Northern Virginia chef and restaurateur Rajiv Chopra opens his first fine dining Indian restaurant next week in Reston.

The 2,500-square-foot Bombay Velvet — located at 12100 Sunset Hills Road — will seat up to 100 between 22 indoor tables, three outdoor patio tables and one bar. Chopra, a native of New Delhi, owns and runs three other Indian fast-casual concepts called Punjabi By Nature, the 30-employee Bombay Velvet is his first foray into upscale dining.

The restaurateur told me that he plans to open multiple Bombay Velvet locations in Greater Washington in 2020 and beyond. “I’m already looking for places in Washington, D.C., but I’m not finding the right location,” Chopra said.

From Bombay Velvet’s mid-April opening until the end of 2019, Chopra projects the restaurant will generate $2.5 million, with the subsequent year expected to generate up to $4 million. This projected figure is roughly what all three Punjabi By Natures — each of which employ 10 to 15 workers — earned last year. The three venues’ combined revenue was between $2.5 million and $3 million, he said.

For the expansion of his restaurants, Chopra said he will use his own funds and not conduct capital raises.

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