Stirring frolic into city nights

A hard-working and passionate soul is a happy soul. Sanjay Bhatla’s story exemplify this sublimely, and so do all of his ventures. The enthusiastic brewer talks about his latest projects, his way of life and  about Hyderabad’s first night club that he had co-founded over a decade ago

In the year 2003, Sanjay Bhatla entered the world of night clubs. The only difference was that he didn’t go to night clubs to party, but had a burning passion to start clubs that offered some of the best experiences to customers in Hyderabad. Sanjay co-founded the first night club of the city — Bottles & Chimney, which introduced the club culture to the city.

Fourteen years later, Sanjay is the proud owner of Over The Moon Brew Company with a list of five basic brews — German wheat beer, Belgian wheat beer, English ale, Lager and Stout “People love the beer and they love the space that we have created,” says the beer enthusiast. Now a brewer, Sanjay has been experimenting with a few more drinks since the opening of his brewery. “It’s about doing what I love. Be a good customer and you can be a good restaurateur and brewer,” that’s how the former consumer electronics dealer describes his experience of getting into the beer industry.

Heart, Soul and Hospitality 
Apart from his new brewery, Sanjay has ventured into several partnerships in the hospitality industry. “In 2003, Bottles & Chimneys was the start of my footprints in the hospitality sector. Through the years came the openings of Spoil, Uberdeq, Siaa and Luxor Service Apartments and of course, Over The Moon lounge and bar. In June 2017, we launched Over The Moon Brew Company, the newest entity in Gachibowli. An exceptional partnership also happened, extending my pathways into institutional and event catering with Vamsi Rao Joganpally, Arvind Kaila, Shankar Krishnamurthy and Vijay Amrit Raj. This led us to launch Voila F9 Gourmet — a professional contract catering company,” he says. 

Sanjay’s journey has been a combination of hard work, smart business and internalising the lessons he learnt on his way to becoming a passionate brewer. Talking about how well he understands his customers and their food, drinks and entertainment, he says, “Every customer walking in is important and has expectations which we need to exceed.” Sanjay is so passionate about satisfying the customer that it wouldn’t be wrong to say that for him, customer is god! 

“I need this passion to show in all my endeavours. My first few jobs weren’t out of love or interest but out of necessity; so I just kept cruising along until I forayed into the hospitality business. Whenever I travel, I try and visit as many places as I can because it helps me learn new techniques and cuisines which I try and interpret in my own way to give this city a new experience,” he says.

Each day is a gift 
“With Over The Moon Brew Company, a passionate dream project has come true. We are here to surprise the city yet again with something new and chirpy, a place where people can unwind and enjoy a good meal, relish some great cocktails and brews and have memorable times. Hyderabad hasn’t had a bar like this ever before and I hope that echoes in the customer’s feedback,” says Sanjay.

So with this exciting project now on the floor, what does this spirited man’s day look like? “I start the day at the brewery. Post lunch, it’s meetings with my partners at Voila F9 Gourmet. I spend time with my team in the evenings, wrap up my work and meet with the guests. I make sure I try and give enough time to all our ventures; thankfully, I have friends and partners like Sanjeev, who oversee quite a lot of the work for me,” he says.

The chain of events since foraying into the hospitality sector has definitely brought out the best in Sanjay, who says, “This entire journey has marked many key defining moments. There have been so many moments that have led to what I believe is a blessing for my career.”

The balancing act
Sanjay has faced a sea of challenges and hurdles in his career. “Many a times I was stuck and quite clueless about fixing these problems but I always pulled through. Time made me realise that if you give up at just one problem, then you can’t achieve your goals; one must be patient to find a solution,” he says. 

Talking about his work patterns and staff, Sanjay enthusiastically says, “The dynamics has always been about friendship and finding the balance between working hard and playing hard. Restaurants are a ton of fun to work in, but if you’re not working twice as hard on the non-fun stuff, then you could run into problems,” Sanjay. 

The success of this business depends on the strength of his team, he says and concludes by saying, “Over The Moon Brew Company is run by family and friends. Our brewery is a labour of love and everyone pitches in. It creates a positive environment that’s fun to be a part of. Whether it is our employees, guests or vendors, the people are the ones who bring magic into our business, and we want it to stay that way.” 

First business idea
“My first business was the setting up of a private satellite network in Hyderabad This was way back in 1986 when Star TV was launched.” 

Prime passions 
Travelling and trying local food, drinks, music and observing cultures. “Every time I travel to a different location, I try and pick up ideas for new concoctions or for presentation of food. Serving an international dish with a twist to suit us Indians is my passion.” 

Drinks at over the moon brew company
“We are currently serving five kinds of beers: German wheat beer, Belgian wheat beer, English ale, Lager and Stout. And we are experimenting with Roggenbier or rye beer, grapefruit IPA, Smoked beer, Hellas or rice beer, fruit beer like mango ale, apple cider and spices ale like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. We will launch one to two new beers every month from the ones we are experimenting with.” 

What keeps him going
“It’s always friends and family first, and that keeps me going.”