Indian Restaurant Congress 2019 Mumbai - Creating A Cross Lineage Between the Industry Players and Emerging Brands

Spreading its wings to the city of Hyderabad, Indian Restaurant Congress hosted 2nd edition of its Leadership Series at ITC-Kohenur Hyderabad that witnessed great footfall from the restaurant and F&B fraternity. Top restaurateur, policy makers, food service professionals, chefs and consultants, food ingredient and raw material suppliers came together at the event and awards held on 5th December.

“I am super excited and delighted to be a part of Restaurant India Awards in Hyderabad and this is the place to attend and meet the who’s who of the Hyderabad F&B industry and I am very excited and happy to be a part of it,” shared Amar Ohri, MD, Ohri’s that is into the business for almost four decades now.

A Platform for Restaurant Entrepreneurs 

The restaurant and F&B (Food & Beverage) professionals came together on the single platform to interact, share their knowledge and experiences on various topics related to Curating Experience, Investing n technologies, Trends and Expasion. Keeping in mind the theme of the event ‘Consistency, Connection and Convenience’, experts shared their insights on how to create business concept and food palates that are modern in their traditionalism.

“The big news for the restaurant industry growth is the interpolation of independent restaurateurs’ and Hyderabad stands out both for its brilliant concepts and restaurant owners ambition,” pointed Ritu Marya, Editor-in-Chief, Entrepreneur Media & Restaurant India by adding that restaurants are not as insulated in their regional pockets as they used to be. 

She also mentioned that we will be seeing restaurants that focus on regional cuisines, crossing the state borders, and will alight a new array of Andhra food options in Indian cities.

“I congratulate Restaurant India that has come to Hyderabad to recognise the best of the talent, best of cuisine. It’s a beautiful platform where like-minded people come together and share ideas, thoughts and knowledge. We also get to see some great food and food-tech products that help hoteliers, industry to make their job faster, convenient and efficient and affordable and I think restaurant India has provided a wonderful platform for all of us at Hyderabad,” mentioned Chef Dharmender Lamba, President, Telangana Chefs Association and Hotel Manager, Trident Hyderabad.

Commenting on the same, Ramit Goyal, National Sales Head, Hyperpure by Zomato added, “It’s been a great experience at Restaurant India and it was pleasure connecting here with lots of restaurant partners. It is a great platform to meet restaurant and F&b partners and share ideas.”

It’s Gala Time

Restaurant India Hyderabad Awards 2023 was held in the evening of 5th December that acknowledged the contribution of market leaders and innovators from the Restaurant fraternity. Organised by Franchise India and judged by leading business experts including the Editor-in-Chief of the group, these awards were the perfect opportunity to show the awardees’ outstanding success in the industry as they received national recognition and extensive media coverage with the partners.

The awards night was attended by the top leaders including Amar Ohri of Ohri’s, Shashank Annumula of Café Niloufer, Teja Chekuri from Ironhill India amongst others. The awards night was also blessed by the presence of Shri Jayesh Ranjan, Secretary, IT&EC, Govt of Telangana and Shri Meela Jayadev, President, FTCCI.

“Restaurants today need professional level of high level, trained and qualified staff as it is very important to know who the team that works with you are is. Also, a training facility by restaurant people is required since it's different from other sector, the training has to come from within the industry,” mentioned Mr. Ranjan by adding that restaurant business should also align themselves with the Govt and as we are celebrating the International year of millets, restaurants should popularise this in restaurant and organise food fest around the same and support the same.

In the last two years, Restaurant India Conference and Awards has become the authority and the final word when it comes to food and beverage in the country. A night full of applauds and recognition of customers was sponsored by Ohri’s, NuTaste, Hyperpure by Zomato, On2Cook amongst other. The prestigious brands that were a part of the evening included Paradise Biryani, Café Niloufer, Ohri’s, Cock & Bull, Trident, Marriott Hotels, The Park, IronHill India, Bawarchi, Pista House to name a few.

The Indian Restaurant Congress- Mumbai took an in-depth look at the restaurant innovation and growth trends happening in 2019 and beyond. 

How Delivery is Disrupting the Restaurant Biz

Delivery has become a huge business today both for restaurants and the third-party aggregators and the food-tech players. It has become a big opportunity for players like Domino’s that set the tone of delivery business in India way back in 90s. It does 70 per cent of delivery through Zomato and Swiggy etc and the rest is done by Domino’s itself. Hence, we can say that Zomato and Swiggy have disrupted the urban and the semi-urban areas. “Delivery has become a great market and we at Speciality Restaurants have hired somebody from Domino’s to learn the art of delivery business,” shares Anjan Chatterjee, Founder & MD, Speciality Restaurants Ltd.

Quality v/s Quantity: Better Quality Food over more Food is the way to go

Handcrafted foods, off beat experience, multi-cuisine food moment are some of the emerging trends for diners wherein quality is more focused upon over quantity. With customers’ demand for high quality, locally sourced and organically grown ingredients, food in any restaurant is going through a change wherein restaurant owners and chefs are becoming smart by growing their own ingredients, partnering with local farmers and also making customers’ aware about their food and from where it is sourced.

There is no denying that diners expect more than just great food when they dine out – they crave great experiences. “You need to provide a hearty meal where your guests say, ‘Hey! I enjoyed the food’,” shares Rahul Dhavale, Executive Chef, Westin Mumbai Garden City, by adding that everything remain sensation as it depends on guests what they want to have.

Keeping Brand Fresh & Relevant

Millennials' eat differently than their parents'. As a growing restaurateur it is a constant trial to keep up with numerous food fads and crazes, as well as determining, which trends are more lasting and how to adapt them to a specific market and food segment. Keeping in mind about the new age diners and customers, brand evolution is a continuous process.

Commenting on the same, Vishal Kamat, CEO, Kamat Group shares, “We have a fantastic global as well as Indian fare. But what we serve in the south of India is different to what we serve other markets. The whole idea is to give our customers a differentiated experience when they come to a part of south of India for breakfast. Those items are traditional recipes that you don’t get in a 5-star restaurant. And, that’s where the evolvement happens.”

Innovation is the Key

Innovation is not just limited to food, menu or service but it is also about creating customer experience. Restaurants these days do lots of fun activities to keep customers coming back to them again and again. “When we started Sassy Spoon at Nariman Point we started it as a fine dining restaurant but four years later when we thought of starting it in Pune and saw the demographic over there, we found that the target audience was very different from the kind of target audience we had for fine dine in Mumbai. So, we had to tweak our offerings and price points as per the Pune market,” shared Rachel Goenka of the Chocolate Spoon Company that owns Sassy Spoon.

The Right ‘Money’ Finding the Right ‘Concepts’

As the Indian consumer story is growing, investors are seeing a huge interests in the sector in the last one and two years. There are myriad ways operators are funding expansion and development. “The primary bet we do at Gaja when investing in a brand is that we bet on the team. We want to be very clear about the team, the concept and the ability to scale,” adds Manoj Balan, Director of Finance, Gaja Capital. The restaurant business is all about scale and growth and at any point of time when an investor decide to exit and it becomes exciting for another investor there has to be growth and a path that has to be made. So, for any investor, the initial filters are what the team demonstrated, how capable is the team is, etc.

India’s restaurant sector, currently pegged at Rs 3,09,110 crore ($48 billion), growing at a CAGR of 10 per cent to reach Rs 4,98,130 crore by 2021 as tier-2-3 regions are set to drive growth, reports the two-day Indian Restaurant Congress 2017 held on 28^th and 29^th August. Apart from Indian cuisine, Indian filter coffee is also making a comeback with pan-India growth plans as the Coffee Board of India plans a marketing and branding push to expand this niche market. “Our vision is to create a pure Indian filter coffee. By next year, we will have modern, clean, cool and affordable Coffee Houses across India offering Indian filter coffee and snacks. Till now, India has been a tea country, my objective is to also make it coffee country,” shares Srivatsa Krishna, CEO & Secretary, Coffee Board of India speaking at the congress. .

Zorawar Kalra, Founder and Managing Director, Massive Restaurants who owns Farzi Cafe, Masala Library and Papaya to name a few and the conference chairperson, says, “We are an important industry in India. The Indian restaurant market is 40 times that of Bollywood. The Indian food industry produces 2 per cent of India’s GDP and is second largest employer of human capital in the country after agriculture. As the Indian middle class is now spending more and more, food sector will automatically receive larger share out of their spending.”

Restaurateurs, chefs and industry leaders including Celebrity Chef Akmal Anuar (Co-Founder & Chef, 3Fils Restaurant),Unnat Varma (MD, Pizza Hut- India Subcontinent), Ashish Kapur (Founder & Director, Moods Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.), Sameer Bhasin (CEO, Barbeque Nation) and Varun Tuli (Director, Yum Yum Cha), among others were some of the speakers at the event.

Talking about consumer psychology in food and restaurant business, Indian Celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar points “It’s important to know what consumers want, but it’s also important not to just give them what they want,” addingthat food is the balance of what consumers want and what you want to sell. And today there has to be a certain aspiration, certain newness behind any cuisine or concept in market. Otherwise, it’s like there is no expression left in the business.

According to the industry analysis and experts, North Indian is the highest preferred cuisines at 28% followed by Chinese at 19% and South Indian at 9%. Many Indian restaurants are now also looking to expand to global markets apart from the UK in the fine dining space.

The Restaurant Congress also organised a Bar & Cigar Summit and a Chai n Bun Summit on the sidelines of the two day conference.

"Today consumers who are drawn to an experiential dining experience are willing to pay more. Indian Restaurant Congress 2017 will share the building blocks of the food service in an innovative ecosystem. It is the platform where restaurants, chefs, brands would find future business models and ideas to address tomorrow's market demand", adds Ritu Marya, Director and Conference Convener, Franchise India.

Indian Restaurant Congress also organised, Indian Restaurant Awards on 29^th evening to appreciate the brands in the industry. Award honoured over 90 restaurateurs and foodpreneurs for their outstanding work and prominence by acknowledging outstanding creativity, customer service and top quality dining that is on offer throughout India. Mr. Zorawar Kalra was awarded National Restaurateur of the Year, Chef Ranveer Brar was awarded est Chef of the Year, Mr. Priyank Sukhija of Lazeez Affaire Group was awarded Restaurant Icon of the Year, Maplai Restaurant was awarded by Best Indian Cuisine Restaurant of the Year-South, The Darzi Bar and Kitchen- A Unit of Radioactive Hospitality LLP was awarded Best Theme based Gastro-Pub of the Year, Chai Galli was awarded Best Regional Café of the Year – South to name of a few.

With rising disposable income and time poverty, eating out has tremendously grown in India with consumption expenditure accounting for 60% of the total GDP. Western India market which remains a top market to invest in for both global as well as domestic investors has given the industry some of the key trends and leaders. Being a market which has 37% per cent share of the quick service restaurants west was the first region to create nightlife scene in Indian market. It is also home to the lost Iranian cuisine and local regional delicacies, including coastal cuisine, Marathi cuisine amongst others.

Indian Restaurant Congress which has become an important destinations for Restaurant and Food service brands to discuss and debate about the key trends in Indian food business after doing six mega editions in Delhi, thought of capturing the regional markets by doing Restaurant India at all the four regions India has. Building on its success, Franchise India replicated the platform in the southern region with the launch of Restaurant Congress in Bengaluru on 18^th December at Hotel Sheraton. And, now the much acknowledge show is coming to West India to take a bite of the western region. The show will also acknowledge the region’s top achievers at the gala awards evening on 19^th March at Hotel Westin Pune.

“The Restaurant Market in West India is clearly calling for an exponential expansion, requiring brands to open more restaurants at faster pace and in optimal locations,” says Mr. Gaurav Marya, Chairman, Franchise India, adding that, as Indian palate gets more diverse, restaurant owners must find a niche market, distinguish themselves from their peers, and maintain a nimble attitude. Majority of the beneficiaries will be the stand alone restaurant operators expanding in an organised format.

Themed around ‘A Bite of West India– Innovation with Growth’, the show will focus on the juggernauts of restaurant business in west market which has created an impact in the overall restaurant business by introducing the best of concepts and bringing the best menu to the table.

The congress will be attended by more than 300 restaurateurs and over 50 restaurant industry leaders, and chefs along with an incredible speaker line up including Riyaaz Amlani, President- NRAI, Sanjay Vazirani, CEO & MD- Foolink Services Pvt Ltd, Akshay Bector, CMD- Cremica Food Industries, Chef Vicky Ratnani, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, Anurag Katriar, ED & CEO- deGustibus Hospitality, Tanmay Kumar, CFO- Burger King India to name a few.

Sponsored by Cremica Foods, Restaurant India Pune will be a one stop platform for knowledge sharing and networking for all the shareholders of the ecosystem. We, on behalf of Franchise India, welcome you to the Congress.

Keep posting about the Congress!

@IndianRestCong #Restaurant2017 #Pune

In today’s restaurant scenario where change is the only constant, food brands are constantly coming up with new and innovative ideas to sustain in the fast evolving market.

And, supply chain being major concern in the industry, these brands is facing great concern when it comes to sustaining the best raw materials. “30-40 per cent foods are wasted because of supply chain and logistic,” shared Krish Iyer of Walmart India.

Speaking at 5^th Indian eRetail and Retail Congress organized by Franchise India and Retailer magazine, the congress saw over 50 industry leaders sharing their view on creating and contributing to sustainable environment.

At a time when food is the major sector to grow in India, both in terms of inviting local as well as international investments, the sector is major job creator than any other sectors.

“We are poised to create ease of doing business in India,” added Atul Chaturvedi, Joint Secretary, DIPP, Ministry of Commerce & Industry who is of the view that customers today look for an experience while shopping.

Innovation is the key

Not only this, lately food brands are focusing on delivery best customer experiences when it comes to gaining recognition. Players like Burger King, Pizza Hut are constantly bringing loyalties and newer experiences at their restaurants to attract more customers and make their regular customers comeback customers.

“Freshness of the ingredient is the biggest need today. We regularly focus on launching new flavours, product to enhance customer experience at our outlet,” said Unnat Varma, MD, Pizza Hut, Indian subcontinent who is running close to 400 restaurants of Pizza hut world’s famous pizza franchisee in India.

Likewise, Burger King which is another QSR chain and is one of the leaders in burger business globally tries to play with the flavours and launching new range of burger every four months so that whenever a customer comes to their outlet there is something new for the brand to offer.

Hence, in order to continue grow in a competitive market lie India where every single day a restaurant is opening its door, innovation and uniqueness is the only key to get healthier business.