A winning team of restaurateurs have come full circle with Five Star.
Deekay Sharma, Amit Sachdeva and Manish Kaushik have ties with the firm stretching back to its inception 20 years ago.
All three came to the UK through Five Star starting with Deekay, now 55, back in 2003.
Amit, 43 and Manish, 42, followed on 2004.
The trio initially worked for the Harlequin Leisure Group who ran the well-known Ashoka chain of restaurants, Deekay and Amit in restaurant management and Manish as a chef.
Five Star – headed up by siblings Teresa Saksida and Dan Doherty – was born out of a need to recruit staff from overseas, initially for the Ashoka chain ran under the Harlequin Restaurant Ltd brand, as they were unable to source the workers needed from the UK.
Amit, Deekay and Manish came to the UK through what was previously called a work permit and between them they now have five successful restaurants in the Glasgow area.
Masala Twist in Glasgow city centre and in Dumbarton and Helensburgh, alongside Bantawala in Glasgow’s West End and Punjabi Tadka in East Kilbride are testament to the trio’s hard work and the efforts of the teams who now run the businesses day to day.
Alongside serving up delicious authentic Indian food the aim is to create a unique experience for diners.
Whether a more laid-back approach in Bantawala inspired by the vibrant Indian street food scene or classic Indian cuisine taken to new heights and fused with Scottish produce in the city centre’s Masala Twist.
But Five Star’s support has extended far beyond their business interests.
The firm have helped Amit and his family secure British Citizenship and supported Deekay and Manish and their extended families with all types of Visa applications.
The firm, which now specialises in every aspect of Immigration, has also secured Sponsor Licences to allow the business to hire staff from overseas for their restaurants – 20 years after they themselves came to the UK to work and start a new life.
Amit, explained: “We all studied hospitality at university in India and were aware of the job opportunities in the UK.
“At the time Harlequin were holding open interviews in India and we saw an advertisement and went to one of the walk-in interviews. Actually, Teresa interviewed each of us! That was nearly 20 years ago, and we have been working with Five Star ever since.
“After working for the Harlequin Group for five or six years, we opened our own restaurants, but all began with that first interview with Five Star. It was the best decision any of us made and Five Star have been invaluable ever since dealing with all types of Visa applications for ourselves and our extended families.
“We wouldn’t work with anyone else. We have known the team at Five Star for 20 years and have every confidence in them and their ability to deal with any issues that might arise. They also secured a Sponsor Licence for us so we could employ the staff we needed.”
Deekay, who was the first to come to the UK and now runs Punjabi Tadka, continued: “I have known Dan, Teresa, and the rest of the team at Five Star for so long now, they are like family.
“They have helped myself and my family ever since that very first interview.
“My daughter came to the UK when she was six and Five Star helped bring her husband here from India and even helped him with his English.
“He was worried about securing the Visa he needed to come to the UK and work, but I assured him he was in safe hands with Five Star.
“And when we took over Punjabi Tadka in 2023, they helped us apply to the Home Office for the relevant licence which enabled the staff to switch to ourselves – meaning there was no break in employment although the business has changed hands.”
And Manish, who oversees the menu and food at Bantawala, ensuring a first-class dining experience for customers, went on: “Dealing with Five Star has been a fantastic experience right from the very start.
“They have supported us in every way they could and are extremely approachable and understanding and excellent at what they do. We have been approached by other Immigration companies but why change something that has worked for all this time.
“And we would always recommend Five Star to other businesses or anyone who needs help with Immigration issues.”
While Amit, Deekay and Manish oversee the family of five Masala Twist restaurants, the day-to-day operations are the responsibility of a dedicated team – also brought to the UK from India though Five Star.
The team now at the centre of continuing the success and developing the restaurants are Dev Parkash, Vipan Sharma, Raman Kaushal, Dylan Singh and Subasish.
