Archna Becker has operated restaurants serving some of the best Indian food in the metro Atlanta area. At the time she was featured on our May/June cover in 2012, as part of our Owner’s Roundtable feature, the original Bhojanic location was going strong in Decatur and the Buckhead location was just about to open.
Much has changed for Becker since then. Both Bhojanic locations have since closed, a wholesale and retail line was launched, and Tandoori Pizza & Wings Co. opened first as a ghost kitchen in 2020 before becoming a brick-and-mortar location in Colony Square in 2021. That was followed by a second location in Dunwoody and a new freestanding location in Midtown in 2024. This year, Bhojanic Social Club also launched in Evergreen, Colorado.
Major take-aways from your years in the hospitality industry?
It is a very hard business, so only do it if you love it. Owning a business of any kind requires a lot of sacrifices. It’s a great feeling to feed people and watch them enjoy your creation. This industry is great because one can move up from a dishwasher to an owner by working hard.
How do you feel the hospitality industry has changed since 2012?
It has completely changed since the pandemic in so many ways. Besides the higher costs and labor shortages, the entire set of expectations have changed.
The restaurant industry has auto-corrected itself and streamlined menus, types of services and operating hours to balance all the negative impacts on the business. Because of the pandemic, they did this unapologetically. It was finally time to consider the business and our team, instead of always putting the customer first.
Many concepts have gone to high-quality quick-serve in smaller footprints. That is what we did, and we plan to continue on that path.
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