Owners of Popular Indian Restaurant In Moncton Opening Grocery Store
MONCTON – Rupali and Sandeep Saini moved to Canada to be closer to their son Karan. Their booming restaurant business in Moncton has allowed them to finally reunite the family, pulling Karan from Brampton, Ontario, to manage a new grocery store they’re opening.
“That’s the bottom line. We actually had that in our mind, we have to stay together, that’s why we moved to Canada. And now he’s with us,” Rupali said.
The grocery store, Grand King is located at 326 St. George St. It will sell Indian spices, beverages like Limka, Frooti and Maaza, sweets like Laddu and Rasmalai, Hindu prayer items and “other things that people can’t find easily in Moncton,” she said.
It’s strategic for their restaurant India King as well, which is right across the street from the store. Rupali says with shipments delayed during the pandemic, it’s easier to make large orders.
“We can stock some [at the store], where we can sell it to the people who have the same kind of problem as we do, and then we have an easy accessibility whenever we want to use it in our restaurant,” she said.
As the family lives nearby, it’s also easier to manage if both businesses were close together. Plus, customers can use the parking space at the restaurant also.
“A person can come with family and dine in, and [if they want to buy something] they can just park their car over here, they don’t have to go to any other space. They can just cross the street,” says Karan.
Grand King is also located on the first floor of a mixed-use apartment building.
The five-storey complex on the corner of St. George and Weldon streets includes three commercial spaces for lease on the ground floor, 40 one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments for rent in the upper floors, and ground-floor indoor parking. The units range in price from about $1,000 to $1,800 a month.
John Toogood of W.G. Toogood, Ltd., which owns the property, says the building has been open since August 1.
“We’re about a little over 50 percent full right now, but we still have units available there,” he said.
Grand King fills one of the three commercial spaces. Only one more of the commercial space is still empty for now.
To start with, Karan will be running the 1,000-square-foot store alone, with the backing of his parents. But staff may be added when the need arises.
Grand King would be the second business the Saini family opened during the Covid-19 pandemic. India King opened in July.
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India King’s concept as a restaurant and bar that serves South and Northern Indian cuisine has proven to be popular. The restaurant also offers a dedicated Halal menu, as well as many vegetarian options as Rupali herself is vegetarian.
The Sainis see that the growing South Asian community and increasing interest from other communities in Indian food has led to the restaurant’s booming business. India King currently has eight full-time and part-time staff, excluding the Sainis.
“Right from day one it has been super busy on weekends and extremely busy on weekdays, which we did not expect,” says Rupali.
In the last few days, the dine-in crowd has thinned out due to the Covid-19 outbreak in Moncton. But orders for take-out and through Skip The Dishes have increased.
“So the business has remained almost the same,” Rupali said.
The Saini family remain optimistic even as Moncton is back under stricter rules and people are less encouraged to eat out, because people have been diligently taking precautions.
“For my husband, the restaurant is not a business. Had he been very very calculated with the time that we are in…nobody would have invested. But he says, restaurant is not a business because he’s fond of cooking and he’s fond of feeding [people],” Rupali said.
“At the same time, when we came up with Grand King, another venture, it’s equally risky now to open a new store. But we feel that this is just a temporary phase…And I know that positive times are going to be ahead.”
Grand King will open on October 27, just in time for the Hindu festival season, and Rupali hopes supplies at the store will help the South Asian community celebrate. The north Indian festival of Karva Chauth will take place November 4, and the festival of lights, Diwali, will take place November 14.