If a tasty meal of goat is what you're craving, there are few places in mid-Michigan where you can get it. But if a goat dish, prepared as authentic Indian cuisine is to your taste, then an East Lansing restaurant should be on your list of places to visit.

The Sindhu Indian Cuisine restaurant in the Hannah Plaza has been operating there since 1996, first as a joint venture between Erupaka and Veena Reddy and a business partner, then later as a family business.  Ironically, just a few months after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Reddys did something unexpected. When other businesses were closing down, they decided to take on a new venture and bought out their partner. "It was not the end of the world," remembered Reddy. "It was something my wife wanted to do and I supported it."

Until that time, Veena Reddy was primarily a stay-at-home mom; but once the couple's three daughters were grown, she wanted to spend more time outside the home. Owning the restaurant seemed like the perfect way to do it.  Reddy said it wasn't easy at first; he and Veena were working 14 hours a day, seven days a week. It would be a while before they were able to hire more help. Today, they employ a full staff including three Indian chefs and six waitresses.

Erupaka Reddy's future in the food service industry was not clear cut. He graduated from the University of Akron in 1980 with a degree in geology and worked as an environmental consultant for 20 years.  He admitted spending a great deal of time away from his family when his girls were growing up and wanted to find a job that would keep him closer to home.  Owning a restaurant fit the bill. "I needed a change and thought it would be interesting to run my own business," he said.

Reddy and his wife lay claim to naming Sindhu. "We wrote down about ten to 15 names and Sindhu sounded good!"  Sindhu is a river near Hyderabad, India, not far from where Reddy grew up. While the name of the restaurant was picked on impulse, the location of the eatery was not. Reddy said he researched area restaurants and what potential customers wanted. He determined his heritage could provide mid-Michigan diners with something they could usually only find halfway around the world, in India.

Reddy said the menu at Sindhu started small but increased with patron input. "We would get questions on if we could make this or that," he said.  "We started making dishes out of what the clients wanted." Dishes made with chutney are a popular choice. Besides adding taste and a bit of "fire" to recipes, the condiment is known for its important health benefits of lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and boosting energy. Goat and lamb are on the menu, but chicken dishes, such as Chicken Tickka Marsala, are the most popular. Indian bread known as naan is also a favorite and made on-site in an authentic round clay oven known as a tandoori.

The Sindhu is open every day, offering lunch and dinner menus. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. with prices averaging about $8. Dinner, which runs from 5:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., offers more options and larger portions with prices up to $12 per entrée. Buffets are also offered. Reddy said while buffets are an easier way to serve customers, they can be costly. "The profit margins are less when you offer unlimited food to eat!" The restaurant also does a good deal of catering, preparing authentic Indian cuisine for groups of between 50 and 200 at least twice a month. Many of Sindhu's customers, 90 percent of whom are American, come from the nearby Michigan Athletic Club and Michigan State University. Reddy said business tends to drop off a bit during the summer months, so he looks forward to the return of MSU students and faculty each fall.

While Sindhu's success is closely tied to the amount of traffic in the East Lansing area, Reddy said he wouldn't have it any other way. Though business has increased about 20 percent since the Reddys took total control of the restaurant, the idea of expansion isn't possible. "There is no place to build here," he said. "We will have to make do with what we have."

Ironically, traffic has worked against Reddy of late. Construction in the area eroded some of that 20 percent increase in clientele. "People don't come in as much then. They don't want to deal with the detours," he said. That, coupled with the current economy, has made for some tough times. They were forced to cut costs of labor. "We had to handle more of the work ourselves, doing the cooking and washing the dishes," Reddy said.  "We did whatever it took." Food costs have also jumped 40 percent, forcing the restaurant to have to pass some of the increase along to customers. "It increased prices 10 percent.  Any more than that, customers wouldn't be able to come in and eat." Salmonella and E. coli scares have also made getting ingredients more difficult. "We've had to find other ingredients to make certain dishes, but the food is still very good," he said.

It’s not just authentic food customers come to Sindhu to find. Since 1998, they've been serving authentic Indian scotch, whiskey and beer.  The Taj Mahal and King Fisher brews are the most popular.

Reddy said despite efforts to increase his client base, negatives related to the economy tend to offset the pluses. "In the end we just break even."  Still, Reddy has no plans to slow down or close as other area restaurants have done. "When it isn't worth it anymore and there is something better to do, we will. But it's not time yet."

Reddy is hoping when the time comes for him to retire at least one of his daughters will follow in his footsteps. While all are in college, one at Michigan State University, one at Wayne State University, and one at the University of Michigan, none is pursuing a degree in food management. "I hope they want to work here, but they have to choose their own way and that's good with us."