If someone grew up in Kolkata, they know that ‘Chinese’ is not merely a cuisine here, rather it is an emotion. It is the comfort food after a heartbreak, the celebration of little victories, and a Sunday family ritual.
Long before Chowman grew into a household name with its red and black décor trademark, it was solely the dream of a young boy in South Kolkata.
Debaditya Chaudhury, the person we recognize as the powerhouse behind the brand and also as the keyboardist of the renowned band Lakkhichhara. Debaditya spent his youth with a Chinese family in his neighbourhood. He often recounts how during his childhood, the floating aromas of garlic, ginger and unknown sauces would float from the neighbourhood kitchen.
While kids of his age spent their time playing, Debaditya was enthralled by those aromas. He intended to capture the feeling of authentic flavour and warmth. He conceived of an idea that was neither an inaccessible 5-star hotel nor just a roadside joint. He meant to make fine dining accessible for the middle-class Bengali families.
In the year 2010, Debaditya’s dream manifested as a small, 16-seater outlet in the Golf Green area of South Kolkata. Fast forward 16 years, and the small outlet has expanded into a nationwide empire. In 2020, during the pandemic, Chowman entered the city of Bengaluru by launching its cloud kitchen venture. Currently, the restaurant chain has achieved a breakthrough of more than 50 outlets across several Indian metro cities.
On 10th August, 2026, the air at the DDA complex was filled with the buzz of celebration and the aroma of authentic Chinese spices as India’s most renowned chain of authentic Chinese Restaurants, Chowman, marked its grand 16th Anniversary.
Our Radium team successfully managed the pre-event preparations and was on the spot to capture the festivities of this “Sweet 16” landmark, a journey that began with a simple 16-seater eatery in Kolkata and has currently thrived into a nationwide culinary sensation.
Event: Chowman’s 16th Anniversary
Date: 10th August, 2026
Venue: DDA, Kolkata
The anniversary celebration was truly magnificent. The key moments of the event captured by the Radium Team comprised:
The venue was adorned in the signature red and black hues of Chowman, with an emotional speech by Debaditya Chaudhury and felicitations of Chowman team members as well as announcements of future prospects, symbolizing the bold stop of the brand into the future.
A jumbo cake was cut in the midst of cheers from the guests and the team celebrating the milestone.
To mark this special celebration, we caught up with the futurist behind the brand, Mr. Debaditya Chaudhury, Managing Director of Chowman, for an exclusive conversation about the journey of the brand, achievements and what awaits in the coming times.
Questioner: Congratulations on turning 16! From a sole neighborhood outlet to a countrywide favorite, how does this moment feel?
Debaditya Chaudhury: “Thank you! It really feels surreal. Looking back in time, we began as a small 16- seater dream in Kolkata with a very simple objective: to popularize fine dining Chinese food. And today, witnessing Chowman broaden its horizon across various cities of the country is indeed a very proud moment. This ‘Sweet 16’ is not merely about the years, rather it is about the millions of platters of happiness and pleasure that we have served.”
Questioner: Today we observed a fresh energy at the venue. Can you share about your latest expansions?
Debaditya Chaudhury: “Absolutely. As we have turned 16, we felt the time was ripe to get Bigger, Brighter and Bolder. We have scaled up to 40 outlets across 6 major nationwide cities, as well as recent launches in Delhi NCR, Mumbai (Andheri West and Ghansoli), Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru (Rajajinagar) reflecting our evolution from a neighborhood gem to a national brand. While our past significant branding revamps established our bold look, our brand expansion has helped us to be mightier and more modern and our milestone revolves around countrywide celebratory programs highlighting 16 flavorful years and nationwide served happiness, our core commitment persists- authentic traditional Chinese flavors.”
Questioner: 16 years is a lifetime in the food industry, what is the secret sauce to your longevity?
Debaditya Chaudhury: “Our consistency and authenticity. We import many of our essential ingredients, spices, sauces, cutlery and crockery directly from Hong Kong, China and Thailand to ensure the experience is genuine and also to maintain authenticity. Whether you visited us in the year 2010 or you are dining here in 2026, the Chowman Special Noodles and Kung Pao chicken will have the same exact flavor. That trust is what helps us in our customer retention.
Today is Chowman’s 16th birthday and I feel like today was the day when I was reborn, like a reincarnation. Not only mine but everyone who has been my companions in this journey. Every year I eagerly wait for this day because it is on this day that I get to meet my entire Kolkata team, and yes indeed we have come a long way in these 16 years but I feel it is just the beginning of a great journey. Starting from this 16th year for the next 4 years, we have decided on a mission ‘Mission30’ where we are planning to come up with 150 restaurants and it will come as our IPO.
Through the Radium team, I would like to tell everyone to patiently be with us like you have been for all these years. I wish you all the very best and keep your trust on Chowman as well as on me.
Overall, I am overjoyed with Chowman’s Journey.