular education, his first job was in a restaurant.
“My salary was Rs 60,” he recalled. Working his way up in the years that followed, Shrestha went on to open his own eatery named Tandoori Kabaab Corner in Kupondole in Patan.
But life wasn’t stable even after opening the business. “I had to struggle for three years before opening other branches at New Road and Thapathali, which turned out to be a success,” informed the 44-year-old restaurateur.
Twenty years later, in 2001, Shrestha bought half a ropani of land with bank loans. This is where the aforesaid Indreni Food Land stands. Indreni Food Land, a dream project of Shrestha’s, has become a reality. The place may look small from the outside but looks can be deceiving.
At the moment, the complex holds three party halls, five meeting rooms, two restaurants (Indian and Chinese) and one conference hall with three floored underground parking for over 70 cars and 150 bikes. Under construction are two more meeting rooms and Café Kaldi, which is scheduled to open before Tihar.
Shrestha started his restaurant with just three tables, 12 seats and Rs. 60,000 in a 280sq ft area. After years of perseverance, the place now boasts 100- to 1,000-capacity seminar and party halls, Chinese and Indian restaurants, underground parking for 150 motorbikes and cars – most of these to be ready in the two new buildings under construction. A coffee shop is also to be set in a few months.
“In the future, if luck stands by my side, I want to open a hotel in Nepal,” put in Shrestha with a smile. He also added that the current political instability has negatively affected the country’s hospitality industry. “Development will happen only when we have a stable government,” he expressed.
For someone like Shambhu Shrestha, who was clueless about what he wanted to do when he came to Kathmandu and then climbed up the stairs to be successful while going through high inflation rates and recession in the country, he stands as proof that nothing is impossible.
“Life is difficult and things change, but you got to live it,” said an optimistic Shrestha. “There have been many twists and turns in my life, but now I’m satisfied with my business, my family and myself.”
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