Pawan Shahri

Be it live entertainment, food & beverages, or boutique hospitality, Pawan Shahri, the CEO & Founder of Chrome Asia, has been in the business of making people have a good time for more than 10 years now.

As someone who was always been fond of tapping the untapped and unlocking newer avenues, Pawan spearheaded Mumbai’s premiere nightlife marketing agency – Chrome Nightlife, from 2011 to 2015, catering to specialized experiences for the city’s creme de la creme while ensuring the venues gained direct revenue benefit, something that was unheard of at the time. He was also instrumental in bringing down various international artists to tour India along with managing & executing their gigs in Mumbai like Sean Kingston, Jay Sean, Sam Feldt and many more.
After realizing the immense and untapped opportunity in operating as an agency in the hospitality space, Chrome Nightlife backward-derivative into Chrome Communications – a 360 degree marketing & design agency with a 45 people team aimed towards building and assisting hospitality brands enhance their communication & foster collaborations to increase sales. This agency was unlike any other, as most employees, much like Pawan, had a keen pulse on what was happening in the food & youth culture space in the country.

Handling full-stack communications was something that Pawan enjoyed, but his indelible hunger to create world-class F&B experiences led him to co-founding Chrome Asia Hospitality in 2019. Today the group has successfully redefined Mumbai’s dining landscape and has delivered the most well curated experiential F&B establishments including EVE, Donna Deli, & Shy, to name a few. These restaurants have cemented Chrome as the urban Indian’s favorite avenue to enjoy luxury food, beverage, and hospitality experiences.

Recently, Pawan and team ventured into the boutique hospitality space with their first hotel in Goa. A joint venture between Chrome Asia Hospitality and ace celebrity Bhumi Pednekar, KAIA Goa focuses on slow living and is thoughtfully designed with minimalist aesthetics, coupled with favorable amenities, creating a space that promotes tranquility.

Continuing their trajectory of innovation, Chrome Asia Hospitality introduced Gigi, a 6500 sq ft concept restaurant in Mumbai. Gigi invites patrons on an epicurean journey, seamlessly blending Japanese and European cuisine with carefully crafted cocktails. Recognizing an unmet demand in the market, the group is gearing up for the launch of Lyla, an authentic Mexican culinary experience. Adding to their expansion plans, the group is poised to unveil the second outpost of their highly popular cocktail bar, EVE.

One of India’s most promising restaurateurs, Pawan has always put a razor-sharp focus on thick bottom lines, self-sustaining stores, establishing long-term relations with key suppliers and vendors, and above all else, ensuring that his patrons are having the best time at his venues.

As a frontrunner in the F&B space, Pawan aims to keep innovation at the core – In the thick of the pandemic, his innovative streak continued when he co-founded BroEat! in April 2020 which was India’s first WhatsApp based menu exploration & online ordering platform to help restaurants across the country reach their target audience and engage with them directly. Along with such initiatives, Pawan is committed to mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs while elevating F&B in India.

Pawan’s big picture thinking yet down-to-the-ground approach makes him one of the most exciting hospitality entrepreneurs in the country!