Janan Shah and Koshah Noorah have run The Diana since 2013, and the restaurant has been in Guelph since 1986.
A staple of the Downtown Guelph eatery is up for sale as the owner plans to retire early.
The Diana Downtown, known locally as “The Diana,” first opened in 1986 and has had three different owners over the years.
Husband and wife Janan Shah and Kosher Noora have owned and operated Diana Downtown since February 1, 2013.
“I love this restaurant,” Shah said in an interview Monday inside the popular Wyndham Street North.
“The reason we, my family, have grown is because of this restaurant,” he said.
They retire to protect their health and be with their families. Noora, the head chef, ended up working long hours because it was difficult to find employees for her, said her daughter Sanna Noor, who also serves as the front desk manager.
The business is listed for $450,000.
“It’s hard that this decision was made just because my father and mother are the backbone of this restaurant. And we want them to take care of their health and go on vacation stress-free.” I hope we can spend more time together,” Noor said.
She said her parents worked incredibly hard and now that their children are adults, she wants them to take time for themselves and retire early.
Mr. Shah came to Canada from Pakistan in 2004 with a degree in engineering. He knew he would eventually go into business, and when the opportunity came to take over Diana Downtown from Shelina Lalani, he took it.
“I’m still grateful to her,” Shah said.
When Lalani approached Shah about the business, he reportedly told her he didn’t have the money to buy it. He was able to raise her funds through her.
“I didn’t have any family here. I didn’t have any relatives here. I didn’t have any friends here…at that time,” Shah said.
Prior to becoming the owner, Noora worked at Diana Downtown as a prep cook for five years. She worked on changing ownership from her original Khamis family owners to Lalani.
Lalani showed them the ropes and the family took it from there.
The menu remains the same.
“The name is Diana Downtown, and it was built by members of our community. It’s here because of them,” Noor said.
Shah recalled a time when one of her patrons didn’t have money to pay her bill and they told her it was no problem and she could just pay next time. She died on the same day. The woman’s daughter came to the restaurant to pay, but the money was not received.
“It doesn’t matter whether she was paid or not. But she regularly made me feel like this is my family’s work. This is my family restaurant,” Shah said. .
“Diana epitomizes the love of making memories, food, and giving back to the community,” Noor said.
She recalled that when she was a student at GCVI, the restaurant wanted to bring back a daily breakfast menu. Noor and her mother woke up at 6 a.m. to open the restaurant. She often attended morning classes late due to time constraints.
“Everyone knows that my family and I lived and breathed Princess Diana,” Noor said.
It’s truly a family business.
While Noor works in the kitchen as head chef, Noor manages the front desk and Shah manages the business and supply orders. Noor’s younger brother, Jahan Zaib Shah, handles the restaurant’s accounting, while Naqash Shah helps with the cooking and wears all kinds of hats. Nasihat Khan, the children’s uncle, is a cook.
When not working at the restaurant, Shah works at Linamar, Noor works at the Guelph Community Center and her brother works in accounting and banking.
Since owning the restaurant, Shah’s family of five has never taken a vacation.
Their only vacation together was for four days for Noor’s wedding. It was held at a restaurant and invited “friends who have become our family,” Noor said.
Since she started working as a restaurant host at age 15, guests have watched Noor grow, get married, earn a master’s degree in public health and travel throughout her journey, she said.
Once the business is sold, I would like to move my entire family to Pakistan.
Noor said the staff at Diana Downtown is great.
“They are our family. We are a small but mighty team, but we are a family team,” she said.
The family hopes another family will take over the restaurant.
“Just my advice to future owners is to keep Diana’s the way it is. Continue the core of the recipe while improving. Continue to give back to the community,” Noor said.
She said she would be happy to support the new owners.
Shah and Noor emphasized how grateful they are to their customers.
“We want that love to continue with Princess Diana,” Noor said. “We want Princess Diana’s legacy to be continued again. We want them to embrace Princess Diana forever.”