When restaurant Chai Pani opened in Asheville, N.C., in 2009, Indian street food was hardly on the U.S. foodie scene. But since then, chef Meherwan Irani and his wife and business partner--and now author--Molly Irani have not only opened multiple locations but also expanded into spin-off businesses Botiwalla and Spicewalla. Service Ready: A Story of Love, Restaurants, and the Power of Hospitality is Molly Irani's exploration of both the human story behind the founding of the restaurant and the leadership techniques and strategies that she and Meherwan developed as they dreamed of running a restaurant differently.
"I wanted the world to know the real story of everyday restaurateurs. Our story is not unique; it's similar to so many other independent, underfunded, bootstrapped restaurants built the hard way--with a lot of love, resilience, commitment, and work," writes Irani. She dovetails the story of Chai Pani with the story of their lives, and she emphasizes the importance of being part of a community and local ecosystems rather than being just a business. She makes clear how her and her husband's leadership principles come from lived practices, shared values, and even the rocky moments, when they realized that following conventional wisdom could ruin their marriage or their business. To that end, she shows the difficulties of balancing their individual strengths and weaknesses; meeting the needs of their family, their employees, and their customers; and (eventually) preserving space for their life together. Chai Pani became a place where the Iranis put their ideals into action, such as embracing an attitude of working with what they had and cultivating a philosophy of "mindblasting" hospitality that "goes above and beyond in taking care of our guests, our community, and each other."
Irani's advice can scale to any enterprise and any leadership structure. This is in part because she demonstrates how consistent employee mentorship and review of business management practices and habits is a recipe for resilience. This resilience was not only proved in the lows of normal restaurant woes and the highs of winning a James Beard Award but also in the face of pandemic lockdowns and the devastating flooding that resulted from Hurricane Helene in 2024. Chai Pani's story inviting and heartening story is ultimately one of community and creative thinking. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer
Shelf Talker: Restaurateur Molly Irani reflects on the journey and practices that helped to make Chai Pani not only a runaway business success, but a key part of the local community.