Bundobust co-founders Mayur Patel and Marko Husak are eager to keep blurring the lines between restaurant and brewery as they expand.
Speaking at BigHospitality’s R200 Conference last week, they said the Indian street food and craft beer brand will continue to play around with both concepts to create a space that incorporates the best of both worlds.
The comments come as the concept looks to launch in York on the former Argos building in Picadilly.
“The big question for us is, do we open a large brewery on an industrial site or do we do more restaurants with breweries?” Husak told the R200 conference.
The chain was born as a joint project between Patel, who worked at Prashad – his family-owned neighbourhood deli serving Gujarati cuisine – and Husak, who ran a craft beer brand called Sparrow. The collaboration came about as a reaction to the small range of beers available in most restaurants.
While Sparrow was ahead of the craft beer trend in 2011, Bundobust looks to stay ahead of the curve by putting their own spin on the restaurant-brewery concept.
They opened a brewery within their restaurant in Manchester in September 2021, with the capacity to brew approximately 5,000 pints per week. The brand offers more than 16 beers on tap at its sites and plans to promote its brewery through tasting events, collaborations, and ‘tap takeovers.’
“It’s very important that it’s a restaurant first and foremost that houses a brewery… we wanted to make a beer that complements our food,” Husak said.
While the brewery began as a way to attract customers and support the restaurant, Husak noted the brand is considering expanding into retail with their craft beer.
As they eye new cities, sustainability remains another focus and is ingrained into Bundobust from the beginning, according to Husak and Patel. The brand was ahead of the curve in introducing an entirely vegetarian menu since its inception, and they announced a new initiative called ‘Bundo Does Meat’ in partnership with Meatless Farm in January.
Despite its name, the initiative integrates plant-based alternatives into the Bundobust menu. The new dishes took a long time to develop due to the lack of such ingredients in traditional Indian food, as Patel explained.
“We’re vegetarian and vegan just from our nature… we don’t shout about it. It’s not really, or rarely, in any of our marketing, any of our material. It’s not in any of our signage. It’s just good food,” Patel said.
“We didn’t advertise it because we thought it would put people off eight years ago, but things have changed now.”
Bundobust remains faithful to its concept of canteen-style communal and flexible dining. As they look for new sites, the brand will keep targeting groups, couples, and solo diners. They also want to continue making Indian food more lunchtime-friendly with lighter, healthier menu options.
