Flavors from South Asia: 5 families will open Indian-Pakistani grocery in Warner Robins

Tired of driving to Atlanta, five families who attend the same Hindu temple are partnering to open a grocery store that sells both Indian and Pakistani items in Warner Robins.

“We plan to have a lot of Indian and Pakistani products — masalas, spices, flour, oil, the whole gamut,” said Malay Patel, whose family is among those in the venture.

The Maharaja Market is at 4025 Watson Blvd., Suites 180, 190 and 200, in the former Tuesday Morning space in a shopping center that also includes an Indian restaurant.

The Indo-Pak market is expected to open in late February or early March.

Just under 10,000 square feet, the space will include a 32-door freezer for meats, seafood and ready-to-go meals.

A few examples include frozen naan, a flat bread; chicken tikka masala, a popular curried dish; samosas, triangle-shaped pastries with a savory filling of vegetables and sometimes meats; and ice cream treats.

Shoppers also can expect a variety of authentic Indian and Pakistani products from staples like dairy goods to all sorts of snacks like cookies, chips and soft drinks.

The fresh produce section will include hard to find ethnic food such as tendora, an ivy gourd, dhudi, which is a calabash, and karela, a bitter melon, as well as popular fruits such as Indian mango.

Much of the produce is grown at specialty farms across the country. by Indian farmers that immigrated to the U.S., Patel said.

The fresh produce section also will offer cilantro, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplants and other produce commonly found in most grocery stores, said Patel.

“We use a lot of the regular vegetables that you can find anywhere for daily consumption,” he said.

In a nutshell, the market is expected to offer “ingredients to make Indian and Pakistani dishes from scratch,” Patel said.

Meet the families

The market is a venture among the following couples and their families:

• Kenny and Pramila Patel, who met Jay and Surya Patel at Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple ISSO at 5156 Housers Mill Road in Byron.
• Jay and Surya Patel are Malay Patel’s parents and they own and operate the Econo Lodge at 12003 Watson Blvd., and lease the adjacent convenience store and gas station at 12005 Watson Blvd. near Interstate 75.
• Bobby and Renuka Patel, who also own Neighbors Grocery convenience store and gas station at 1205 Main St. in Perry. Bobby Patel is Jay Patel’s cousin.
• Sanjay and Nayna Patel, who also own a Texaco and liquor store at 2328 U.S. 41 in Perry. Sanjay Patel and Jay Patel grew up in the same village in India.
• Raj and Anshia Prajapati. Raj Prajapati co-owns Giant Foods at 580 North Davis Drive in Warner Robins with Kenny Patel.

A simple conversation

Most of the families have lived in Warner Robins for a long time, said Maylay Patel, who was born in Warner Robins and whose family has been here more than 35 years.

Over the years, they’ve had to travel to Atlanta to find quality Indian groceries and products that are hard to find locally, Patel said.

Although there is an Indian market in Macon, it doesn’t have the variety of groceries and products that the Atlanta market offers, he said.

With the Indian population growing in Warner Robins, the families decided to fill that niche by opening their own market, Patel said.

The idea for the market began with a simple conversation.

“We were just all sitting and hanging out and it was something we talked about how much we were just tired of having to drive all the way up there every time,” said Patel, who noted that the drive one-way to the Atlanta market is two to two-and-a-half hours.

“If we need one little thing and it’s just not available locally we have to go all the way up there … And we just thought, ‘Well, why don’t we all just make one here?’“

When they posted on Facebook about their coming business, they received a tremendous response from the general population, Patel said.

“This is something that to us, it feels like not only the Indian community has been craving for but the local community, they’ve been craving for an Indian market, too,” Patel said.

The families chose the location based on growth in the area.

A BJ’s Wholesale Club and Texas Roadhouse are under construction on that end of Watson Boulevard and a Jim ‘N Nick’s Community Bar-B-Q, 7 Brew Coffee and Slim Chickens opened nearby off Watson Boulevard in 2024.

“The shopping center is just perfectly located where all the growth is happening, where the town is basically booming and busy,” Patel said.

The fact that the shopping center also includes 7 Spices Authentic Indian Restaurant and Bar was “a plus point,” he said.

To celebrate the opening, the market is expected to feature specials the first week of business, Patel said. The market also is expected to offer sales on Indian and American holidays, according to Patel.

The families expect that the market will have a reach beyond Warner Robins to include Macon, Perry, Byron, Hawkinsville, Fort Valley and possibly even Dublin, Patel said.

About 3.3% of 171,974 people living in Houston County are of Asian descent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That compares to 2.2% of 156,512 people in Macon-Bibb and 1.1% of 28,805 people in Peach County.

About 4.9% of 11.18 million people living in Georgia are of Asian descent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 6:00 AM.