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Grill chicken yourself in a new Chandigarh restaurant
by Ashwini Kaushal

     Chandigarh: 'Barbeque Nation', a restaurant in Chandigarh is the place where one can grill chicken oneself and that too on the table without getting hands and clothes dirty. "Live grill on your table" is an inimitable concept, a thrilled actress Pooja Bedi said, as she inaugurated the first-of-its-kind eateries in Chandigarh. Just shell out seven dollars for a lunch and ten dollars for dinner and sample the finely cooked non-stop supply of grilled starters like chicken, prawn, mutton, capsicum, potato and broccoli. "No doubt health is vital for everybody. You can't control the quantity of oil used in cooking. You have to be strong and fit. According to me, this concept works anywhere in India," said Pooja Bedi. Barbeque Nation is a chain of restaurants drawn from Mediterranean, American, Oriental and Asian origin. It also includes two different soups, eight types of salad, eleven main courses and assorted desserts. There is a grill on each table where skewers of tantalizing starters are put in. The supply of skewers is non-stop. When you have had enough, just turn the Barbeque Nation's flag on your table down and the person serving you will take the hint. "I think this is a very different concept in our city that this is growing phenomenally. So, this is the best thing that we can have," said Bhupinder Kaur, a visitor. Gurudarshan Singh, another visitor added, "This concept is new to Chandigarh. I liked it." Interestingly, the main course is not served on the guests' table. For that, guests have to use the buffet. The success of the experiment has made Barbeque Nation pump in 25 million US dollars for opening 35 new outlets in major cities of the country within a year. "We are planning three new outlets in the region. By December 31, the total number of our restaurants will be not less than 40 to 42. By 2010, the number of our outlets will be 100 in India and five to seven abroad. You compare McDonald, Pizza Hut any retail chain, we will be the fastest growing over a period of three years. And this would be not only in India, but, a world record," said Subhash Pandit, Barbeque Nation. The company is also planning to open restaurants at these places in Singapore, UK and Dubai.
- Mar 29, 2008