(Credit: Gordon Woodworth, 2022)
Muhammad Saud, center, stands with his mother, Humaira Khan and his father Haroon Khan. His parents have transferred operations of the Tandoori Grill in the Town of Lake George to Saud.
Muhammad Saud, who opened Alif Cafe in downtown Glens Falls last year, is now taking over Tandoori Grill, the Pakistani restaurant in the Town of Lake George started by his parents Humaira and Haroon Khan.
“Muhammad has already proven himself,” Humaira told FoothillsBusinessDaily.com. “We will still be here, but we want Muhammad to do it his own way. He knows authentic food.”
Haroon Khan said, “We are so proud, because he deserves this.”
The Khans came to the United States from Pakistan in 2004, and opened Tandoori Grill in 2013.
“They are the face of Tandoori Grill,” Saud said. “They aren’t leaving, but I’d like them to have time for themselves to enjoy their family. I want them to slowly get to more normal hours.”
At Tandoori Grill, Saud said he plans to “fuse Alif and Tandoori and bring a fresh style to Tandoori with new ingredients. I want to continue to bring homestyle to Tandoori, as if you are eating in our home.”
Saud’s Alif Cafe on Glen Street has added South Asian flavor to the downtown restaurant scene, and he has used Tik Tok to increase his customer base. (He also runs Alif Cafe in Lake George Village).
Known as the “Chai Guy” on Tik Tok, Saud has 40,000 followers and his videos routinely get more than a half-million views.
“I’m going to do some videos with my parents,” he said. “I want to show what a family restaurant runs like.”
His restaurant’s Chai Bar — “it’s been amazing” — was a result of his alcohol policy.
“Alcohol is not in our Islamic culture, and Alif Cafe needed an alternative to alcohol, so I created the chai bar,” he said.
Saud, 25, is a perfectionist, his mom said.
“In Tae Kwon Do, he had to be the best,” she said.
Saud said, “The only thing I can control is how hard I work. I’ve seen the struggle with my parents who came here as immigrants. They don’t quit. They learn from their mistakes. There are going to be struggles but those struggles make you who you are.”