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Hale and hearty at 60

At a time when restaurants shut shop at an alarming rate, Gaylord marks 60 years with pride, patronage and a wine label. Pooja Bhula digs out its recipe for success

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Patrons dining at Gaylord’s patio in Churchgate, Mumbai
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Good food is the undisputed protagonist of Gaylord’s success story and has a twin lead in consistency, we gather from the restaurant’s fan base ranging from septuagenarians to teens. 

Once upon a time, Mumbai’s  swish set would groove on its dance floor and Bollywood biggies were regulars. It was around then, nearly 40 years ago, that Bipin Shah was introduced to the iconic Churchgate restaurant, which opened its doors in November 1956, by his uncle as the place where ‘‘the food is always fresh”. The consistent quality has kept the 66-year-old managing director of SK Group coming back with family and clients. ‘‘Until recently, I used to go to Gaylord four times a month. As a long-standing patron, even if I walk in, they accommodate me in a few minutes. The staff is very warm.” And he loves that his favourites “mulligatawny soup, methi matar malai and Waldorf salad still taste the same”.

Advertising veteran Ranjan Kapur, a frequent visitor since he moved to Mumbai in 1965, introduced many friends to Gaylord and is particularly fond of their mutton rogan josh. “I come here for the Indian food. The dal tadka, bhindi, gobi are delicious. It’s the closest you get to home-like food. As a restaurant, they have to use certain ingredients, but the masala is never excessive. The western cuisine is equally good.”



The Gaylord bakery (left) and owners father-son duo Sunil and Dhruv Lamba

The real draw for him though is the nostalgia. “Mumbai has so much variety that you (tend to) miss familiarity. There’s comfort in knowing that even if you go a few days, months or years later, you’ll find the same high standards. Restaurants today don’t know whether they want to be liquor-led, music-led or food-led, but Gaylord knows it’s all about food and everything else is secondary. Many new places  serve terrific food with great service, but the bill can stop your heart and the staff is impersonal.”

That family-like feeling that old timers love is possibly a result of the connect between the owners and the staff. Started by the late PL Lamba, the restaurant is today owned by his son Sunil, whose son Dhruv, has been hands-on at the Mumbai and London branches since the last two years. The Lambas share credit in large part with Gaylord’s manager of 33 years, Noel D’Souza. “I’ve taken the staff for picnics, football and cricket matches,” says D’Souza. “Whoever joins us knows they are well covered. The management shares its success with employees, who  get all the benefits—PF, bonuses...”

Led by CEO AN Malhotra, who has been around since inception, 30 per cent of the staff today has been with the restaurant for over 15 years. Before Francis Gomes donned the continental chef’s hat, it sat on his father’s head; the Indian chef, Virender Batwa, came aboard a decade ago. 

What’s made D’Souza stay all these years? “Challenges they threw at me — we’d set up a bakery on the lines of Britannia and Wibs in New Bombay — and also the legacy of Mr PL Lamba, who started the Kwality group with Iqbal Ghai. They took Gaylord all over—London, Hong Kong...”

But the friendliness has passed onto subsequent generations, as 16-year-old KC College student Bhavya Shah discovered when he first visited Gaylord for a friend’s birthday bash. “The six of us and had to repeatedly remind the staff of our order. Still, the Punjabi and potato starters we had were so good that I got my parents here.” 

The restaurant has kept its ear to the ground to remain relevant. While old timers come and go, it isn’t ignoring the youth and offers discounts and free wifi to students—something Bhavya agrees “will make a difference” to him.

The bakery was a tangible addition a few decades ago; the upholstery is changed annually and there are wheelchair friendly ramps for the benefit of old customers. While top favourites like murgh makhani, veg au gratin and lobster thermidor remain, about 10-15 dishes are purged every year and new ones added based on popularity. 

Awake to the increased health consciousness among patrons, chefs use substitutes such as nutralite and olive oil, serve boiled vegetables with meat dishes, have caught on to the seafood trend and introduced sugar-free and low-on-sugar desserts. “But we haven’t compromised on taste,” says D’Souza. And to mark their 60th anniversary, they’ve joined hands with Fratelli wines and introduced the Gaylord wine label available only at the restaurant. Clearly, behind Gaylord’s timelessness is the perfect recipe of avoiding herd mentality, yet adapting to the times.

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