A golden glow fills the whole Big Bull Lounge at Nandanam during the busy afternoon hours. The theme, which spells luxury, reflects the spirit of Aravind Balaji, the owner. From being an HR employee at Cognizant, Chennai, Aravind ventured into entrepreneurship at the age of 32 with the Big Bull. Transforming his ideas to the ideologies of the bar was a long process. Even though the bar was launched only four months ago, the preparations started during the pandemic. Aravind takes us through his professional and personal journey, which he describes as a learning curve.
How did you venture into this business?
I was working in the HR sector and always wanted to do something on my own. In the search of building something that makes people happy, I stumbled upon the idea of creating a place for people to party. Along with that, they get to taste a variety of food and drinks.
What were the initial difficulties you faced?
I would like to call those experiences a learning process rather than difficulties. I had to go to different places, understand the business from scratch and gain first-person experience. I worked at a bar in Chennai as a trainee on weekends. I observed how the bar operates, learned the work ethic, and got paid Rs 500 at the end of the day. My employers thought that I was just a fresher who came to work. I didn’t reveal my vision. Also, while I was doing my MBA at the University of Lincoln in London, I worked in a kitchen. From that experience, I gained knowledge about how the kitchen operates and became more interested in food.
What is a typical day like?
My focus is on getting things done, so there is no fixed routine. I come directly to the bar around 2 pm and stay till my last customer leaves. The time can extend to even wee hours.
What is the idea behind the name ‘Big Bull Lounge’?
I am a Taurean and the bull is in one way or other connected to me. The first nightclub that I ever visited was in London named Super Bull. This street is also named Turn Bulls Road. I named it to show the bull’s influence in my life.
What made you choose this location?
Getting a suitable location for a bar in Chennai is a big thing. We have to get a good neighbourhood which is not near any colleges, schools, hospitals, temples or other institutions. I saw this place and found that it is well-connected to most of the nightclubs which operate after 12 am. The Boat Club is also nearby. Most of the expats and embassy officials stay in the neighbourhood. Thus, we have a good customer base at this place.
What is your staff strength?
There are 40 employees working full-time. My core team has been with me for the past two and a half years, since the inception of the idea of a hotel. There are no female employees, as of now. I was not comfortable with employing women considering the late working hours and their safety. But, we do offer part-time jobs for women.
What are the unique features on offer for Chennaiites?
We offer this space for everyone. The corporates love the first floor. The partygoers love the second floor which is more like a nightclub. They choose the third rooftop floor for friends and family who want a place to enjoy light music and a good ambience. Many nightclubs are restricted only to heterosexual couples, here we host everyone without any discrimination.
Our food and cocktail recipes are handcrafted by our chefs and we haven’t taken them from anywhere else. The glasses in which we offer drinks are also unique. We have fish, and pigeon glasses. We also serve in pure silver glasses. Getting special glasses to Chennai from China was a difficult task.
Tell us about your menu.
It was curated by Chef Siddique who worked in Taj before. My executive chef Karthik and my mom, Jayanthi have also collaborated on the menu curation. There are also inspirations from around the world. We offer loaded pizza that has more than half a kilo of cheese which goes inside the pizza. Nashville chicken burger, nutty n’ cheesy cigar, double cooked beef — from Kerala’s toddy shop, Parotta lasagna — a fusion of European and local cuisine. Cocktails like Wild Night, Long Last, Horse Ride, and Gold Digger are the highlights.
How do you source the materials here?
For alcohol, we don’t have any other choice than to get it from the government. That has been easy. I have a purchase manager who takes care of every purchase, be it the smallest thing.
From your experience, how different is Chennai from other cities?
In cities like Bengaluru, almost 80 per cent population is of migrants. Similarly, the people who visit the bar will also be a moving crowd from their
hometown to Bengaluru for the experience. But in Chennai, from what I have observed, the crowd coming to the bars mainly includes the Chennaiites. The locals who want to party understand this
place a lot better than everyone else.
How do you cope with the competition?
It’s not about age or anything, it is about managing ourselves. I like healthy competition. I don’t necessarily interfere with anyone. I understand that competition is something that we all go through when we start something big.
Have people told you that you are too young for this business?
Most of them still expect a more experienced person as the owner and they usually get surprised when they see me. Before I had started, there were all sorts of comments. There was lots of advice coming my way as I was a fresher. Once I began managing the business, people started seeing that I was doing my job pretty well. This bar is my first step and I have bigger plans lined up so I hope to do more things at this age.
Can you speak about the inclusivity offered by the bar?
We don’t have any restrictions. This place is for everyone to enjoy and thus everybody is welcome.
What are your aspirations as a businessman?
My next project, a four-star or five-star hotel in Chennai is in the process. That is the immediate work.
What are your hopes for Big Bull Lounge?
We want more customers to enjoy the food. I just want people to come and we as a team will make sure that they are comfortable.
What are the challenges?
Reaching more customers and getting visibility is one area I want to focus on right now. It is difficult because there are lots of bars in the city and we have just started. I understand that it is a slow process and it takes time to build a loyal customer base.
What is your life’s philosophy?
Life is short. I don’t have time to regret. I am a person who tries to be happy even when things are hard. This will also keep the people around me happy. I like to keep my life simple with no complications.
What are the lessons learned?
Never trust anyone, no matter how close they are. If you are venturing into business, start learning to face things alone.