Below is a full synopsis of the plot of Madhuri Shekar's Dhaba on Devon Avenue. We recommend you don't read this until after seeing the play, as it will spoil what happens for you.
Scene 1
It’s late in the evening in the kitchen of Dhaba Canteen, a Sindhi restaurant on Devon Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, in the year 2017. Owner and chef NEERAJ Madhwani is at work, along with his daughter and sous chef RITA, and their line cook LUZ Fuentes. Neeraj is tasting the kadhi (a classic Sindhi vegetable stew) Rita has made, telling her it doesn’t taste quite right and she should try again. There’s a 30th anniversary dinner for the restaurant coming up and Neeraj wants to make sure all the dishes are perfect. He begins to help Rita start over while his daughter cautions him to take it easy and be careful with the knife. The phone rings. It’s the bank calling Neeraj back to discuss the mortgage on the restaurant. Neeraj believes he negotiated a lower rate with a previous employee at the bank, but they have no records of that. Rita and Luz continue to make the kadhi while Neeraj tries to pin down what’s missing in the recipe, concluding that the missing detail must be in a family diary that’s tucked away somewhere in the kitchen. He suggests they instead move on to making magaz ko kheema—a Sindhi dish made with goat brains—but Rita says she hasn’t been ordering brains anymore because no customers ever order the dish. Neeraj is upset by his daughter changing things, believing it is essential for a Sindhi restaurant to offer the traditional dish on their menu. Neeraj heads out to a halal grocery to purchase goat brains so they can make the recipe.
Alone, Rita and Luz discuss how the restaurant hasn’t been doing well lately and there’s a lot of pressure on them for this anniversary dinner to go well. Neeraj has also recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and his daughter is trying to make sure he’s prioritizing his health. There’s some awkwardness in the room because Rita and Luz hooked up the night before and aren't sure what it means for their personal and professional relationship. Luz also shares the good news that she just received an official work permit, having previously been working as an undocumented immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Rita is so happy for her, and two end up kissing again.
Neeraj returns from the grocery store and is on the phone with the former bank employee, who doesn’t agree with Neeraj’s memory of their agreement. Luz collects her pay and leaves. Rita tries to get her father to tell her what’s happening with the bank, but he dismisses her concerns.
Scene 2
It’s the night of the anniversary dinner and Luz and Rita are cleaning up in the kitchen as the festivities wind down. There is a lot of leftover food because only half of the invited guests showed up. Many South Asians now live in the Chicago suburbs and are coming down to Devon Avenue less and less. Even Sindhu, Rita’s sister, didn’t come to town for the celebration. Luz and Rita discuss their family histories. Neeraj came to America at eight years old as a refugee. Sindh province was made part of Muslim-majority Pakistan after the partition of India, and Sindhi Hindus like the Madhwanis were forced to flee. Luz has also been in the country since she was eight years old, and even with her work permit she is afraid to go back to the Dominican Republic lest she not be allowed back into the U.S. Luz tries some of the pakoras that Rita made for the dinner, the only dish her father allowed her to experiment with, and thinks they are incredible.
Neeraj and his brother-in-law ADIL Jaisinghani enter the kitchen. Adil also praises the pakoras. Luz heads home for the night while Adil and Neeraj continue to drink scotch and reminisce. Adil takes credit for pushing Neeraj to marry his sister, Pooja, and start a restaurant. Neeraj corrects him that Adil's family didn’t approve of the marriage and the newlyweds had to start their restaurant all on their own. Adil is also disappointed that his niece Sindhu didn’t come in for the anniversary dinner. Many of the guests who came tonight the family hasn’t seen in ten years, not since the funeral for Pooja. Adil asks Neeraj about his health and offers to come onboard as an investor. He can tell the restaurant is struggling and wants to help support them. Neeraj gets angry and turns him down, dropping the bottle of scotch as his hands start to shake. Rita suggest they close up and orders a Lyft for her uncle.
After Adil leaves, Rita asks her father why he turned down her uncle’s offer, given that they’re 10 days away from foreclosure. Neeraj insists the problem is still in Rita’s cooking and begins searching for the family diary. He insists the traditions need to be preserved for Rita’s future children, to which she reminds him she’s not straight and isn’t planning on settling down and having kids. Rita finds the diary, which has Neeraj’s mother’s recollections of the food she ate growing up in Sindh. Neeraj wants Rita to read the diary, but it’s written in Sindhi which she cannot read since he never taught it to her. Neeraj heads home and after he leaves, Rita calls her sister and asks her to come home.
Scene 3
Rita is in the kitchen with her sister SINDHU a few nights later. Sindhu is working on her laptop and turns down an offer for tea or food, as she’s in her first trimester of pregnancy. Rita makes her sister a grilled cheese with saag anyway, and Sindhu ends up eating it ravenously. Rita confides in her sister about her relationship with Luz, but Sindhu is bothered that her sister spends her whole professional and personal life in their father’s kitchen. Sindhu encourages her sister to strive for more. Rita should be putting this grilled cheese recipe on the menu, not just doing everything their father likes. Especially, since Sindhu points out, that a person’s taste and smell can be affected by Parkinson’s Disease. Rita realizes this is why her father is always telling her that her dishes don’t taste right.
Neeraj enters the kitchen and has a strained conversation with Sindhu, still upset that she didn’t make the anniversary party. Neeraj thinks he’s figured out what’s missing from Rita’s kadhi and wants to try again. Sindhu turns the conversation back to business and concludes the best option is for them to try to sell the restaurant. Both Neeraj and Rita are shocked, but Sindhu insists it’s the best way to secure funds for Neeraj’s healthcare—especially since her father won’t let Rita innovate with the menu. Neeraj recounts his family’s history of having to flee Pakistan, find work as refugees in India, then eventually find their way to America. They built a restaurant that honored their traditions and he refuses to let that die, even if it means nothing to his daughters.
Scene 4
Luz and Rita are at work in the kitchen. An order for four pista kulfis comes in, but they only have enough ingredients left for two. Knowing the order came from her uncle Adil’s table, Rita improvises an ice cream recipe for them. The phone rings and it’s another restaurant doing a reference check on Luz. Shocked, Rita gives her a bad recommendation—even though Luz is standing next to her to hear everything. Rita is afraid Luz is leaving because of their hooking up, but Luz explains it’s all about the offer of health insurance and more money at another job.
Neeraj and Sindhu enter the kitchen arguing. Neeraj asks why an order of magaz kheema is sitting there and Rita explains a table cancelled the order once they learned it was made of goat brains. He puts the dish in front of Sindhu to eat, and the smell causes her to throw up. Neeraj and Sindhu share what happened at the bank, that the bank wouldn’t budget about the mortgage and the Madhwanis only have 7 days before foreclosure. Neeraj begins tasting dishes that Rita is making and criticizes them all for not tasting right, insisting she go comp the diners for the meals instead of serving them the food. Neeraj leaves the kitchen to go say hello to Adil. Rita shares with Sindhu that Adil offered to invest but their father turned him down.
Adil and Neeraj return to the kitchen. Neeraj was upset to see Rita’s ice cream creation out there, but Adil praises it and says his guests loved it. Adil tries to pay for his meal but Neeraj refuses to take his money. Rita explodes at her father for turning down payment when they’re on the verge of foreclosure. Adil is shocked and Neeraj changes his mind about the investment idea. However, Adil insists on seeing a business plan that innovates. Rita chimes in with her ideas to add new things to the menu like the grilled cheese, ice cream and pakoras. Adil gets excited by all this but Neeraj is furious, refusing to change anything.
Adil leaves and Neeraj asks Luz to help him make kadhi, excluding Rita. His hands begin to shake, causing him to drop a frying pan and burn himself. He continues to cook with Luz while his daughters implore him to stop. He rails at them for wanting to change or sell their mother’s legacy. They counter that she would want her family to be taking care of each other, not a building. Neeraj explodes that he can’t taste the kadhi. Luz apologizes and tells Neeraj she’s got a new job and is giving her notice. He tries to give her a raise, even with the impending foreclosure, but Luz excuses herself from the family fight. The daughters continue to ask why he keeps prioritizing the restaurant when it’s killing him and he angrily retorts that it’s all that he has. The two daughters leave hurt.
Scene 5
Neeraj is in the kitchen. We can hear the sounds of a street festival outside on Devon Avenue. Adil enters and tells Neeraj he can come outside even if Dhaba Canteen doesn’t have a stall this year. Neeraj talks about how much he thinks about Pooja. She, Adil and their family were a revelation to him. Their experience of partition was very different, and they were much more connected to Sindhi traditions. Neeraj reveals that Rita has moved out and he hasn’t seen her in a few days. Adil implores him to repair things with his kids, that they’re more important than a building. Neeraj feels that with his illness claiming his taste and smell, it’s important for Rita to continue Sindhi traditions and not change the restaurant. Adil again reminds him that all of the sacrifices made were so that their families could have a better life.
Scene 6
Rita visits Luz at her new job at Downtown Taqueria. Rita has made some mangú sandwiches inspired by Luz's memories of the Dominican Republic. Rita also shares that she quit her job at Dhaba Canteen and has moved out. She’s been staying with Sindhu in her hotel room, but doesn’t know what she’s going to do next. Her whole life has been spent working in the restaurant with her dad, and now she’s losing both the restaurant to foreclosure and her father to Parkinson’s. She does want to keep seeing Luz though, and Luz agrees. Rita’s cell phone rings and it’s Neeraj calling her. He asks her to come to the restaurant to talk; he’d like to offer her control of the restaurant. Luz asks Rita if that’s what she wants.
Scene 7
Rita meets her father at the restaurant, which is closed and quiet. Neeraj starts to give Rita keys to the place when Rita interrupts him that she realizes she doesn’t want to take over the restaurant. She wants to do something on her own for herself. Rita asks her dad why she never showed her the family diary before and never tried to teach her Sindhi like he did with Sindhu. It made her feel like a less favorite daughter. Neeraj says it was because he didn’t have to try with Rita, she was a natural. He apologizes that after Rita’s mother died he threw himself into his work. It was the only way he thought he could survive the loss. Neither of them has really moved on in the past ten years. Neeraj again offers the restaurant to Rita, saying it's the only thing he has left to give her.
Scene 8
Sindu and Rita are in the kitchen of the restaurant. Everything has been packed up and this is the last day before the bank takes over. Sindhu has her luggage with her. Neeraj enters carrying groceries to make them a snack. The gas is already shut off but he plans to make mattho, which he tells Sindhu is good for morning sickness and their mother used to make it when she was pregnant. Neeraj offers the diary to Sindhu so that she can teach her child Sindhi, but Sindhu thinks Rita should have it. Sindhu again suggests Rita start a new business around her grilled cheese and other recipes. The sisters get excited about the business idea, and Neeraj encourages them to work together on something new. They ask their father if, even though they’re ultimately losing the restaurant, he would do it all again if he could. He says yes in a heartbeat. They sit and eat the mattho, and Neeraj says it feels like Pooja is in the room with them again. They continue to eat as the lights fade.
