Goumtesh Singh, popularly known as Joy Singh is undoubtedly one of the renowned players in the Indian F&B industry with multiple ventures to his credit. Raasta – a Caribbean Lounge and Yeti – a critically acclaimed Himalayan Cafe are the two most popular brands under his belt, catering and pleasing different segments of customers.
He also holds the General Secretary post at Delhi Restaurants & Clubs Association and heads a Hospitality Consultancy and Business Strategies firm.
Singh completed his schooling from Mayo College, Ajmer and pursued Bachelors in Business Administration from Symbiosis, Pune and Masters in International Business from IIFT. After acquiring the academic skill set, he joined his family export business to help it expand but quickly realized this is not where he belongs. People born in business families do not always have it easy, and sometimes they have to dig deeper to find their true calling. Singh too ditched the easy way and decided to take charge and carve his path. It took him a few years of hard work, testing the market, gaining knowledge of F&B sector to set up his dream bar in 2012. Raasta, a Caribbean lounge, aims to bring alive a more free-spirited approach to life. It is currently one of the most popular and profitable destinations in the Capital.
Joy and his co-partner Rahul Kundan brought a Reggae lounge to the city; when Delhi was far away even from the idea of the themed bar and cracked open the Delhi nightlife scene. The duo decided to give something new to Delhiites, in terms of music, vibe and culture. Back in 2012 when the entire industry was dominated by Bollywood and EDM’s solely, they went against the grain and made a brand policy to discover and present young, new, upcoming talents and introduced Delhiites to various other music genres along with Reggae.
Renowned artists like Nucleya, Reggae Rajas and new icons like Prabhdeep veritably started their journey from Raasta – being resident DJ in their early days. Raasta has been a part of the ever-changing music and gig culture in the country and has set high standards since its inception.
The dynamic duo, Joy & Rahul, transmuted the Hauz Khas Village as THE party destination of the capital 8 years back and since then there’s no looking back. With the immense love of the patrons based out of the capital and the other cities, Raasta has 3 outposts now including Cyber Hub, Gurgaon and Khar, Mumbai. The uniqueness of this successful brand is its positive vibe that makes you feel at home.
At this Caribbean lounge, regulars are a part of the Raasta family, it’s a sense of belonging that makes the entire experience memorable and that’s what Reggae culture is all about. Mid-Day Iconic Restaurateur Award recipient, Joy Singh sincerely believes hands-on approach and personal involvement of the owner is what sets a brand apart. That’s the reason he is always present at either of the outlets with his patent warm welcoming smile. Singh is a people’s person and one feels an instant connect even with the briefest conversation.
An IIFT Alumnus, Joy reckons there are two fundamental qualities required to maintain the standards of a restaurant. First is originality and the other essential attribute is patience. A self-funded venture, running and expanding successfully since 2012 is a testament that passion and hard work is all you need, even when both the partners don’t come from F&B background.
