“Birdy’s to Open 150 Stores in Mumbai by 2026”

Grill Splendour Services Private Ltd. was incorporated in November 2019 as a hospitality company to acquire the brand Birdy’s Bakery and Patisserie from another company. The brand acquisition was completed in January 2020 via a slump sale agreement. The company proceeded to invest in the business and grow the brand. The brand Birdy’s was originally set up as “Birdy’s by Taj”. But over a period, it was sold to other investors due to which the reputation on the brand suffered. The primary kitchen was divested to the future group and hence production control was lost by the brand. In an exclusive interview with Restaurant India, Srinidhi  Rao, Managing Director, Birdy’s  shares about his expansion plans, exploring in to healthier options, focusing more on pet-friendly treats and many more.

In April 2024, Grill Splendour Services (Birdy's) successfully raised ₹16.47 crore through its IPO, marking a significant milestone in its growth journey. Can you comment on the same?

Birdy’s as a brand is there in Mumbai, since 1990’s. Over the period of time, the brand did face ups and downs. Now, it is the good time to leverage the brand name. Birdy’s 2.0 are ready and we would like to capture the market in Mumbai as a whole. That’s the reason we have raised the money. Our shops are easier to do. We can make a shop ready in 20 days. In June 2024, we have opened 10 shops in Mumbai.

Recently, it was announced that you will be opening 15 stores in Mumbai soon. What’s your plan expanding to other regions?

Mumbai has geographies with various markets like South Bombay, North Bombay, Central suburbs, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan, Dombivli, Badlapur, Virar and all. In next two years, we can plan over 100 stores focusing in all these regions. We want to be a well-known brand in Mumbai in all the places before we expand in other cities.

How have you brought innovation into your stores and products?

Innovations are two kinds, one is changing lifestyle. Eg- Earlier, people use to eat more pastries, but these days’ people follow social platforms and trends wherein they are focused on smaller portion, more variety. Recently, we have launched Cheesecake shots like 60ml shots of various varieties. So, we are focusing on smaller portion items with more variety of products.

We are also launching wellness products which include Brownies with jaggery, Cookies without sugar, Chana-jor baked, Sugar-free cakes and many more in wellness range. We also make products especially for pets. We are also planning to launch products with plant-based items.  The healthier options are available in most of our stores in Mumbai. We have launched the wellness options a month back.

What has been your USP in over 3 decades that has set to apart from others?

We were the first premium cake shop. The quality was same since all these generations. We make sure that the taste remains same in all our stores. The staff has been there for 25 years with us.

What’s your expansion plan (new products, cities and innovation)?

We are focusing on expanding in Mumbai as a whole. We are planning to come up with more bakery café wherein we can serve coffee, other beverages. We are coming up with Lobby Birdy’s Café in Time Square in Andheri soon. We have a takeaway Birdy’s. We have stores in different formats. I want to saturate with 150 stores and above in two years. And if we get a local partner in other cities who can handle the customer centric part, then we can invest in the kitchen so that products is consistent everywhere and we can expand accordingly.

5 trends you see in the bakery and patisserie space.

• People are getting more aware about the wellness and healthier options.
• People want smaller portion sizes, more variety
• People wants to have different varieties of cheesecake.
• Social media also plays an important role. People are more focused on the packaging of the product, the presentation and like to take eye-catchy images.