BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — In 2012, Manny Patel and his family moved from India to the U.S. After continuously moving for work, they settled in Bowling Green where Patel owns the Dairy Queen on East Wooster Street.
As a way to get to know their new neighbors, he invited the neighborhood to his daughter's birthday party, which ended up being part of the inspiration behind a new restaurant: The Curry Lounge.
"I had her birthday. We planned it up here with the Indian food and we saw a lot of people from the community and our neighbors and everything and they came and really enjoyed it," Patel said.
After the party, he said neighbors and friends began asking when he would open an Indian restaurant. Patel was initially hesitant, but locals and his wife encouraged him to purchase the space next to Dairy Queen that had become available, so he did and got to work on The Curry Lounge right away.
So far, he said he's received support from the community and assistance with the bar, menus and every other part of the restaurant. It will feature cocktails, appetizers and more.
The process has been a group effort.
"I have my neighbors and some other community people that have been helping me out," Patel said. "So, I'm really appreciative of that."
Manny's brother-in-law, Meet Patel, said he's excited for the restaurant.
"I was born and brought up in India, so, I am really excited to try the traditional Indian cuisine," he said.
Meet believes the restaurant will be a good place for people to learn about India and its culture.
"I believe it's really important to share the culture with the people so that they will be able to know how the Indian culture works, and how it's different from their culture," he said. "I do expect people to be here and try the Indian culture and help us to grow and try something new here."
The Curry Lounge is still under construction and Manny Patel said hungry customers can expect it to open by the end of June, due in part to shipments in transit from India because he wants to make the restaurant as traditional as possible.
"I don't even have words for it. I'm so excited," he said. "We love this town and I want to say thank you to the community for supporting me."