Chef Ashni “Baba” Kumar and Priya Guru have sold their popular Indian restaurant to a new owner, but the business is staying in the family and meat options will be returning to the menu.
Samarth Joshi, Priya’s 28-year-old nephew, will take the reins of Guru’s Indian Cuisine, located at 203 N. Sycamore St., Newtown, effective Aug. 1.
“As many of you know, we recently transitioned to a fully vegetarian menu out of our deep concern for animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and ethical sourcing. However, this change has significantly impacted our business, leading to a substantial drop in revenue,” explained Priya “It was a difficult decision but given the current financial challenges that the business has endured and the time necessary for us to continue our ongoing adoption process, Samarth has decided to reintroduce meat to ensure the survival of the restaurant.”
Guru’s has undergone a lot of changes in the past year – from closing in January so the couple could travel to India to try to adopt two sisters, to reopening in April as a vegetarian popup with 100% of proceeds going to Priya’s animal welfare charity. Joshi says both Baba and Priya will continue to work at the restaurant with limited roles, and a portion of profits from sales will still go to Guru’s Guardian Angels, a nonprofit that the couple launched last year that is dedicated to rescuing and sheltering stray animals around the world.
“We’re really excited about passing the torch to our nephew. He will bring new life and energy to this business,” said Baba and Priya who have owned the restaurant since 2015. Joshi, originally from the Gujarat province of India, moved to the U.S. last year from Ontario, Canada. He has spent the past year learning the ropes of the restaurant business by helping his aunt and uncle at Guru’s.
“I plan on developing the bar program and introducing a Bollywood themed happy hour as well as hosting a complimentary ‘Meet the New Guy’ happy hour Thursday, August 22 from 5 to 7 p.m.,” Joshi said.
For information, visit www.gurusnewtown.com. Learn more about Guru’s Guardian Angels by visiting https://www.guruguardianangels.org.
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