Red Chillies Opens Grocery Bazaar In Bedford
BEDFORD, N.S. – For the past year, the residents of Bedford have enjoyed the Indian-style cooking at Red Chillies.
The restaurant opened to rave reviews in 2019, and the ownership group quickly acquired bolder ambitions. In February, the four owners signed a lease to open a 2,700 square foot grocery bazaar next to the restaurant. But the timing could not have been worse, as the Covid-19 pandemic was right around the corner.
“We wanted to open the grocery store back in March this year, but unfortunately we couldn’t,” said co-owner Arun Johny.
“The moment we signed the lease, Covid-19 came. It was a really, really bad experience for us during that time because it was a new business, nobody was there to help us.”
The Red Chillies restaurant survived thanks to the various support programs offered by the federal and provincial governments. But the bazaar hadn’t even opened when he pandemic hit, so its future was up in the air.
“There was no one to support us from the government. It was very hard for us, but we somehow managed it on our own,” said Johny.
“For the restaurant, we got a lot of support from the government…it was really helpful for us.”
To make ends meet, the ownership group often did not give themselves a salary while working at the restaurant and store. To make matters more challenging, Covid-19 made it very difficult to hire people to construct the interior of the new bazaar.
“We were building a walk-in freezer; we were putting up our shelves and racks. Suddenly, when the pandemic hit… [the workers] they all left. They were afraid to even come to our store,” said Johny.
“We were also in a dilemma where we wondered ‘what will happen tomorrow’?”
The various obstacles set the grand opening of the bazaar back by six months. But on September 24 the Red Chillies Bazaar officially opened, offering authentic Indian ingredients and groceries. For Johny, it was well worth the wait, as business has been good during the first two weeks.
“It’s fantastic. [Business] has been coming up really good. A lot of people in Bedford and Halifax…everyone likes the stuff that we sell; they can’t get it anywhere else.”
Opening an Indian grocery store next to their Indian restaurant was also a smart business move as the two can feed off each other (pun intended). The restaurant can save money by using the same ingredients that the grocery store buys in bulk supply.
“We used to buy it from other retailers. So that was the first thought we had: why can’t we open something like this? Why can’t we sell it at the same time? Why can’t we use it in our own restaurant?” said Johny.
“It was available, but we used to get it at a higher price. But we don’t have any control over the logistics. If you order ten items of a particular thing, you might get only five. So, there would be a shortage.”
On the flip side, customers who enjoy the cooking at Red Chillies restaurant can quickly purchase the same ingredients from the bazaar and cook it for themselves at home. Johny says they plan on producing some cooking videos to help people get a taste of Indian cuisine.
“We are going to come out with a plan for those customers who don’t know how to cook, but at the same time they love the food.”