“Sante Spa Cuisine to Open 3 Outlets by 2024 End,” Sonal Barmecha

Healthy eating should be about enjoying everything in a balanced manner. We believe that when one uses good ingredients to make their food, they have a great meal. One can experience Sante Spa Cuisine which is created using the freshest, wholesome, natural, organic and healthy ingredients, with our knowledge of combining these in a most simplistic manner to satiate your cravings. 

“Santé Spa Cuisine is a concept by virtue of which we plan to promote our core beliefs – vegetarianism, veganism, environmentalism, awareness and an idea of minimalism amongst the new generation,” shared Sonal Barmecha, Founder. Excerpts from the interview: 

What inspired you to start a vegetarian global cuisine restaurant?

We are a huge umbrella of vegetarian global cuisine wherein we cater to Vegan, Gluten-free, Keto and all other diets. When I wanted to have good options in vegetarian, I hardly saw any. So, that’s when the thought of starting this restaurant came up. I wanted to have more varieties in vegetarian so we have everything under one roof.

Vegetarian restaurants are quite popular sector in India. Can you tell us about the market and players?

People are more aware about the vegetarian options. Vegetarian is more nutritious and are easy to digest. Although, there are many players, they are just focused on one area, so we wanted to focus on all the areas. 

How is your restaurant different from other players in the industry?

We are global cuisine restaurant and we are using all the nutritious items. We are using Bajra, Ragi and all the kitchen ingredients available. We have Ragi Pizza without comprising the taste; so it’s more of healthy eating.

How do you think the perception of vegan food has changed in recent years?

People are more aware about veganism; social media do play an important role in it. These days’ people are lactose intolerant as many face health issues. Many people are becoming vegan or prefer having keto food. So, the perception has changed over the years and it is because of the health reasons.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the initial stages?

The biggest challenge we faced was people had a myth that healthy food won’t be tasty. We didn’t market it when we launched the brand. We wanted people to come and taste it. With the Word of mouth, many people started coming in and it became a success for us.

What’s your expansion plan? 

Currently, we have two outlets each in Mumbai and Pune. Our expansion plans are huge as we believe that if we are doing something good, it should reach more people. The menu will have slight difference from different locations. Right now, there is no franchise. We are on our own.

Do you source the ingredients or use in-house ingredients?

We source our ingredients directly from the farmers. Some ingredients are directly from Kerala, Himachal. We try to make everything in-house.