CHENNAI: Never thought you would see Tamil on the menu in a Greek restaurant? You’d be surprised to find that this day has come. The next time you walk into Kryptos by Willi in Nungambakkam, you will be treated to their bilingual menu, launched officially on May 14. “Although our signboards have both languages to comply with the government regulations, this is perhaps a first for the hospitality industry,” says Vipin Sachdev, restauranteur and managing director of the group, “We wanted to make people feel more comfortable.” Apparently a lot of customers tend to grapple with inhibitions before entering a restaurant that serves an exotic cuisine that is unfamiliar to them. To top it off, the language barrier is reason enough to not enter at all, he feels.Sachdev, who also has a chain of Subway outlets in the city, recalls an incident right outside the Spencer Plaza outlet. “I overheard a group of boys talking in Tamil,” he says, explaining that from their accents he could tell they were not from Chennai. One boy was excited to go in, but his friend, much to Sachev’s surprise, said, “Vendam da, ithu oru American chain, bayama irukku. (This is an American chain; I’m a little worried.)”The idea to include Tamil on the menu in Kryptos has apparently been brewing for quite a while. But Chef Willi, the brain in the Kryptos kitchen, reveals, “When we put the idea out there, a lot of colleagues were against it. Their claim was that it would lower the restaurant’s status.” This globetrotting chef begs to disagree. He reasons, “In the top restaurants in Germany, the menu choices show German on top and English below and it’s the same in France.” So why should Chennai be any different? It turns out they made the right decision.In fact, the very first day bilingual menus were put out on tables, Sachdev says he was overwhelmed by a customer’s feedback. He explains, “There was a gentleman who ate here and then posted a food map on Facebook.” It included different ratings for food, service, ambience, etc. “For menu, on the rating grounds of 1 to 5, this customer gave us a 100!” When contacted later and asked about his reasons, he response was simple, “I didn’t feel like I was in Greece.” He said, “I felt at home.” The plan is to introduce the bilingual concept in all of their restaurants in the future. This includes Burgundy, Tuscana Pizzeria and select Subway outlets in the city. The irony is that the champions of this ‘local’ movement are both non-Tamilians themselves. On a lighter note, we ask whether the New Zealand-born chef can understand any of the Tamil on his menu. He laughs, “If I was good at languages, I would probably speak 12 by now.” Then adds with a broad smile, “Food is my language.”
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