AD Singh is a known name in the fields of leisure and restaurants. Over the last twenty years, he has been at the forefront of the hospitality industry of the country. His existing restaurants and new ventures are well recognized and have received much critical acclaim, bolstering the credibility and goodwill of the Olive umbrella. He is credited with the introduction of international cuisines and restaurant concepts hitherto unseen in India.

Born in Delhi in 1960, AD moved to Bombay for academic pursuits. He attended school at Cathedral and John Connon, followed by Jai Hind and St Xavier’s College. A scholarship to study Electrical Engineering at Lafayette College, took him to the United States.

Since 1990 he has encouraged the growth of the ‘standalone’ restaurant business in India, giving it direction, confidence, leadership and definition.

In the year 2000, AD Singh launched The Olive Bar and Kitchen which was voted as one of Bombay’s top five and India’s top 20 restaurants by an Outlook survey.

Over the years, under the leadership of AD, Olive has grown into much more than a restaurant, becoming a way of life, a melting pot where life imitates art, and often, the other way around.

Having opened its doors several times to the art, fashion and literary fraternity in the past, AD’s vision for the Olive brand is committed to creating and hosting events that serve as platforms to showcase different forms – always celebrated amid fun, laughter, cocktails and conversation. This has contributed to Olive becoming one of the most popular and best-loved restaurant brands in the country, winning numerous awards and accolades across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

Other ventures by AD Singh under the Olive umbrella include Guppy that opened in New Delhi in August 2013 in a lovely new space as a contemporary Japanese bar whose kitchen is a playful wonderland in a modern setting.

In December 2013, AD launched SodaBottleOpenerWala at Cyber Hub in Gurgaon. It is an ode to the dying legacy of a Bombay Irani cafe and has gained much critical acclaim since its launch.

Partnered associations include Monkey Bar, India’s first gastropub with a presence in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata and The Fatty Bao, an Asian gastro-bar that is a love child of two fabulous ideas – new Asian-style dining and a cool rooftop bar now in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Other additions to the Olive group are Toast and Tonic, The Hoppery and Hello Guppy.

AD entered the industry at a very nascent stage. Owing to his limitations of formal training and financial backing he relied on creativity and ideas to build restaurant brands. He then backed these with hard work, warmth and innovation and that has been the trademark of his success over the years.