Luthfur Rahman is the founder and owner of The Mint Room, the fine dining Indian restaurant he opened in Bath in 2011. He started out in 1994 with his first restaurant in Yeovil, and in June 2024 The Mint Room closed its Bristol site after nearly 10 years to concentrate its resources on Bath.

The Bath restaurant holds a 2026 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award and, at the time of writing, is ranked first of 487 restaurants in the city on the review site, and Rahman is now investing in the restaurant and its rooftop dining space.

He tells Business Matters about taking a chance on a new town, pausing before a major investment and why a strong concept will not protect a restaurant that neglects its cash flow.

What do you currently do at The Mint Room?

I am the founder and owner of The Mint Room, a fine dining Indian restaurant in Bath. My role reaches across the whole business: the guest experience, our food and service standards, the team, our relationships in the city, and the decisions that will shape the restaurant’s future. After more than three decades in hospitality, I still care about the details a guest notices, from the welcome they receive to how they feel when they leave.

The Mint Room is a destination restaurant, so we have to give people a reason to make the journey. That means respecting the traditions behind the food while continuing to develop the experience. We have introduced experiences such as Indian afternoon tea and tasting menus, and I am investing in the restaurant and its rooftop dining space.

I also enjoy using the restaurant to bring people together, whether for a celebration, a community event or a charity dinner.

Running a restaurant today involves much more than opening the doors and serving good food. I spend time thinking about what guests value, how they discover us, what we can afford to invest, and how to keep the business strong through changing conditions. But hospitality remains personal to me. I want people to feel that someone has thought carefully about their evening.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

My journey in restaurants began in Yeovil in 1994, when I opened my first restaurant. I had grown up in East London and was taking a chance in a new town.

Building a business there was demanding, but it taught me how much a restaurant can mean beyond the food it serves. It can become a place where people meet, celebrate, work and feel part of a community.

Over the years, I wanted to show the range and sophistication of Indian food through a more considered dining experience. When I created The Mint Room in Bath, my ambition was to bring together excellent cooking, thoughtful service and a setting worthy of a special occasion. I wanted guests to feel excited about Indian cuisine, including people who thought they already knew what an Indian restaurant could be.

My British Bangladeshi background is part of that story. I have spent my life building a business in Britain while being proud of where my family comes from. Food has always given me a way to share culture and welcome people in. The Mint Room grew from that belief, as well as from everything I learned through the successes and difficulties of my earlier restaurants.

Who do you admire?

I admire mentors and community figures who use what they have achieved to open doors for other people. I have met people whose encouragement or example made a difference at a difficult point in someone else’s journey. They may never receive public recognition, but the effect of their work can last for years.

That matters to me because I remember what it was like to arrive in Yeovil in 1994 and try to establish myself. Building trust takes time. So does building a community where people from different backgrounds can live and work together. I have great respect for those who show up consistently, treat people fairly and make it easier for the next person to find their place.

I also admire people who remain generous with their time after becoming successful. In business, it is easy to focus only on your own challenges. The people I look up to remember that they can help someone else along the way.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

I would have learned sooner to give myself more room to pause before a major investment. Restaurateurs are often driven by the desire to improve: a better space, a better experience, a new idea for guests. That energy has helped me build my businesses, but every decision also has to work financially and operationally. A restaurant can have a wonderful concept and still face real pressure while it is being delivered.

I would also have spent more time explaining the story behind the business. For many years, I concentrated on the restaurant itself and expected the quality of the experience to speak for us. Recommendations remain precious, but people now discover and judge restaurants in many different ways. Sharing who we are, why we do things and what makes a visit special has become part of running the business.

I would not remove the difficult years from my journey. They taught me resilience and gave me a deeper understanding of both people and business. But experience has made me more careful about timing, cash flow and communicating what we do.

What defines your way of doing business?

I believe in being straightforward with people and taking pride in the experience we promise. Hospitality depends on trust. Guests trust us with their time, their money and often an important occasion.

Staff need to know the standards we are aiming for and feel that their work matters. Suppliers and partners need clear, honest relationships. I try to keep those responsibilities in mind when making decisions.

I also believe a restaurant should have a character of its own. The Mint Room is built around Indian cuisine, but it is equally about atmosphere, service and making people feel welcome. We cannot stand still: tastes change, costs change and Bath itself changes. We have to listen to guests and keep finding ways to give them a compelling reason to return.

Finally, community matters to me. My restaurants have given people employment and brought people together. I value opportunities to support local organisations and charitable causes. A business has to earn its living, but I want mine to contribute something to the place around it.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Know exactly what experience you want to offer, and then learn every part of what it takes to deliver it. In hospitality, a strong idea is only the beginning. You need to understand your customers, your team, your costs and the ordinary details of service. Listen carefully to feedback, particularly when it is uncomfortable, and fix problems before they become habits.

Be ambitious, but protect your cash flow. Allow for projects to take longer and cost more than you first expect. Make time to examine the figures even when you are busy with the day-to-day work. Good food and a beautiful room will not, on their own, remove the pressures of running a business.

Build relationships as well as a customer base. Be known for keeping your word and treating people well. Some of the most valuable support I have received over the years has come from people who knew I was committed for the long term.

There will be difficult periods; I have certainly had them. Keep learning, adapt where you need to, and remember why you started.

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