Namskar Cuisine of India
Namskar Cuisine of India
Local Indian restaurant stands for more than 20 years under former pub owner
Namskar is a well loved traditional Indian cuisine restaurant that has been rooted in the community for over 20 years. However, the owner Trilochan Sekhon previously ran pubs in Finland before moving into the fine dining industry in Canada.
Namskar first opened its doors at 202 16th Ave. in 2003 and quickly became a local favourite, winning many food awards.
The Owner
Sekhon was born in India but, grew up in Finland. He worked as a dishwasher in multiple restaurants when he was younger, sparking his love for food.
He went on to open multiple pubs around Finland, serving burgers, soups and steaks in an informal setting. Eventually he moved to Canada with his wife and children to pursue more opportunities within the food scene.
Sekhon originally wanted to open a pub in Canada, but he noticed there were very few Indian restaurants in Calgary, leading him to share his expert knowledge of the cuisine with Calgarians through a fine dining setting. A stark contrast to what he was used to.
Here in Calgary
However, Namskar quickly became a local favourite within the city, as the unique combination of Indian cuisine and fine dining had not been experienced by Calgarians before.
Since the opening of Namskar, there have been more Indian restaurants in the city, but most serve fusion or Indian street food, which is not the same traditional dishes made at Namskar.
Furthermore, Sekhon said that lots of food in India is catered towards tourists, making it not authentic.
“If someone wants to have real traditional food, and has been to India, especially New Delhi or Mumbai, all those big cities, and they want to experience that food again, then I request they come here and they will have the same taste,” said Sekhon.
Namskar prides itself in being a premier restaurant, recognized for their exceptional food and service, primarily the food’s quality, value and consistency.
Online Ordering
Despite the publics love for the restaurant, Sekhon has noticed a shift in customers’ eating habits since they first opened, “people were leaving to eat inside places. They were loving to go to restaurants with family and friends and having fresh warm food. . . food culture has changed, fast food is growing.”
Since COVID-19 more people are ordering takeout, especially from fast food chains due to short wait times. The most popular food items have also shifted to finger food such as burgers and fries, not something refined.
These changes have caused trouble for fine dining restaurants, as standards have become more casual.
When customers do order local food online, it often takes longer due to drivers picking up multiple orders at once. Sekhon said that by the time food arrives, it’s degraded in quality, as Indian food goes stale faster.
Furthermore, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes charge restaurants a commission fee that can range from 20 to 30 per cent for every order processed in their platform. Requiring local restaurants to pay for services that most people are using to get food.
Sekhon suggests that customers can instead use their website to order food and pick it up themselves or to come dine-in so they can enjoy the best quality food.
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