An Olive branch
For famed restaurateur A.D. Singh, bringing brand Olive to Hyderabad was a long-term plan brought to fruition
It wasn’t just good business sense for restaurateur A.D. Singh to bring his famous Olive restaurant to Hyderabad, it was a personal decision — weighing on partners and location.
“I first checked out Hyderabad seven years ago but the time wasn’t right,” he recalls. The property overlooks the lake at Jubilee Hills, ideal to take on a Mediterranean aura of Olive’s cuisine.
A.D. Singh’s city partners are two youngsters, Shaaz Mehmood and Ali Shiraz Mirza. “I have known the families of these youngsters since before they were born,” says AD., who has been doing a lot of footwork with his partners to introduce a local flavour into brand Olive.
“We have added a few local elements that are derived from the dishes of Hyderabad. We are also serving big portions for city foodies. It is going to be comfort food all the way,” says Shaaz confidently.
While appeasing the palate, they have also kept in mind the pockets. And the answer to both is a bistro that they are introducing in the city specifically.
“We understand that pricing is an important factor here, so we have planned a bistro. This is aimed at youth and is very casu- al. You can even walk in shorts and flip flops,” says AD.
But what makes Olive such a huge brand today is the fact that across the country, this chain attracts celebs. One of the most memorable stories to have emerged from the restaurant in Mumbai was when Katrina Kaif chose to celebrate her birthday at the Bandra outlet bringing to fore the apparent hostilities between the two Khans — SRK and Salman.
“It is not that we target them specifically, but celebs perhaps appreciate us for the space we give them. We also ensure that no information of any kind is leaked,” explains AD.