Bristol Thali Company to launch fifth site

Indian restaurant group the Bristol Thali Company is to launch its fifth outlet this month.

The company, which was founded by Jim Pizer and Sid Sharma 12 years ago, has acquired a site in Bristol's Tobacco Factory in Southville, which it will reopen as a Thali Café after a refurbishment next week.

Director Jim Pizer said: "This is our most ambitious project yet but it will make a massive different to the business and our financial performance. We are a profitable company but this new site should help to increase those profits as our cost base will not significantly rise."

The new 120-seat restaurant will mark the launch of a new menu for the group, which specialises in fresh, authentic Indian food and is known for its Thalis and Tiffins. The new menu, which will subsequently be rolled out across the group's other outlets over the coming months, will have a focus on sharing.

Sam Hackett, Thali Café kitchen manager, said: "When we started out, many moons ago, we offered just one vegetarian Thali, we didn't even have menus. We've come a long way since then and so has our menu. As we take the next step as a business we're also introducing a new menu that offers more choice, variety and flexibility. With an emphasis on sharing, we're introducing lots of exciting new dishes whilst making sure that we retain all of the Thali favourites."

The Bristol Thali Company initially started out catering at music festivals and opened its first permanent restaurant in Montpellier in 2001. It added subsequent outlets in Easton, Totterdown and Clifton and also operates an events catering business.

The new launch was financed by HSBC.

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