Goa’s sought-after place for eating out Ritz Café, iconic in popularity, turned 50 on July 9. Rohidas Dessai, founder of the restaurant that over the years is grown into a nine-outlet chain is endearing in the way he conducts business, writes Shahin Bepari Lambe
Success in the hospitality industry is often measured by the number of outlets a business owns or the customers it serves.
Rohidas Dessai, founder of Goa’s popular Café Ritz, measures success differently. “True success lies in treating people with respect, remaining humble despite achievements, maintaining quality without compromise, and believing that competition begins and ends with oneself,” he says, looking back on the 50-year journey of the restaurant that started on July 9, 1976.
Dessai who widely is called Daad by regular customers, Goans, friends, and many who he helped out over the years, says that, he opened the restaurant during one of the most difficult periods of his life. ““When I started in 1976, it was a very difficult and critical situation. Every day was a struggle and every rupee had to be used carefully. I worked hard because I wanted the business to survive,” he reminisces.
The early years were of persistent hard work. There were no shortcuts and no easy opportunities. Dessai personally looked after every aspect of the restaurant. From purchasing to supervising the kitchen to handling accounts and serving customers, he managed several responsibilities at the same time.
“Sometimes I was doing three different jobs together. There was no option but to keep working.” The economic conditions of the late 1970s made running of the restaurant even more challenging. “In 1977 a rice plate at Café Ritz cost just Rs 1.25. Even that amount was difficult for many customers to afford. Those were frightening times. A police officer’s salary was around Rs 175 a month. Some would pay only Rs 5 whenever they had money. We understood their problems because we were also struggling,” he discloses.
Today the same fish thali at the restaurant costs Rs 300. “At this café we purchase at least Rs 40,000 worth of fish every day. And mine is the oldest with the smallest seating capacity restaurant in the chain. I started with tea, wada and omlet paav. Today we have 50 to 60 dishes on the menu. In our other restaurants we have 100 to 150 plus dishes at the menu”, he reveals.
Dessai is from Cuncolim and was a freedom fighter before becoming a restaurateur. He attributes much of his achievements to his wife. “My wife Gokul is a living inspiration as she has always stood by me quietly, selflessly, and lovingly supporting me in every step of the way. My life together is actually a beautiful example of the saying, behind every successful man stands a woman.”
According to Dessai, mutual respect and strong values are very important in a workplace for loyalty to flourish. Many employees of the café who began as waiters or kitchen assistants eventually became trusted members of the Ritz chain.
“Instead of becoming discouraged of the early struggle the experiences strengthened me. It taught me the importance of honesty, patience and careful financial management. They are the principles that continue to guide the business even today.”
Dessai believes one of the strongest reasons behind Café Ritz’s popularity is its consistency. While other outlets often change recipes over time, the restaurant’s signature mutton masala and fish curry is still prepared using the same recipe and method introduced when the restaurant first opened.
“Customers tell us that the taste has still not changed. The restaurant uses nearly 50 to 60 kilograms of mutton masala every month yet the original flavour remains untouched. The same consistency has also been maintained in the fish and chicken masalas. For me preserving quality has always been more important than chasing trends,” he mentions.
Behind the Ritz consistency is a team that has remained loyal to the organisation for decades. In fact some of the employees have been with the restaurant’s 50 year journey.
What started as a small, single eatery has gradually grown into a network of nine restaurants across Goa. The first major expansion came in 2002. Additional outlets followed in 2014 and 2016, including in Porvorim, at the Panjim Gymkhana (2018), the Margao outlet in 2020. Presently the chain also includes two branches in Calangute and another in the conception stage in Bicholim. “We even have one pub started by my granddaughter who is doctor by profession- Ye Catarina at Panaji.”
Dessai says the credit of the Ritz growth goes to his son Rajesh Dessai, who is second-generation in the business, a B.Com and LLB, and brought new ideas while respecting the traditions established over the previous decades.
“Education is important, but practical knowledge is equally important. My sons learnt the business by working in the kitchen. That practical experience helped us grow without changing the identity of Café Ritz,” points out the veteran.
Despite expanding into multiple locations, Dessai says the philosophy behind the business has never changed. “My competition is only with myself. I never worry about what others are doing. If you focus on your own work sincerely, success will come,” he says.
The simple approach has helped Café Ritz build a loyal customer base over five decades. The clientele is an almost equal mix of local Goans and international tourists. Over the years, ministers, builders, public representatives and of course ordinary citizens, have all eaten at Ritz Cafe.
At 85 years, Dessai continues to remain actively involved in the business. He answers phone calls meets customers and oversees daily operations believing that an entrepreneur should never lose touch with the business he has built.
“I still come to the first restaurant that I have opened and sit here. I make it a point to call all the other group restaurants to check on them every day”.
“Looking back on five decades of experience my advice to young entrepreneurs is simple and practical. Give your business one hundred per cent attention. If you lose focus, the business will automatically go into loss,” he says.
“Failures and difficulties are part of life. Keep trying. If you continue making efforts, success will come automatically,” signs off Dessai.
