Vicky Singh: Two decades, three countries, one hospitality journey

(Aug 28, 2026)  From Mumbai to London, Dubai and back, Vicky Singh has spent more than two decades building hospitality businesses across markets. As a partner behind F&B ventures including Slink & Bardot, Banng, Mezcalita and the Koliwada Cocktail Club, inspired by global cuisines and drinking cultures, the entrepreneur has helped bring international flavours to India’s evolving dining scene.

Born in Bandra, Mumbai, Vicky Singh studied at St Stanislaus High School through his SSC before leaving for England at 17 to complete his A-levels. He went on to study hotel and catering management at Westminster College and the University of North London, and gained hands-on experience in the UK’s hospitality scene.

“I don’t come from a business family. My father was a government employee, so I wasn’t tied to any expectation of inheriting a business. I was free to choose my own path, which in hindsight was probably the greatest freedom I could have had,” he recollects in a chat with The Global Indian.

His early working years were far removed from the world of restaurant ownership. His first job was as a delivery rider for Pizza Hut, where he was also trained to make pizzas. He then spent about a year and a half at St James’ Court, a Taj property in London, followed by roughly two years at Grosvenor House on Park Lane as a training manager while completing his industrial training.

A world beyond home

Long before international travel became central to his career, Vicky says his upbringing in Bandra had already given him an appreciation for different cultures.

Even the building I grew up in, in Bandra, was multicultural: Parsis, Maharashtrians, Sindhis, Punjabis, Lebanese, and some English families. So, I had a well-rounded exposure growing up in India even before I left.

Vicky Singh

Moving to London in 1992 expanded that world dramatically. He encountered people and cultures he had never experienced before, including having his first Ethiopian meal at a friend’s home in 1993. He lived in a North London neighbourhood with Greek, Turkish, Cypriot and Indian communities, while his A-level class was made up largely of second-generation immigrants.

“Every experience I had with someone from a different culture was a learning experience,” he says. The biggest lesson was patience. “Different people from different cultures view the same thing differently, and learning to navigate that early on really helped me in my career.”

Returning to India and building his own concepts

Vicky returned to India in 1996 and began with a catering company before taking the catering contract for the USI Club. Three years later, he opened Out of the Blue in Pali Hill, a 30-seater that became his first restaurant and an early sign of his instinct to do things differently. It was among the first restaurants outside the five-star hotel circuit to serve fondue and became known for reimagining the sizzler with smaller portions and a build-your-own format.

That spirit of experimentation continued with Rain in Juhu and later with Dish Hospitality, which he co-founded and grew into a diverse food and hospitality business spanning Aurus, Sanchos, the Cinnabon franchise and a large central kitchen. He eventually ventured beyond restaurants into frozen seafood exports, taking Indian food products to markets including Spain, Portugal, Canada and France.

Reinventing across markets

His journey soon moved beyond India. An attempt to develop a boutique hotel in Goa did not materialise, but the setback did not deter him. He moved to Dubai to open a restaurant with chef Greg Malouf and later headed to London, where he opened another restaurant in Soho.

The London venture eventually closed during the pandemic, bringing Singh back to India. Rather than seeing the return as a setback, he used it as another opportunity to start afresh. He founded Smartco Kitchens and then returned to the restaurant business, relaunching Slink & Bardot with Riyaaz Amlani in 2022, followed by Mezcalita and newer concepts including Banng and the Koliwada Cocktail Club.

“In short, I’ve moved out of India twice in my life: once as a student and once to build a set of restaurants in London that ultimately had to close because of lockdown,” he says.

Across these chapters, the geography changed, the businesses changed and even the format of his work changed, but the underlying instinct remained the same: to keep experimenting, learn from each experience and build something different.

I’ve tried to innovate and do things my own way, which is part of why, despite being Indian, I’ve never opened an Indian restaurant; it felt too obvious a choice.

Vicky Singh

What failure and change taught him

Vicky believes the most important lesson from his journey has been to keep moving and recognise that character is not fixed. “Every experience, good or bad, is just the next challenge to work through; something only stays a ‘challenge’ until you’ve overcome it.” His international experience also shaped the way he leads. Working in England exposed him to a society he found more socially equal than the hierarchical environment he encountered after returning to India.

That experience influenced his approach to people and management. He believes in treating his team as equals and giving them room to make mistakes and learn from them. “I believe the only way people truly grow is through their own learning, and everyone makes mistakes; a good leader allows for that if it isn’t the same mistake repeated carelessly,” he says.

The business of making people happy

For young people considering a career in food and hospitality, his advice is straightforward: passion has to come before money. “It isn’t for the faint-hearted. You genuinely must be passionate about it, because success and money in F&B can be very fleeting; if money is your only driver, I wouldn’t recommend this industry.”

What makes the sector rewarding, he says, is its unpredictability and its human element. Every day brings a different challenge, with restaurateurs constantly balancing the needs of their teams and their guests.

Experiencing the world without loosing identity

Your heart and soul stay Indian even as your habits and exposure are shaped by where you were, particularly during the formative years.

Vicky Singh

Having lived and worked across India, England and the Middle East, he sees that exposure as central to his worldview. His journey has not been about choosing between being Indian and being global, but about allowing each experience to add another layer to who he is.

Looking ahead, still curious

Despite having worked across almost every part of the food and beverage spectrum, Singh has one ambition he has not abandoned: building a hotel. “It doesn’t have to be ultra-luxury, and it doesn’t have to be a hostel either; it could be anything in between.”

He has already worked across kiosks, fine-dining and mass-market restaurants, central kitchens, industrial catering and frozen food exports. Now, with Bistro Bardo and other F&B ideas in the pipeline, he remains open to what comes next. “I’ve been given a lot of opportunities, and I’ve been able to make the most of them, and I’d like to keep doing interesting things in this space,” he concludes.

Outside hospitality, he prefers a quieter life, spending time reading, watching things and listening to music. He also tries to create opportunities for young people with promising ideas. “You never know until you give someone the opportunity,” he says, reflecting perhaps the same freedom he valued when he first chose his own path.

• Follow Vicky Singh on Instagram 

ASO READ: Amar Ohri: Crafting memorable hospitality through a chain of culinary destinations