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Ajay Cafe Opens Strong in Mumbai with Thousands on Day One

Speciality Restaurants founder Anjan Chatterjee's new Bengali cuisine venture drew 2,500 customers on its opening day, signalling strong market appetite for regional Indian dining. The launch reflects broader shifts in consumer preferences toward authentic, home-style cooking and food safety standards.

LSN India · 8 September 2026

Ajay Cafe Opens Strong in Mumbai with Thousands on Day One

Ajay Cafe opened its doors in Mumbai to a robust reception, with the venue attracting approximately 2,500 customers on its first day of operations. The restaurant marks another expansion for Speciality Restaurants, the hospitality group founded by entrepreneur Anjan Chatterjee, who has built a reputation for bringing regional cuisines to mainstream Indian dining.

Chatterjee attributed the strong debut to evolving consumer dining habits, particularly a growing preference for authentic, family-style Bengali cuisine over standardised restaurant formats. The entrepreneur highlighted that Indian diners increasingly seek out speciality restaurants offering genuine regional recipes and cooking methods, moving away from mass-market homogenisation.

Food safety and quality assurance featured prominently in Chatterjee's vision for the venture. The founder emphasised his commitment to maintaining stringent hygiene protocols and ingredient sourcing practices, recognising these as non-negotiable factors in the modern restaurant industry.

Beyond the Mumbai market, Chatterjee has articulated broader ambitions to establish Bengali cuisine as a significant player in India's food service landscape and eventually expand its footprint internationally. The strong opening numbers suggest there is considerable untapped demand for regional Indian culinary traditions delivered through professionally-managed restaurant operations.