We all enjoy a fine-dining experience. Be it with our family, friends, or that Friday night date with our better half, we always seek the best experience available. But have you wondered what goes into providing that perfect experience? What is a great experience really made up of?
Whenever we think of running a successful restaurant, all we can picture is a chaotic kitchen: chefs shouting orders, cutlery clattering, and cooks meticulously plating dishes like artists at work. While this is an important part of the operation, it’s not the only thing that ensures a restaurant’s success.
A great fine-dine experience that comprises good food, service, and ambience results from a well-organized system. And who can explain better how to run this system than the person behind Surat’s top dining spots?
HFM recently sat down with the owners of Zero and Dero: Prashant and Jayesh Sheta to learn how they brought the best fine-dine experience to Surat. From the systems they follow to the standards they uphold, Jayesh and Prashant shared the secrets of ensuring that diners get nothing short of perfection. Let’s dive into the story of how Zero and Dero became the gold standard for dining in Surat.
Vision behind Zero and Dero
The journey of building Zero and Dero has nothing to do with food. It wasn’t a passion project for Jayesh Sheta. In his own words, “Both the places have become our passion project, even when they didn’t start as one.” So, what is the real purpose behind building such great places that offer people much more than just good food? The answer to this question lies in the journey of Jayesh.
Jayesh comes from a diverse background in pharmacy, agency management, and even the construction industry. He was never even close to building something around the culinary world. However, despite trying his hand on so many different things, he couldn’t quite calm his entrepreneurial spirit.
He was always on the lookout for something meaningful, as just making money wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to create something for the city's people, gradually leading him towards the hospitality industry.
With prior experience in business management, Jayesh started reflecting on the city’s food scene to discover his calling. Upon close scrutiny, he and Prashant realised that despite being known for its rich food culture, Surat lacked “a space that provided more than just a meal—it would offer an experience,” said Prashant. The city needed a place that wasn’t just another copy of what already existed.
Zero and Dero were born with a vision to give the people of Surat a truly unique dining experience. They offer a fresh take on familiar dishes with international flavors and a commitment to quality.
Philosophy of Zero and Dero
When conceptualized, most restaurants tend to use the best materials available in the market. They want to stand out from their contemporary competition and create an image of their own. Jayesh Sheta had similar ideas for his restaurant, but he executed them in a different way.
Zero, the restaurant, was built on the philosophy of Zero Waste. Generally, when we hear that term in the context of the hospitality industry, we believe that it means the management wants to reduce waste in the kitchen. But Jayesh had ideas to extend this philosophy to every part of the restaurant’s design.
Adhering to the idea of sustainable development, found ways to club nostalgia with what was going to turn out to be his dream project. Inspired by his ancestral home, which was predominantly made of wood, Jayesh worked with architects to incorporate repurposed materials into Zero’s design.
The idea wasn’t just to use old materials but also to preserve the memories they held, creating a space that was both modern and deeply rooted in the past. Prashant said, “When we look at the flooring or other parts of the restaurant, we are reminded of the house in which we grew up playing. It serves as a constant reminder of where we have come from.”
Dero, their second project, followed the same path of offering a dining experience where sustainability, creativity, and quality were always at the forefront.
Menu & Culinary Experience
As they say in today's time, any restaurant can look good and be Instagram-friendly. But pleasing the customers' appetites is equally important. If restaurants fail to do so, they cannot survive based on mere aesthetics. That’s why the team paid equal attention to the dishes that went into the Zero and Dero menus.
Both Zero and Dero take pride in offering their customers a variety of food. Food here isn’t just about sustenance; rather, it’s the story of culture recreated at every station and served to savour for the customers.
Zero focuses on a mix of North Indian delights and Continental specialities, carefully prepared to honour their cultural roots while incorporating subtle twists for a contemporary appeal. Meanwhile, Dero broadens the palate with dishes from India’s vibrant culinary landscape, allowing diners to experience the essence of different states without leaving Surat.
The System of Excellence
Running a successful enterprise—in this case, two blockbuster restaurants—comes with its own challenges. You have to maintain consistency in food, service, and ambiance, which can sometimes become daunting.
Jayesh, too, had to face many of them, such as sourcing the right ingredients, maintaining food quality, ensuring top-notch service, and continuously improving based on customer feedback. That is why he decided to come up with a system that delegated the right work to the right people.
He explains, “We’ve created a system where every responsibility is assigned to the right person, ensuring that nothing is overlooked.”
They have a dedicated team of individuals who delicately take care of every step. “We have someone to check the condition of materials as soon as they arrive, especially frozen imports. Another ensures everything stays in perfect condition before it reaches the kitchen,” Prashant says, emphasizing the importance of precision and teamwork.
Jayesh and Prasthant’s teams at Zero and Dero strive for customer satisfaction every day. That's why they go through the painstaking process of extensively training their staff to bridge the gap between the kitchen and the diners. Their staff is well versed in their menu and trained to notice and address even the smallest details, ensuring that the presentation, aroma, and taste of every dish align with the restaurant’s high standards.
Feedback also plays a pivotal role. “We take customer feedback very seriously. It’s how we learn and improve,” says Jayesh. Zero and Dero have established themselves as Surat’s gold standard in fine dining by prioritising input and adapting accordingly.
Giving Surat the Best
For Jayesh Sheta, running a restaurant isn’t just about serving great food—it’s about offering the best of everything a dining experience can provide. From the ambience to the service, from the ingredients to the presentation, he ensures that every detail is perfected for his guests.
Their commitment goes beyond the ordinary. They tirelessly work to raise the standards of fine dining in Surat, making sure that people don’t just eat at Zero and Dero—they experience them. By constantly innovating and improving, Jayesh and Prashant are determined to give Surat nothing but the absolute best.
Penned by: Vaibhaw Tiwari
Contact information:
Instagram Dero: https://www.instagram.com/derobyzero/
Instagram Zero: https://www.instagram.com/zerotherestaurant/
Website: https://www.zeroventure.in/
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