Louis Burger To Open In Dubai: Zorawar Kalra

After roaring success in Mumbai and Delhi NCR, Zorawar Kalra with his Massive Restaurants has brought Louis Burger to Bengaluru, offering an unforgettable burger experience. One-of-its-kind artisanal burgers crafted as a homage to a legend who introduced burgers to the world. To make sure it does justice to the great man, the team at Massive Restaurants headed by Zorawar Kalra has conceptualized, researched, and worked on these masterpieces for over a year.

The man behind all this is Zorawar Kalra who is called ‘The Prince of Indian cuisine’. After the successful exit from his maiden venture credited with introducing one of the most awarded regional cuisine restaurant concepts in India, Zorawar launched Massive Restaurants Pvt. Ltd. in December 2012. Massive Restaurants, spearheaded by Kalra and mentored by his illustrious father and Czar of Indian Cuisine – Jiggs Kalra, was established with an aim to develop India’s premier brands of restaurants that specialize in targeting all segments of the market while showcasing the evolution of Indian cuisine and putting Indian food on the global palate permanently. 

The Company currently operates under critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning brand verticals of premium Fine-Dining Restaurants with the signature Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, the Smart-Casual Dining Restaurants with the brand Made in Punjab, the modern Indian bistro concept Farzi Café and modern pan-Asian bistro concept Pa Pa Ya. Botai, Delhi is a contemporary Thai restaurant with a luxe setting and stunning cocktails, the brand pleases the palates of Thai cuisine aficionados. YOUnion, the all-day bar is Zorawar Kalra’s homage to the millennials – or Generation Y. Massive Restaurants raised the bar a notch higher with the launch of Botai Switch and Swan in Delhi. Butter Delivery, Massive Restaurants’ first cloud kitchen-based home delivery brand is an ode to all things buttery. 

Louis Burger is the first cloud kitchen-based Burger outlet that launched first in Mumbai and then in Delhi. The signature craft burgers are created as a tribute to the legend Louis Lassen for introducing the concept of the burger to the world. Botai Goa is Massive Restaurants’ latest launch. Situated atop the uber stunning Ozran beach hill, with a beautiful view of the sea and the sun, Bo-tai promises to quickly become everyone’s favorite going-out spot in Goa.

The star of their menu is ‘Monster Cheeseburger’ with a double buff patty, English cheddar cheese, and bacon. The menu also boasts a ‘Smash Lamb Cheese Burger’ with animal sauce and Swiss Emmental. Those seeking a winner-winner dinner must try the classic ‘Chicken Burger’ with honey mustard and cheese. The ‘Grilled AF Chicken Burger’ has truffle mayo, grilled chicken, and English cheddar. 

Meghana Harikumar for The Balcony Stories spoke to Zorawar Kalra about Louis Burger. Below are the excerpts… 

What was the idea behind Louis Burger? 

Louis Burger was built out of my own personal desire to have a burger. I always thought that the burgers in India are not of the quality that reminded me of the burgers in the USA or Dubai. I also did it for a sense of nostalgia as I loved the burgers in the USA where I studied. And, it is my favorite dish in the whole world. So I decided to build a brand with high-quality international burgers that will be available across India. 

Why is it Louis and not any other name? 

Well, Louis Lassen was the person who invented burgers more than a hundred years ago at a place called Louis Lunch, using scraps of ground between slices of white bread for fast, easy eating. I can call this a homage to Louis Lassen. 

Louis Burger being a cloud kitchen, the burgers are so intact even after traveling quite a distance. Is any science involved in achieving the same? 

A lot of science has gone into this. It starts with the bun itself which is designed keeping travel in mind. The beauty is if the burger travels, it even tastes better than fresh. Also, our packaging is very strong and of good quality. Basically, every ingredient that goes into making this burger has some behind and makes sure you will have a restaurant-quality burger at home. 

How long did it take to come up with the right product? 

It took one and a half years. Good things do take time, right. 

Planning to launch physical stores any time soon or even expanding to other cities? 

Never physical stores. The brand is run with care and passion and we want to focus on delivery for now. 

India is seeing many new restaurants popping up. Do you have any Gastronomic predictions? 

The future of the food and hospitality industry is very very bright. The resilience of the industry has been displayed by the rebound after COVID Lockdowns. We always love eating out and I don’t see any negative impact. 

Social media has been influencing the food and hospitality industry a lot these days. Do you think it is here to stay? And how ethical is it to promote on social media? 

Social media is here to stay. If you don’t tell people that a product exists, how will they buy it? 

If forced to pick one of the Massive Restaurants, which one would you? 

I can’t pick one amongst my children. But, I can say my favorite is Masala Library as it is the flagship restaurant and it has my father’s name on it. 

You have been affirmative post-COVID 19, what made you take a leap in the time of uncertainty? 

There is potential for food business everywhere in the world. Especially in India. We did have problems initially but we had a plan and 

Any plans for Global expansion? 

Yes, we are looking at opening Louis Burger in Dubai. 

What is your Go-To simple dish? 

Indian and Japanese cuisine is my GO-TO. 

Which is your favorite food trend? 

I think Peruvian food will pick up in India now. Cloud kitchens will continue to rise. Regional Indian cuisine will make people fall in love with it again. Cocktail bars are a huge hit for sure.

Your guilty pleasure? 

Salmon Bagel with extra cream cheese for breakfast and the Dal Chawal made by my cook is just what I want, most of the days.