DINESH KANOJIA
Bollywood Delight: a surprising new creation from Dinesh

No one at Ellis Gourmet Burger was really very surprised when Dinesh, one of our employees, delighted us with his interpretation of the ideal hamburger. Persuaded by the flavoursome combination of a spice marinated chicken fillet enhanced by chutney and mint yoghurt, Dinesh’s suggestion has been featured since then as “Bollywood Delight” on the menu of our three restaurants in Antwerp, Brussels and Knokke.

“We were delighted when Dinesh came up spontaneously with his idea,” relates Thierry Canetta, CEO of Ellis Gourmet Burger. “We always say (laughs) that we want to give our staff opportunities and that everyone in the company has to pull in the same direction. But when they grab that opportunity without being prompted, it means that the message really is getting across to them.”

DINESH KANOJIA has been working at Ellis Gourmet Burger since June 2011 and wanted to develop a hamburger himself. “I come from India and the name Ellis refers to the island just off the coast of New York that was the gateway to their ‘American Dream’ for many migrants,” he says with enthusiasm. “When I was hired here, I didn’t so much have the feeling that I was starting a new job, but that I was embarking on a new chapter in my life. There was a big opportunity for me to take and go forward – to make a career of it, if you like. And why wouldn’t that be possible in this type of restaurant? These people clearly have the plans and ambition for a lot of other outlets. And it’s true that since then, plenty of other company employees have started working on new creations, encouraged by the motto that ‘there’s an entrepreneur in all of us’.”