At Your Service

All his life, James Bashir A. Khan has felt a pull to create positive experiences for other people. Although it took him awhile to identify, Khan possesses the gift of hospitality.

“The desire to create something for others is innate in me,” says Khan. “I want to create something people love.’

Khan serves as president of ObiCai Management Group, which owns and manages local favorites Baker Street Steakhouse, The Hoppy Gnome, and Proximo. All three restaurants operate with a guest-first focus, something Khan has been promoting since his college days.

Back then, Khan was an engineering student looking for extra money to fix his car and pay his 

student loans. He tried to get a job as a server at Biaggi’s, but with no experience he had to start as a food runner. Khan threw himself into the job and quickly moved up.

“If you work harder than everyone around you,” says Khan, “you’ll eventually find success.”

He decided good service should not be transactional; it should be given for its own sake rather than the hope of a good tip. That’s when Khan began to work to create great experiences for customers.

“If you’re just in it for the money, eventually your ‘why’ will conflict with my ‘why,’” explains Khan. “If you take care of the experience, the rest will take care of itself.”

Khan runs his restaurants the same way. He’s building a culture that focuses on people and on trying to get a little better every day, even when they may already be performing at a high level. That means staying open past the listed closing time for late night diners, offering happy hour specials on food even when the law did not allow the same for alcohol,* and having the integrity to not charge a guest if a restaurant has failed to provide the best service.

“Everything is geared toward earning people’s trust,” says Khan. “Just because we may have done a good job before, we still need to earn it every single day. It’s the next time that matters most.”

It starts with hiring the right people and treating them well.

“We want people who love being around people and making experiences great,” says Khan.

Casting his vision to more than 300 employees across three restaurants is not always easy, but Khan knows that to make it stick, he needs to live by example. Whether it’s employees or customers, he tries to make sure the people around him feel appreciated and know that they are the primary focus.

“We can’t just say it,” explains Khan. “We have to show that we care.”

During pandemic restrictions, for example, ObiCai increased its debt by more than $3 million in order to keep paying wages. Financially, says Khan, it may have been more prudent to liquidate the business, but ObiCai chose unequivocally to maintain its responsibility to employees.

Recently, ObiCai demonstrated its commitment to customers by lowering certain menu prices at Baker Street Steakhouse. They were able to negotiate more favorable pricing from their beef supplier and made sure customers received the benefit rather than retaining it themselves. 

Since the pandemic, the restaurant business has been fighting an uphill battle against inflation and labor costs while trying to retain clientele. Finally, Khan sees positive momentum for his restaurants.

“In the last year and a half, I feel like we’ve been winning the battle more than we’ve been losing it,” says Khan. “The only thing that has changed with us since COVID is our level of effort. If anything, it’s even more.”

Khan wants people to think of Baker Street, The Hoppy Gnome, and Proximo as the kind of places they can trust to care. He knows they won’t always be perfect for everyone, but when they aren’t, he wants the chance to make it right.

“At the end of the day, you can get good food at most places,” says Khan. “The difference in value comes from service.” 

*As of July 1, 2024, Indiana now allows happy hour pricing for alcoholic beverages; ObiCai restaurants will be offering happy hour features during these times as well.

Baker Street Steakhouse
4820 N. Clinton St.
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825
(260) 484-3300
bakerstreetfortwayne.com

The Hoppy Gnome
203 E. Berry St.
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
(260) 422-0070
hoppygnome.com

Proximo
898 S. Harrison St.
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
(260) 459-6150
proximofw.com

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