Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Here is a comment from one of the Chai Pani owners, who signed in here at the blog as MI. As y’all know, the new downtown Indian restaurant has stirred much debate (read the comments here and here on this blog) since its opening just a couple of weeks ago.
So here you go:
Hello, I’d like to introduce myself as one of the owners of Chai Pani. A friend alerted me that this exchange about our restaurant was going on and I just wanted to put in our two cents and clarify a few things.
We are a small, family owned and run business. We opened our doors to a wonderful reception and were quickly overwhelmed by the numbers we received. The response far surpassed any of our wildest projections for our small space. We have been working VERY hard to adjust our systems accordingly, hire more staff and train them well – all with the goal of providing consistently good quality food with the best local ingredients at the lowest prices possible.
We sincerely apologize to anyone who did not receive good service or were not happy with their food while we were in the midst of this rush and transition. We acknowledge that in the peak times of lines out the door, the consistency has not been perfect. But we want our customers to know that we are working hard to make the needed improvements, and each day we get closer to those goals. For anyone who was not happy with their experience, please come back and ask to see one of the owners.
In this economy we believe that no one should have to pay for a meal that they were not pleased with. Come on in and let us know what happened – give us your feedback, and we’ll make it right. And to our wonderful fans – thank you for your patience and support!
On another note, we truly believe that there is room in our lovely town for fine dining Indian food which is being done very well at Mela, India Garden and Flying Frog – AND the casual version of street food that we provide. We do not see ourselves in competition with these restaurants, our menu is completely different, and we are not aiming to provide fine dining. They are extremely successful at what they do – and we are not trying to compete with that. We have full respect for the other Indian establishments in town and our family frequents all of them often.
Our menu is designed to provide another type of cuisine from the vast array of food offered in the diverse land of India. And lastly, in an attempt to provide some clarity… close to everything is made in house at Chai Pani. Our pickles and condiments are all homemade and the ingredients sourced locally as available, the samosas are made with hand rolled dough – nothing frozen or prepackaged, our breads are hand rolled and made with healthy oils, the mango lassi is real with all pure ingredients and no fillers or coloring.
Our goal is to source as much as possible locally, and always to provide the highest quality available in our our price range. My mother in law (an amazing cook) came from India to train our cooks personally on the techniques of traditional healthy Indian cooking and passed on recipes that have been in our family for generations in India. If you have any questions about the quality of our food or how it’s made, please come ask us. We are thrilled to be a part of the Asheville community and view our little spot as a family joint where everyone is welcome – questions, feedback and all!
And again, for anyone who was not happy with their experience, please come ask to see an owner, and we can chat over a cup of chai. We look forward to seeing you!
Classy response! Go Chai Pani, Asheville loves you and is rooting for you!