Top 100: Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi, JKS Restaurants

Overall ranking: 52 (new entry)
Restaurateur ranking: 15 (new entry)

Snapshot

What we think
The group was started by chef Karam with his brother Jyotin in 2008, initially based on Karam’s experience at establishments including Zuma in Knightsbridge and the ITC Maurya Sheraton hotel in Delhi. Although many of the group’s ventures are inspired by India, the restaurants all use standout produce sourced in Britain. Yet its success is seemingly not driven by a desire to be especially new or original for its own sake.

JKS Restaurants has started dabbling in home delivery through Motu Indian Kitchen, which has kitchens across London in Battersea, Canary Wharf, Islington and Swiss Cottage. Another new Indian restaurant, Brigadiers, is also set to launch in Bloomberg Arcade in London this spring. But it doesn’t end there.
JKS also backs a number of notable London eateries, including Michelin-starred Lyle’s, James Knappett and Sandia Chang’s Bubbledogs and Michelin-starred Kitchen Table, and the very successful Bao restaurants in Soho and Fitzrovia, as well as Taiwanese restaurant Xu, all three of which are run by Shing Tat Chung, Wai Ting Chung and Erchen Chang. Earlier this year, it also backed Sabor, a new restaurant from Nieves Barragán Mohacho and José Etura, who were previously executive chef and group general manager respectively of Barrafina.

Speaking to The Caterer in 2014, Karam said: “Over the past couple of years, people have been a little bit too obsessed with concepts. If you just go back to basics with good food, good service and good ambience, you can’t really go wrong.”

And when it comes to people, the Sethis look for colleagues who are as obsessed about food and restaurants as they are, whether it’s people working in their own restaurants or those they plan to back. This approach appears to have paid off. “A lot of people talk about how we are passionate and ambitious,” Jyotin told The Caterer in a recent interview. “But it is a tough industry and to really make it work you need that relentless obsession and attention to detail â€" it is all-encompassing. It is a characteristic of everyone we work with, Indian or non-Indian. You need to have talent, but it is obsession that turns that talent into a successful business.”

Further information
JKS Restaurants to open Indian barbecue restaurant Brigadiers >>

JKS Restaurants to open second Hoppers offering reservations >>

JKS Restaurants: sibling harmony >>