The future of Veeraswamy, Britain's oldest Indian restaurant, hangs in the balance as its lease expires and the Crown Estate plans to replace it with offices. The Grade II listed Regent Street establishment, founded in 1926 by the great-grandson of a British East India Company general, faces an uncertain future despite a 20,000-signature petition and legal action by its former owners.

However, the sale of MW Eat to Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa for an undisclosed sum signals a new era of global expansion for Anglo-Indian fine dining. Watsa, founder of Fairfax Financial Group and known as Canada's answer to Warren Buffett, acquired the restaurant group that includes Veeraswamy, Chutney Mary, and Amaya in November. The founders, including Ranjit Mathrani and the Panjabi sisters, have been asked to stay on as advisers.

MW Eat's financial strength is evident in its £4.4 million pre-tax profit on £32 million sales last year, with plans to expand Masala Zone casual dining to 30-40 locations in Canada alone. Meanwhile, rival JKS Restaurants, owned by the Sethi siblings, has already expanded to Las Vegas and New York, reporting £74 million turnover despite a £5.1 million pre-tax loss in 2024. The global appetite for Indian cuisine, driven by India's growing wealth and diaspora, makes this international expansion both timely and potentially lucrative.