By the end of 2023, Riyasat will have at least 10 outlets, including wedding centre in Bolton and event centre in Etobicoke
By a reporter
BRAMPTON: Known for its unique ethnic Indian food, the Riyasat group of restaurants is fast becoming a big name in catering in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.
The group, owned by Punjab-born Mukesh Sharma, is also set to become the biggest chain in terms of numbers of restaurants in the GTA in 2023.
Mukesh himself runs two Riyasat restaurants in Oakville and Eobicoke and given the franchise to three others.
One of the franchisee is Riyasat Sweets & Restaurant at 50 Lacoste Blvd, run by Jagroop Singh.
Says Jagroop, “We opened this restaurant just a couple of months ago and we are already an established name in this area. We are doing great.”
Riyasat owner Mukesh Sharma says 2023 is going to be a big year for his restuarant chain as it is expanding into party/wedding events and take-out business.
Riyasat is also opening a fusion food restaurant under its brand at the crossing of Highway 7 and Weston Road in Vaughan.
Mukesh outlines his plans for his restaurant chain in this interview:
Q: You are already a big name in catering in the Indo-Canadian community. How are you taking your catering service to the next level?
We have become a big name in catering because of the very high quality of our food and service. Some members of our staff are dedicated only to the catering business.
Whatever the size of the party – from 50 people to 1,500 people, we provide the freshest and the best food at their venues.
In 2023, we are expanding our catering business and increasing the number of our locations in the GTA.
Q: What is your mega project going forward in 2023?
We are opening an outdoor wedding centre on three and a half acres near Bolton. With a capacity for 500 guests, this will be ready for summer weddings.
This venue will have a restaurant, bar, indoor and outdoor party halls, tents, decorations, etc. Bascially, it will be your one-stop shop for summer weddings. We are ready for it.
Q: How many Riyasat restaurants do you plan to have by the end of 2023?
We plan to operate as many as 10 locations by the end of 2023 under the Riyasat brand. Five of these will be Riyasat restaurants. These five locations will make us the biggest Indian restaurant chain here.
Q: Okay. Five locations will be all restaurants. What about the other five locations?
We are opening an events centre in Etobicoke by the beginning of May. It will be accommodate up to 300 guests.
To be named The Riyasat, this high-end venue will cater to parties, weddings, engagement/birthday parties, etc. We will have own DJs, own catering, everything. It will be a one-stop shop for all your events.
Q: What else are you opening this year?
We are opening a Riyasat Express take-out at the corner of Dixie and Mayfield on Inspire Boulevard in Brampton. All the food will be prepared at the Etobicoke kitchen and sent to the take-out location to serve clients. It will be a franchise location.
At West end, Brampton, we are building a full-service restaurant with sweets, buffet and everything else. Again, it will be a franchise location.
Q: You have spoken about your love for fusion food. Will you introduce it in your restaurants?
We are opening a full-fledged fusion restaurant on Highway7/Weston Road in Vaughan by May this year. It will also have a bar and everything else.
Fusion food is bascially Indian food prepared in a modern way, unlike the traditional way we prepare Indian food in our restaurants.
Q: So you want to build Riyasat brand into a big franshise business. Why?
We approached some restaurant brands in India to sell us their rights in Canada, but they demanded huge amounts of money. So I started thinking about building my own brand. So here we are. We have done a good job so far and soon we will be a very big brand in our business.
Q: How do you operate your franchise business?
Okay, the hub of my business is our Etobicoke location. Most of our kitchen staff is from India and Dubai. We train them and then depute to our own and franchised locations.
We supervise quality control at all our franchise location. And all the franchise locations are leased by the Riyasat Group of Companies. Of courae, the franchisee pays the rent and salaries.
To begin with, our new franshisees will pay us only a fixed amount during the first year and we will renew the terms for the next year.
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