About Harlequin

The Harlequin Restaurant Group Empire started in 1984, when Charan Gill MBE and his business partner, Gurmail Dhillon purchased the Ashoka West End in the Kelvingrove area of Glasgow. As the two entrepreneurs shifted the emphasis from fire to flavour, the Glaswegian palate became more discerning, and the group, grew from strength to strength.

We saw the arrival of the Spice of Life and hot on it's trail, Ashoka's in Ashton Lane , the South Side of the city, Johnstone and Paisley, and in 1993, two Glasgow passions - pakora and a pint - were the inspiration behind Murphy's Pakora Bar.

By 1996, it was time to 'tikka' chance on the Glasgow punter's sense of adventure. The saucy and stylish Kama Sutra restaurant opened in November in the heart of the city centre, tempting diners to 'indulge in the food of love'...from every angle.

September 1997 saw the arrival of the great Ashoka name in suburban Bearsden and Kirkintilloch and by May, '98 the Harlequin flag was flying to the west of Charing Cross, as the hugely popular Mister Singh's India became part of the Group. Within months, it been had converted from a sombre, traditional style restaurant to a stunning example of contemporary chic, giving diners a funky fusion of design innovation with exotic eastern cuisine!

Realising the significance of new technology, in September '98 Gill decided to revolutionise the concept of 'eating Indian' at home by setting up the Harlequin Call-Centre. By dialling one easy to remember freephone number - 0800 195 3 195, customers have access to all Harlequin outlets to make a reservation or order a take-away or delivery.

The Ashoka at the Mill opened amidst a blaze of publicity in February 2000. Situated to the south west of Glasgow , just off the M77 motorway, Charan could see that this former run-down medieval mill house had great potential. He personally supervised an extensive £1 million renovation project to restore the mill to its former glory, and the 250 seater restaurant magnificently combines a traditional farmhouse setting with a stunning contemporary twist.

March 2001 signified a new genre for the Group when a 'pilot' restaurant, the Ashoka Shak rose from the ashes of the former Harry Ramsden's at the Phoenix Leisure Park in Linwood, Renfrewshire - another striking example of Gill's entrepreneurial flair. The idea was to test the concept of providing quality Indian cuisine as an alternative to pizzas and burgers in out of town cinema and retail parks. This new concept required a rethink of food preparation procedures to guarantee consistency every time. This previously untapped market had to work - and it did. The sassy Ashoka Shak concept opened in McArthur Glen Designer Outlet in Livingston in December 2002, with another at the Showcase Leisure Park Coatbridge in May and at Camperdown Leisure Park Dundee in June 2003.

In March 2005, Harlequin, changed hands in an £8 million deal which saw Gill hand over the ownership of the group to long-term business associate and entrepreneur Sanjay Majhu. Plans for the immediate future include the roll out of Ashoka outlets in various food court sites within shopping malls throughout the UK - including Birmingham, London and Belfast.

Comprising 17 restaurants, employing 350 staff, and generating an annual turnover of £12 million, Harlequin Leisure Group is now gearing up for a period of rapid expansion under its new owner.