“It’s always been my dad’s dream to open a restaurant. I remember when I was five years old, he said, ‘When you’re 16, I’m gonna have two restaurants.’ We went to Bombay in the summertime a few years ago, and the electricity went out in my neighborhood. We went out to eat outside, and there was this guy who asked us if we’d be interested in opening a business. 

My dad first opened a restaurant where we sold Indian-Chinese food. The guy who helped my dad open a restaurant committed fraud, so we had to stop partnering with him. Later, we opened a new restaurant called Garam Mirchi, which was the same dynamic, but with our own culture as well because we are Rajasthani. From there, we just slowly built up our fanbase. One day, an Instagram food blogger came in, and we went viral. 

I only work for my family on the weekends and Friday evenings, so that way, from Monday to Thursday, I can focus on school.

I’ve been working since the beginning of summer 2023 because that’s when the restaurant  first opened. My job specifically is to help greet people at the front and help seat them. I really enjoy working with my family because I can always take a step back if I don’t know anything that’s happening. I can rely on my dad; compared to if I was working at a restaurant that I didn’t know anyone at it would be a lot harder to communicate. 

I feel like one thing about restaurant businesses is that you really get to observe people and how they are, and you get to go out in public and be more socially aware. I feel like it has united all of us as a family, too.”