The Eastern India Market Possesses Immense Untapped Potential: Chef Vikas of Flurys
The Eastern India Market Possesses Immense Untapped Potential: Chef Vikas of Flurys

Chef Vikas joined Flurys in the year 2010 after successful stints with The Taj Group of Hotels, The Cunard Line, UK and the Intercontinental Hotel Group. An alumnus of the prestigious IHM, Taratala, Calcutta and with training stints in many different countries, Chef Vikas sports almost 18 years of diverse experience. After his long stint with the Taj Bengal till 2000, he joined some of the best luxury cruise liners including the iconic Queen Elizabeth II and has served some very famous people including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and numerous Hollywood personalities including Julia Roberts and Mariah Carey.

Restaurant India 2017 East India Edition, held in Kolkata on June 22, witnessed spirited participation of a crew of chefs specialised in diverse culinary skills. Vikas Kumar, the chef behind the iconic Flurys, the Swiss restaurant on Park Street Kolkata, famous for its bakery and the legendary tea room, was at a part of the team.

In an exclusive interaction with Restaurant India, the chef shares his views and opinion on diverse aspect of the Indian F&B industry:

Do you think Restaurant India 2017 East India Edition, held in Kolkata on June 22 met expectations? Will Eastern India benefit from such conclaves?
The event exceeded the expectations, especially being the first edition of the event. The list of attendees was quite impressive and it was a great experience for me, personally, to be a part of this. The enthusiasm among the participants was palpable and it was heartening to see so many youngsters and them asking so many questions. There is no doubt in my mind that East India will immensely benefit from such events.

Are you happy with the F&B scene in the East?
With increasing consumptions and the availability of good quality raw material, which is getting better now, I think there is immense untapped potential in the Eastern India market. As we know already, people from this part of the country are great appreciators and experimenters with food traditionally and there is a huge potential for the organised sector to tap into that.

Why do you think there is such traffic in F&B sector of Indian start up?
F&B sector is among the fastest growing industries in the country. It is small wonder that many entrepreneurs would like to ride the wave and create sustainable and successful businesses out of this upsurge. Also, with the success of the international F&B brands in the country, the Indian entrepreneurs already have a proof of concept and just need to create competencies to grab a pie of the fast growing market.

Experimentation with food is a short term thing - Do you agree?
The new players in F&B must try doing things differently with innovation and creativity in order to sustain their models and be unique. I don't think fusion food or experimental food is a short term thing, only, I would call it innovation and not experimentation. With increasing awareness and availability, innovation or experimentation, if you like, is one of the most important processes to create interesting and exciting new products to keep the discerning clientele interested and looking forward.

What are the road blocks for F&B industry in India?
With umpteenth number of career options available in the market, the Indian youth is gradually opting out from professions like that of a chef which requires 14-15 hours in the kitchen. The comfort level of the urban and semi urban youth is further aggravating the situation.

Curriculum is another area I am concerned about. The programme needs to be updated and improved in most of the hotel management institutions. There should be better awareness building for a more relevant and modernised course which matches with the trends, both nationally and globally.

 
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Why Is It Important To Have A Right Meal Deal
Why Is It Important To Have A Right Meal Deal
 

The primary goal of a restaurateur is to fill the tables of their venture everyday. Whenever the tables are empty, it is a matter of serious concern to get things back on track inorder to favour the restaurant. Perhaps a meal deal can be the perfect solution for the problem.

A right marketing strategy including the right meal bundles can certainly help the venture acquire full reservation throughout the day. Customer expectations are varied in the current time regarding a particular venture.. With the changing trends, their way of perceiving things towards the restaurants have also changed.

Consumers have accepted the changing trends in a rather sporting manner and are always on th lookout for a good deal. “Offering too many discounts is not the only option to  increase traffic at your restaurant. Not only it can lead  to reducing your earning, but can also make your restaurant a place where people won’t prefer to go if they are not having any coupons,” says Dakshya Gupta, Co-owner, August Cafe

Bundling the items on the menu is a great way to create a buzz amongst the customers. One can easily increase traffic in the restaurant by encouraging the concept of bundled meals. A bundle deal is a combo where you offer two or more items as a package dropping the total price slightly. Not only does it lead to customer loyalty, but also makes it easy to plan the menu.

This concept can be seen in various fast food chains in the current time. It is generally very useful in marketing the products as it boosts profits and increases the overall customer expectations. This in return increases the perceived value of the restaurant providing it with a good business.

The benefits of the Right Meal Deal

The joy of benefits of the right meal deal can be enjoyed by both customers as well as the restaurants. Offering bundled meals ensures smooth functioning of the kitchen as it gives a clear picture of the customer’s order, thereby making the preparation easier and providing a fast service.

This concept also allows one to promote the menu items. One can include the items according to the preference ensuring maximum profit for the restaurant. “Meal concept is something which many restaurants are opting for in the current time. Not only it’s easy for the restaurant to prepare items, it also allows the customer to taste more than one item in the menu at a single time. Meal deal is a concept which is going to be seen at every restaurant in our food industry,” shares Asha Shetty, Owner of The Coconut Tree, Pune.

Customers also enjoy a lot of benefits by this concept. Instead of just ordering one dish from the menu, they get a chance to enjoy a variety of products including the appetizers and salads. The overall experience is enhanced as the customer has a greater perceived value getting a best deal at a pocket friendly price.

 

Right Meal Deal is a win-win condition for both the customers and restaurants. You can increase your sales while serving your customers a great experience at an amazing price.    

 

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How Word Of Mouth Marketing Is Working For Many Restaurateurs
How Word Of Mouth Marketing Is Working For Many Restaurateurs
 

According to Toasts Restaurant Technology Research, 78 per cent of diners said that they try a new place for trying cuisines on their friend’s recommendation.

Word of mouth marketing is something which many restaurateurs are now adopting in sustaining their customers while competing in the food industry. Often referred as WOM or WOMM, this trick is working for the restaurants as the trend is flowing continuously changing the expectations of the customers too.

Restaurants now are trying to provide their customers with experience other than just food to make them talk. It is very similar to making a thing viral from one person to another. Restaurants are cashing heavily on catering unique and different experiences to their diners so that they talk for them from the moment they step outside their outlet.

“I personally believe in word of mouth after the customer satisfaction and experience. I consider them as an element which can take your brand to some other level giving you a taste of success,” says Divij Bajaj,Owner, Headphones Lounge.

Traditionally the marketing strategies revolved around the 4 Ps which were product, price, promotion, and place. But with the changing time and trend, marketing strategies are changing too. Restaurants are looking for various other ways to promote their brands and maintaining their brand image. The trend of interactive approach has hit the industry which many restaurants are welcoming with the changing time.

The 3Es of Word of Mouth Marketing

Engage

Making the customer know that their opinion matters is one important thing towards engaging your customers. Initially, the internet was never the first place where people could think of getting engaged. But with technology invading every possible sector in our society, things are no more the same. Social media for restaurants have become one such place where they are cashing in a lot for engaging their customers. It has certainly become an interactive discussion platform for both the restaurants and customers. Interaction with the individual provides a sense of feeling to the customers where they regard your venture more than just another restaurant.

Equip

 Making the brand talk worthy amongst the customers should be at the core for a restaurant. It can be any form including unique and good products followed by service, social elevation, facts and many other things. The heart of a restaurant will always be the cuisines served at your restaurant. The best way to generate buzz about your restaurant should be to deliver mouth-watering attention-grabbing food. Restaurants can hold events and offers which in some way can equip customers. People these days are playing with the theme and ambiance of their restaurants which is another way of equipping them. “Word of mouth really is a big help. In my store I also see that people come and eat and later recommend our brand to their friends and families,” shares Sanjoli Agarwal, Owner, The J Café Surat.

Empower

Restaurants should provide their customers variant ways to talk and share. It is very important for them to know that their views and opinions matter; Holding regular contest and events where the customers are asked about their opinions and ideas which could be introduced for bettering their dining experience Customers are asked to submit their recommendations so that the restaurants can go through them improving their venture.

Word of mouth marketing is certainly going to play an important role in the future considering the constant change in the dining habit of diners. The 3 Es are expected to increase adding many other factors towards enhancing the experience and brand image.

 

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How The Traditional Millet Is Reviving Again With Time
How The Traditional Millet Is Reviving Again With Time
 

One of the major food trend that our country has witnessed this year is the rise of millets again. Millets are so in demand that they are actually welcomed into the mainstream segment rather than anything else. Many restaurants are now trying to serve people with old orthodox form of millets trying to revamp it in such a manner that it meets their expectations. Many new millet dishes have been introduced which are being liked and preferred by many people across the country.

With changing time and eating habits of people, the restaurateurs have started to think that way. Serving something delicious as well as healthy has been one thing which is in demand right now and the food industry people are taking proper care about that. The demand from health-conscious people has certainly revived the use of millets in the food industry.

“We can now find a variety of food product based on millets in the supermarkets which are located near us including the products like sweets, cookies, and noodles,” says Sagar Sharma, owner of Nutritious Nation. He further adds, “The food industry is now slowly collaborating with millet based products giving rise to a new kind of flavor to old products which are made from millets. Even the various sweets are being made out of millets which are providing nutrition as well as taste to the customers.”

According to a report, ICRI Hyderabad has named millets as the smart food for this century. Initially, millets were regarded as a product which was only consumed by the poor people. But things have changed drastically. With the rise in diseases like diabetes, millets have found their way back into the dietary life of urban people as well. The millet industry has witnessed a rise of 32% by 2017 and is expected to grow by 60% by the end of 2030.

Many restaurateurs and chefs have started working with millets, as the demand for consumption of healthy food has increased gradually. Slowly millets are making their way back on the menu of many restaurants. But for the millet based products to work, the right amount of ingredient used in making it is very necessary. The item should be perfectly balanced in terms of nutrients being delicious at the same time.

“The certain rise in the demand and consumption of millets is not just a trend,” says Nitish Bansal. He further adds, “Millets are definitely making a comeback in the market and are expected to sustain more precisely this time. They are the ancient grain which comes with multiple nutritional elements causing great help to the body of the consumers.” 

Millets being high in  fiber, vitamin B, iron and calcium, act as one of the healthiest food available in the market right now. Their tendency of absorbing nutrients and minerals is extensively high which is why they are preferred by most of the people these days. Millets have always been the answer to every mother for a healthy and nutritious diet. Millets being a versatile ingredient which can go with many variants, they have certainly found stability serving a healthy diet among them.

Millets don’t usually have an independent color which might be appealing. But when they are mixed with other ingredients like black olive paste and others, they can surely come up with a good quotient. Millets are still in the process of getting accepted by the huge quantity of people as their ingredient in the dishes. But slowly and certainly things are changing which is resulting in the rebirth of millets in the food industry.

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Business in F&B includes fields as diverse as inventory and customer service: Ashish Tulsian
Business in F&B includes fields as diverse as inventory and customer service: Ashish Tulsian
 

As the F&B sector continue to dominate the start-up space, many may think that it’s the easiest way to make some quick bucks. Ask Ashish Tulsian, and you will know that the above idea is a myth and how! After working with Techno Apex, a company dealing with power SMS, for good five years, Tulsian invested in restaurant as a side business along with a friend who had a family business. Rasoi Express, a North Indian Mughlai joint was a novel and great experience for the first three months and the duo enjoyed the initial excitement. However, it was not before long that the friends understood the gravity of doing business in F&B which include fields as diverse as inventory and customer service.

Talking to Restaurant India, Tulsian revealed the challenges he faced unequivocally and narrated his story behind Posist. Here is a selection of the interview-

What made you quit the restaurant business?
Taking up a restaurant business as a part time engagement is a nightmare. You need to be on the floor of your restaurant to do justice to your business, to understand your brand culture and your customer expectation. The working period for a restaurateur includes 17-18 hours every day of the week and unless you are fully into it you cannot do justice. You have to be ready to compromise on family, rituals, celebrations and occasions in order to make the special days memorable for your customer. Before long I understood that operating a restaurant was not my cup of tea and quit to follow my passion for tech innovation.

From restaurant business to app building – what was the trigger?
However, one year in the business did one good for me though, helped me understand the tech side of the business. This knowledge resulted in the innovation that eventually gave birth to POSist, where POS stands for ‘Point of Sale’ system – a leading cloud based Point of Sale solutions provider. The idea occurred as I started looking for a software solution to automate my restaurant. The sheer dearth of any such product in the industry surprised me. I found that 25 year old companies are into providing hospitality and service-oriented software. Unable to find anything suitable, I ended up building one in 2012.

How does POSist work?
Specialized in Point of Sale services, POSist helps a standalone food outlet to a large food chain manage functions like Billing, CRM, Inventory Control, Recipe and Wastage management, Centralized Menu Management, Vendor Management and more. Real-time mobile reporting also helps a restaurant owner keep a close watch on his business.

A complete Restaurant Management Platform, POSist can be integrated with application like accounting softwares, CRMs, hotel suites and even ERP back ends like SAP. With 61% of restaurants looking for fully integrated POS solutions that manage everything from online ordering to detailed financial reporting, I look forward to provide better unified solutions to the restaurant industry.

It’s been 5 years since you launched your app, would you call yourself successful?
Founded with the motto of providing "Training free" and "Easy to use" scalable solutions, POSist today has successfully registered a PAN-India presence in over 90 cities and 5 countries. We make half a million bill everyday and are the first company to provide a complete online POS solution for restaurants. The product is also Internet outage friendly and can continue to work without connection for 3 continuous days thus benefitting the restaurants which are remotely located with intermittent internet connection. 

 

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How crunchy is the snack business?
How crunchy is the snack business?
 

Blending authentic Indian flavours in modern formats, the snack food keeps abreast with the evolving tastes of India. The varieties and the quality of snacks being offered in India are mind-blowing. And the market differs on quality and taste with region to region and demography to demography.

According to a media report, the total market size for salty snacks in India is worth Rs 13,000 crore and traditional snacks account for Rs 5,200 crore. The puffed snack market too is valued at Rs 1,950 crore. The potato chips/wafer market is worth Rs 3,900 crore, where Uncle Chips and PepsiCo's Lays are the market leaders.

Betting high

Indian snacks market is seeking huge demand due to the rise in various driving factors that is pushing the industry to grow. Dominated by major players like ITC, Nestle, MTR and Haldiram’s, they have managed to offer compelling taste at a competitive price point.

Initially, the market was majorly controlled by Haldiram’s, local chips and Namkeen manufacturers, but the entry of global players have made the business more spicy and crunchy, taking almost 35 per cent share in the food and beverages market. And today, the segment is classified into two parts dividing global snacks segment from the local players.

Local vs. global

Major local players like Haldiram’s and MTR has created a milestone in the Indian snacks market. With a diverse portfolio, MTR unifies India tastefully, bringing a smile to everyone’s face with a wide range of choice of meals and snacks option for the consumers. On the other hand, Haldiram’s has created history of building a record in the Indian snacks and the fast-food segment not only in the country, but also in the overseas market. From a small shop in Bikaner to spreading its portfolio pan India and in the US market, Haldiram’s is today present across different snacks varieties, be it namkeen, bhujia, chips or sweets.

Meanwhile, the global players like PepsiCo and Nestle who transformed the Indian snacks market is giving a stiff competition to the local majors. These players not only have the best product to target the local customers, but are also aware of placing their products right in the market. These global giants know the tactics of social connection and thus, they are placing their products right in the market.

Innovating the segment

Recently, a lot of innovation is taking place in the Indian snacks market. Brands like MTR have launched a wide variety of ‘Pohas’ in its menu witnessing greater response from the people.

 ‘We’ve led the authentic Indian breakfast space for a while now and consumers love our South Indian Breakfast options. With Poha, which is one of the most loved Indian breakfast choices, we are broadening our cuisine offerings and thus, reaching more and more Indian families. Our consumer tests have been very encouraging. Consumers love MTR Poha and are delighted by the fact that it is ready in just 3 minutes. This launch is a step in easing the home maker’s variety vs. time dilemma,” shares, Vikran Sabherwal, VP Marketing, MTR Foods.

At the same time, Nestle, the global food major is planning to strengthen its position in health and nutrition. The brand is also planning to make more investment seeking the growth perspective in the country, as per a report in PTI.

"We are in this country for more than 100 years and we want to be there for another 100 years. So we want to continue to invest because of the potential," says Etienne Benet, Nestle Head of South Asia Region.

Seeking these opportunities in the segment, the local players are also investing in the segment by adding varieties of health snacks bar and diet free chips in their product portfolio.

Viefoods Pvt Ltd, a new entrant in the segment, has launched Zealeo Clusters, the energy bar offering health and taste. The product is high on fibre and loaded with health benefits. The snacks are light and easily consumable by kids and adults.

“Clusters have the sweetness from dry fruits and healthy fats from nuts. The right proportions of dry fruits and nuts make it a lip-smacking snack on the go in between meals or a breakfast replacement. This bar was created as a snack 3 years ago for my family, as I could not find anything in the market without preservatives or glucose or high sugars,” says Paavani Jella, Co-Founder and Director, Viefoods Pvt Ltd.

Thus, we can say that, Indian snacks market is munching high on its growth.  As the industry is expected to grow at 25 per cent to 30 per cent annually, it is adopting local taste and global strategies to place its offering right in Indian shelves.   

 

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The All Rounder Restaurateur
The All Rounder Restaurateur
 

Priyank Sukhija, a very successful restaurateur, currently operates more than 20 fine and casual dining restaurants across Delhi-NCR. Sukhija is responsible for revival of markets such as Hauz Khas Village, Khan Market, Nehru Place and Connaught Place that are now pegged as ultimate dining destinations of Delhi-NCR. Talking to Restaurant India, Sukhija shares insights on Indian F&B segment that is booming with new formats:

On Indian F&B industry

The Indian F&B industry is booming. We see new concepts mushrooming everywhere and it is great to see people showing their willingness to experiment and try new and innovative concepts. The most exciting part of this industry is that we operate throughout the 365 days in a year. Amidst all this growth, one thing that bothers me the most is when restaurateurs don’t live up to their laurels. We are in the service sector and we are duty bound to ensure that our standard of service is par excellence. We are responsible for creating “customer delight” and we cannot afford to falter on that.

Challenges Investors Face

Investors don’t have a proper direction as to where to go and invest. They not only lack proper advice and counselling, but they blindly trust companies without seeing their past track record and success is proving to be quite a challenge for them.

Catering Right Customer at Right Location

We do a prior due diligence of the locations and the surrounding areas. We do extensive research on design as well as the menu according to the taste and need of the region. The restaurant is made such that it has a strong propensity to succeed in the particular location catering to the need of the region. Thus, we look through the need of each market before venturing into the region.

Maintaining Value Position in Market

We are always bringing up new concepts to cater to the need of the Indian society. We work towards being pro-active about our clientele’s needs and keep up with upcoming trends.

Expansion Plans

We are pleased to have joined hands with the CybizCorp as the Master Franchisor for all our brands. We will be expanding our presence across cities in India and we are also planning to enter other countries soon.

 

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