“We Taught Vegas Chefs How To Flip Prata” Springleaf Prata Founder On Taking His Signature Dish To Las Vegas
Springleaf Prata Place has made its way to Las Vegas and we caught up with its founder to find out more
By Michelle Lee SM -
When the craving for roti prata kicks in, many of us would think of Springleaf Prata Place, one of the most well-known names in the country for the South Indian flatbread dish. And the brand has now brought the taste of its famed pratas to Las Vegas, by way of a special collaboration with the Zouk Group for its hawker-inspired food hall, called Famous Foods Street Eats, at Resorts World Las Vegas.
The Weekly speaks to Springleaf founder S.V. Gunalan (more often known as Mr Guna) on how it has been received in Vegas, how authenticity was ensured, and his thoughts on how hawker culture can be passed down to younger generations.
How did the partnership between Zouk group and Springleaf Prata came about?
Mr Guna (G): Supper after a night out is part of the whole nightlife experience here in Singapore and it is common to end off a big night at Zouk over prata and maggie goreng. So when the opportunity at Famous Foods opened up, our regulars at Springleaf who are also regulars at Zouk, advocated for us.
What dishes are being served? Did they have to be tweaked or specially curated to suit the American palate?
G: Plain prata and chicken curry are served. No tweaking of the recipes was done as we wanted to give a true South Indian experience.
G: The reviews have been nothing short of amazing. A few bloggers have given raving reviews of the food. And we heard from the Las Vegas team that the sales have been really good.
G: The pandemic has been tough on everyone. We have suffered reduced sales for sure but with God’s grace and government assistance, we have still managed to be slightly profitable. We also run several promotions with various delivery platforms and this has helped to boost sales as well.
G: We have gone on various payment platforms and have worked with Shopee and Lazada as well to run promotions.
How can we preserve hawker culture and ensure it gets passed down to the next gen?
G: Automation. Automation of traditional processes is key to the preservation of hawker culture. Truth be told, no one wants to slog it out day in day out in a hot working environment. Machinery does not necessarily replace people but it can also help.
Certain processes can be replicated by machines without affecting quality. It’s great engineers who are going to make great food possible in the future.