Chickpet Donne Biryani House seeking franchises in North India

House of Biryan has raised $2m from Al Siraj Holdings, single family office from middle east, Angel Star Ventures, US based fund out of PA, and accredited HNISs from the US. 

With this round, $3 million has been raised in total; the majority of that money is being used to support growth in Mumbai & Delhi-NCR.

HOB is run by Mikhail & Mohammed, Michelin trained chefs with 15 years of running various kitchens & is supported by successful private equity investors who together own more than 20% of the company led by Mohit Goyal who has 12 years of experience with Carlyle and CVC capital.

Currently, the company has 12 kitchens between Mumbai and Delhi and will add another 30. The platform aims to serve 100k orders every month, crossing the 100 cr ARR mark by Dec’25. Revenue per store for the company in the biryani category is 30-50% higher on per store level compared to the accomplished biryani players. This is expected to improve further as the company will launch curries in the next 3 months.

"GenZ values taste, freshness, ease, and predictability. Our ability to fulfil an order (from origin to rider) in 11 minutes guarantees that the majority of our current 30,000 monthly orders arrive within 30 minutes. Our success lies in keeping things simple by delivering a yummy & addictive biryani within 30 minutes,” shared Mohammed.

Biryani is the most ordered dish as per marketplace reports; however, it is a complicated category and tricky to scale. Unlike Pizza and Burger, replicability across different zones in the country doesn’t guarantee success.

“I participated in a personal capacity in their previous round and worked closely to witness the consumer love along with solid unit economics. This got us excited to participate with Mohammed and Mikhail, making HOB our first formal bet on India's growth story,” added Abhineet Singh, CIO – Al Siraj.

HOB distinguishes itself by allowing customers to customize their biryani, emphasizing a "great, desi, tasty, addictive product." Its success is based on freshness, consistency, and its capacity to create new flavours. "Chicken Tikka Kepsa biryani is our best-selling dish, and we have a separate section for galoutis, which is unique and a significant differentiator" says Mikhail, who leads product and operations.

“The notion with Cloud kitchen QSR bets has been that they are difficult to profit from, but what drew me to HOB was their per-kitchen stats. Coming from a private equity experience, I bet HOB has all the ingredients for significant growth while remaining profitable,” pointed Mohit.

The current ARR is 25 crore over 6 businesses that have been open for more than six months, with 6 kitchens that are only a month old on average. The current burn rate is -2% EBIT and will break even by September 24, with single-digit profitability by December 24. With a 700+ average order value and a high repeat rate, the stats make the aim attainable.

As we bid adieu to 2023, food delivery giant Swiggy has released its eighth annual "food wrap," chronicling the culinary adventures of its users throughout the year.

One of the interesting fact came across that showed 6,64,46,312 unique dishes on Swiggy’s menu across the country but the 5028 users who searched for ‘Swiggy’ on Swiggy, and the 1682 users who searched for ‘order’ didn't find anything. For those who did, here is what they ordered – 

According the report, topping the charts as the most-ordered dish on Swiggy for the eighth straight year, India ordered 2.5 biryanis per second in 2023. For every 5.5 chicken biryanis, there was one veg biryani ordered.

The love for biryani expanded with 2.49 million users making a debut on Swiggy with a biryani order. 

And just in case you’re still doubting the hype, biryani has been searched for a staggering 40,30,827 times on the platform. 

Every 6th biryani was ordered from Hyderabad and the champion of the biryani brigade was a Swiggy user from the city who ordered 1633 biryanis this year.  That is more than 4 biryanis a day.

A Biryani-loving family in Chandigarh ordered 70 plates in a single go during the nail-biting India Vs. Pak World Cup match in October. Swiggy was clocking over 250 Biryani orders per minute during this match.

A very exciting order came from Mumbai, who placed food orders worth ₹ 42.3 lakh (no, that’s not a CTC). 

Maximum orders were by user accounts in Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad who have placed more than 10,000 orders each.

Sharief Bhai, a brand from the house of Curefoods has onboarded esteemed Indian cricketer T. Natarajan as its brand ambassador. 

A distinguished name in the world of cricket, T. Natarajan brings his remarkable achievements and indomitable spirit to enhance the essence of Sharief Bhai's culinary legacy with this announcement.

“T. Natarajan's journey and dedication mirror the essence of Sharief Bhai – a commitment to excellence and heritage. Natarajan's prowess on the field has earned him respect and admiration across the entire country. We are honoured to have him as our brand ambassador and while he supports us in this journey, we look forward to embarking a fruitful partnership,” said Gokul Kandhi, Chief Business Officer of Curefoods.

Popularly known as T. Natarajan or also Thangarasu Natarajan, the cricketer was born on 4th April 1991 in Chinnappampatti, a village near Salem in Tamil Nadu. He entered the world of cricket in December 2020, when he was named as one of the four additional bowlers to travel with, for the Indian cricket team to their tour to Australia. 

Currently representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he achieved a historic feat during India's 2020–21 tour of Australia by becoming the first Indian cricketer to debut across all three formats in the same tour. The collaboration between T. Natarajan and Sharief Bhai signifies a union of values – excellence, authenticity, and a deep connection to one's cultural roots. As the brand ambassador, T. Natarajan will further accentuate the essence of Sharief Bhai's classic flavours and genuine hospitality.

"I am thrilled to be a part of the Sharief Bhai family as its brand ambassador, for a brand that resonates with my love for biryani, an authentic taste and culture. Just as cricket brings diverse people together, food unites us Indians too,” shared Natarajan.

The cricketer also graced the launch of Sharief Bhai’s traditional restaurant in Coimbatore, where he actively participated in the event by conducting the inauguration and ribbon cutting ceremony at restaurant while additionally engaging in a meet-and-greet session with the guests. 

Curefoods is a leading house of F&B brands in India. It was founded by Ankit Nagori in 2020. It houses brands like EatFit, CakeZone, Nomad Pizza, Sharief Bhai Biryani and Frozen Bottle among others. It has over 200 cloud kitchens and offline stores that cater to over 10 cuisines, across 15 cities in India. 

Healthy dessert brand, Get-A-Way has raised funding of around $2 million from Sky Gate hospitality, the parent company of Biryani By Kilo. 

The start-up founded in 2019, has launched healthy desserts which have no added sugar, are high in protein, keto-friendly and low in calories.

"We as F&B brand are always looking to push the boundaries and release innovative products for our consumers. With the extension of our strategic partnership with Get-A-Way, we will now have an array of healthy dessert options for our patrons to choose from. This strategic partnership extends Get-A-Way ice cream and dessert assortment to BBK 100+ outlets distribution channels and will diversifies the brand's retail footprint too” said, Kaushik Roy, Founder & CEO BBK.

Get-A-Way is a start-up that appeared in Shark Tank India season 1 and bagged an investment of INR 1 crore from 3 investors, Aman Gupta, Ashneer Grover and Vineeta Singh. 

Founded by Jash Shah, Pashmi Shah, siblings who quit their corporate marketing jobs in FMCG and Fashion, along with their mother, Jimmy Shah, a serial entrepreneur. The start-up has succeeded in making delectable desserts without compromising on the health aspect. The brand offers an array of desserts such as high-protein ice creams, low calories kulfis, popsicles, ice cream sandwich and much more. Healthy cakes and vegan ice creams will be launched soon.

The collaboration with Biryani by Kilo opens avenues for Get-A-Way and helps the brand broaden its horizon through a robust distribution network of over100+ cloud kitchens in 45+ cities.

“At Get-A-Way, our aim is to make desserts that are healthy yet outrageously tasty. We have a deep-rooted conviction to change how people eat, without feeling guilty about giving in. We are thrilled to have partnered with Biryani by Kilo who also believes strongly in product innovation & consumer centric approach. These funds will enable us to innovate in terms of product, build an extremely agile distribution and create brand awareness,” shared Jash Shah Co-Founder & CEO, Get-A-Way.

"We are elated to partner with Get-A-Way. Biryani is a perfect feast for every festive occasion and is considered to be a satiating and comfort food. We as a brand help celebrate special moments. With this partnership, we are combining our brand power to reach out to new and existing customers to offer a combination of delectable biryani with sumptuous desserts,” Added Vishal Jindal, Founder & Co-CEO, Biryani by Kilo.

With the prodigious amount of love shown by the customers, Get-A-Way plans to serve them with products that are truly innovative.

The company will use the fresh capital to hire talent, expand manufacturing capabilities, widen product portfolio and create a robust sales channel. They also plan on launching healthy cakes, vegan ice creams and many more interesting products in the next 1-2 months. In continuation with this, the brand also plans to expand into new territories like the Middle East in 2023. 
 

Biryani & Kebab delivery chain Biryani By Kilo is projected to grow its revenue to INR 300 crore in FY 22-23.

The brand specializes in offering 4 variations (Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Kolkata & Guntur) of freshly dum cooked handi biryani along with curated menu replete with kebabs, korma, Desserts and Breads to more than 5 million customers since inception.

“At Biryani By Kilo, we take great pride in promoting and delivering biryanis in the most authentic manner possible pan India. Over the years we have been innovating with our products and have put senior professional middle management team & world class processes & Technology infrastructure to take us to next stage. We are poised to be Rs 1000 Cr. Company in next 2-3 years with Pan India Presence,” shared Vishal Jindal, Founder & Co-CEO, Biryani by Kilo by adding that the company is also looking to expand internationally from next year taking India Heritage Biryanis to Far East & Middle East.

It currently operates 100+ outlets across 45+ cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Dehradun, Goa and Kolkata among others.

With a scalable business model and best-in-class unit economics, the brand also has an Omni channel strategy by having its own website, dine-in restaurants, and dedicated customer care centre, aiming to achieve 35-40% (From Current 30%) of the business through their own channels by Dec 2022.

“Biryani is the most popular dish in the country, but there is a dearth of quality brands. Right from the start, we have been clear in our vision, to provide 100% fresh dum cooked Handi Biryani to our customers made with authentic recipes along with a  great Delivery Experience. As an organization it is the priority to always retain our focus on quality, freshness and customer delight,” added Kaushik Roy, Founder & CEO.

The brand processes around 4-5 Million Orders in year currently, with an average order value of INR 725.

In spite of the Pandemic, Biryani By Kilo has succeeded to grow its revenue to INR 132 crore by FY21-22 and is eyeing to clock two fold+ rise in the revenue in FY22-23.

Founded in 2015, Biryani By Kilo is food services and delivery category company that prepares and delivers authentic Biryani & kebabs.

Legacy brand Dindigul Thalappakatti has sought an injunction at the Madras High Court against false claims made by a social media page.

The action was directed against the video uploaded by the defendants. The injunction points out the fact that the video tarnishes the reputation of the Dindigul Thalappakatti trademark and is defamatory.

The court order also points out that the video was uploaded on YouTube and Facebook and that it has had 1.2 million views as evidenced by the document.

Following the post (video), the Dindigul Thalappakatti team thoroughly examined all material documents and on viewing the video, the said video prima facie appears to state incorrect information in a video on their social media handle about their experience therefore it tarnished the reputation of the brand.

The social media posts also seem to not be within the bounds of fair comment by a food reviewer. Based on facts, Dindigul Thalappakatti approached the Madras High Court seeking an order of interim injunction which was granted restraining the respondents from broadcasting the impugned video through the URL indicated or otherwise.

“We pride ourselves for serving our customers with food with authentic taste made from hand-picked and quality ingredients. Superior service standards and strict hygiene protocols are adhered to. We have stringent protocols and procedures to investigate feedback on any unpleasant and negative experiences so as to ensure that it is addressed on priority. In this particular case also the brand did what is due diligence,” shared Ashutosh Bihani, CEO of Chief Executive Officer, Thalappakatti Hotels Private Limited.

The brand has a growing footprint in the South of India with 90 Outlets in Tamil Nadu, Bangalore and Kerala.

Started in 1957 at Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. The restaurant has 98 outlets present across India, USA, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia & Sri Lanka.

Mumbai-based Charcoal Eats has partnered with Naagin Hot Sauce to pair hot sauces with a variety of delicious biryanis.

For many years, consumers who choose curated specialities like Biryani have struggled with a lack of sauce options. This space, which Raita or Curd previously dominated, now offers the option of pairing some of the world's hottest sauces with Biryani, a crowd-pleaser for spicy delicacy fans.

“At Charcoal Eats we strive to create great consumer experiences through intersection of cultures, flavors, and our own blend of uniqueness. Our friends at Naagin mirror our philosophy and belief that India has the ability to create great brands. Heart of this is the food but also the ability to engage with consumers and build an emotional relationship,” shared Mohammed Bhol, Co-Founder &Co-head, Product Development Charcoal Eats.

But, the twist here is the #TheBhootBiryani challenge. This is the hottest drop of the year. With their friends at Naagin, Charcoal Eats has launched the 'Spiciest Biryani in the World,' and it's HOT.

“Naagin and Charcoal eats are old taste buds. We’re all real food people here and have an obsession for good ingredients so it’s always been a great conversation when we talk new recipes and food exploration with them,” added Arjun Rastogi Co-founder, Naagin Sauce.

BigSpoon, the multi-brand cloud kitchen startup has announced the launch of their new delivery-only celebrity brand Mehfil Biryani by Zakir Khan, in partnership with India’s top artist Zakir Khan.

Mehfil Biryani by Zakir Khan will be the largest single-day F&B launch ever witnessed in India, starting with 28 cities and 66 outlets that are all company-owned and operated.

“It is no secret that I have a soft spot for biryani. To tell the truth, touring a city is incomplete until I dig in and relish its biryani infused with local spices and flavours— it is my way to connect with my fans and the city I am performing in. Through this new venture with Bigspoon, I seek to give my fans a taste of one of my favourite dishes in the comfort of their homes. We have built this brand with a lot of love and hope you like it,” shared Khan.

The company plans to scale the Mehfil brand to 100+ outlets over the next quarter, and to 200 outlets in 2022.

The company will bring diverse biryani flavours and regional favourites in Matkas and premium container packaging options, along with regional starters and sides, local desserts, and beverages. It will continue to add regional favourites, limited-period products, and experience-led items in the dynamic menu and will be available in all major Indian cities.

Bigspoon signed a $2M lease and inventory financing partnership with Grip, India’s leading alternative investment platform, a part of which contributed to the launch and expansion investments of Mehfil. In addition to inventory, the kitchen and operational CapEx towards assets and tech hardware were funded by Grip. The company plans to deploy further growth capital to expand to 200+ outlets, and deepen their house of brands strategy in existing and new kitchens.

Bigspoon is a house of brands, with 8 owned and 6 partner brands in its portfolio. The company is currently present in 14 states and 30+ cities, with the footprint being doubled by the next quarter.

“Biryani has been the single largest ordered item in the country for a decade, yet it is a largely fragmented market with hardly 20% of it being organized. There are only a couple of national players that have a large footprint with Biryani as their USP. Mehfil will stand on three key pillars - standardized & high-quality offerings, value-for-money pricing and tailor-made, premium packaging,” added Kapil Mathrani, Co-Founder & CEO, Bigspoon.

Based in Ahmedabad, Bigspoon is a full-stack cloud kitchen company that own brands like Makhni Brothers, Meals101, Thali Central, et al.

Kolkata-based legacy restaurant chain Aminia is all gearing up for expansion.

Known for their Awadhi Style biryani and kebabs, it is opening a new outlet at Siliguri. Spread across 3,000 sqft, it aims to spread the Kolkata-style biryani in other cities.

The brand is also aiming at opening 12 outlets in eastern India by 2024 and has Guwahati, Jamshedpur and Chandennagore outlets in the pipeline.

The first outlet was brought into existence in 1929 in Zakaria Street serving the famous Awadhi cuisine of Lucknow. Today, Aminia, is being run by its third and fourth generation.

“All our restaurants are company-owned and operated. Even for our outlets outside of Kolkata, we will stick to this in order to maintain the quality of our products and prevent the dilution of our heritage brand,” shared a spokesperson who is targeting a turnover of Rs 55-60 crore in FY 2022-23.

Aminia, being a legacy of 90 years, has been profoundly emphasizing on its taste and aromatic chemistry of the spices that blend in perfectly. Besides this, Aminia has its butchery to make sure that only fresh and hand-picked meat is being consumed by our clientele.

Delivery brand The Biryani House is planning to open 50 district master franchises across India by the end of year 2022.

It serves variety of delicious Dum Biryanis apart from melting in mouth Kebabs & Curries.

“Our only focus is to have India's biggest franchise network of like-minded franchise owners where we work together to common vision and that is why we don't charge any royalty because we want our franchise partners to be profitable in less than a year,” said Sarvesh Chaubey, Founder &Chairman – TBH.

It is also planning to expand to Maharashtra, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal.

“Nowadays, there has been a tremendous demand for food. I can see a huge potential in the districts of the mentioned states and after the lockdown people are keen investing in food franchise business, Biryani Market specifically. I think this is a great opportunity which I take as my Mission 50 by opening 50 outlets of our brand through further district master franchise by the end of 2022,” added Anuj Kumar, Co-Founder – TBH.

In 2015, they started their first outlet in Mumbai and started catering locals with the most delicious biryani at a very reasonable price.

Gurgaon-based Biryani by Kilo has raised $35 million in fresh round of funding from Falcon Edge and State Bank of India (SBI).

The funding round also saw participation from its existing investor IvyCap Ventures, shared a press statement.

Falcon Edge has invested around $25 million for approximately 20% stake, shared reports.

"BBK would also be looking at acquiring other F&B cloud kitchen brands which can be scaled pan India with our expertise in supply chain, technology & marketing," shared Vishal Jindal, Co-Founder, Biryani by Kilo.

The company will utilise the funds to further expand its biryani brand targeting over 200 outlets by the end of 2024.

Co-founded by Kaushik Roy and Vishal Jindal in 2015, the biryani chain is present across Delhi-NCR, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Jaipur, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Pune.

“BBK has built a strong brand with a scalable business model and best-in-class unit economics," added Navroz Udwadia, Co-founder and Partner, Alpha Wave Ventures.

It raised pre-Series A funding from investors in November 2017. Later in 2019, it had secured Rs 30 crore in its Series A round of funding led by venture capital firm IvyCap Ventures in June 2019.

Biryani is a dish that is cherished and enjoyed in every part of the world. Love for biryani in India is at its extreme peak, embracing this love for the most loved dish Biryani, Ba-Koob Biryani has launched a delivery outlet located at Sector 62 and Sector 135, Noida.

Ba-Khoob Biryani uses original recipes that bring out unique and aromatic flavour in every bite. It is famous for its speciality in Mughlai cuisine and Biryani dishes.

Apart from bringing authentic, flavourful recipes, Ba-khoob Biryani also provides the customers with high quality food by using fresh ingredients and ingredients that are picked locally.

It ensures the safety of its customers by providing them with food having no additives or chemicals and aims to bring out appetizing flavour and taste.

Ba-Khoob Biryani serves the food to the customers with the fastest delivery possible. Apart from delicious Biryanis, It gives the customers the option to choose from their recommended combo plate and also offers home style food which have distinct variety of food that will embark the journey of succulent, luscious and tasty delicacies.

The outlet runs from 12 noon to 11pm and is functional on all 7 days of the week. This place is the perfect choice for those who wish to have high quality Biryanis and Mughlai food providing the same authentic flavour in vivid variety of dishes while being pocket friendly.

Mumbai-based Charcoal Eats has partnered with 3SistersDrinks across multiple avenues.

The focus is simple - serve a viable and fun non-alcoholic beverage alongside a range of delicious biryanis.

Consumers opting for curated specialties like Biryani have for many years struggled with limited beverage options. Earlier saturated with sugary options such as soft drinks, this space now offers the option of pairing beer with biryani, a crowd puller also amongst youngsters.

“While Biryani and beer by themselves are deeply comforting foods, and celebrations in their own right – something magical happens when you bring them together,” shared Anurag Mehrotra, CEO, Charcoal Eats by adding that with the festival season round the corner, they want to offer their patrons an opportunity to enjoy beer and biryani together.

3SistersDrinks offers non-alcoholic beers in 6 flavours. Made through innovative brewing techniques, non-alcoholic beers provide a great beverage option for minors, consuming with family, friends, etc.

With a strong retail presence in 17 states and delivering all over through online orders, 3Sisters can be found at house parties, hangout spots, back-packing hostels, resorts, and restaurants.

“This partnership unifies the strength of our brands to serve customers with a complete party meal. We’ve seen this emerging trend of beer and biryani going hand in hand in parties, house gatherings, etc. We’re excited to serve this concept to consumers and expand across geographies, especially with events and festivals such as the World Cup, Diwali, and the New Year coming up,” added Akshay Solanki, Director at Shreeyum Foods (which owns 3SistersDrinks).

Charcoal Eats is a young tech-enabled, Direct-to-Consumer food company that delivers high quality, consistent and modern, yet authentic Indian flavours to its patrons. Its offerings include a signature collection of biryanis, kebabs and rolls.

Charcoal Eats serves over 50,000 consumers a month through its 29 outlets across Mumbai and its environs.

Chennai-based biryani restaurant brand Dindigul Thalappakatti has raised an undisclosed amount in growth capital that values the brand at ₹860 crore.

This is the second round of funding led by Tree Line Investment Management, along with other private and public individual investors.

The family office of Indian conglomerate Havells Group is also a part of the investor cohort.

Earlier in 2019, CX partners picked up a majority stake in Dindigul Thalappakatti for ₹235 crore making it one of the largest investment in restaurant in India.

As per the company, with this funding round it is aiming to expand across Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

It is also aiming at opening 25-30 restaurants and cloud kitchens in the next one year.

Dindigul currently operates over 85 restaurants and cloud kitchens across South India, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri-Lanka, Paris and UAE.

Started by Mr. Nagasamy Naidu, The Thalappakatti Biriyani Hotel’s roots can be traced all the way back to 1957.

Licorne Hospitality opens biryani delivery brand Lattu Biryani by expanding its footprint into the biryani space.

Owned and operated by Debashish Yadav who also own Reve, a European bistro, The Rollery, a gourmet rolls joint, and Lattu Biryani, a biryani paradise. 

The company plans to open 15-20 kitchens in the next three years in Delhi NCR and tier 1 and tier 2 markets in North India.

“In terms of brand presence, our initial focus has been on Delhi NCR, and later we plan to expand to North Indian markets. We started with Gurugram and now have plans to move to Delhi, Noida, and potentially in Ghaziabad,” added Yadav.

Their latest creation, Lattu Biryani is home to flavorful delicacies. The authentic flavors are curated by special chefs, for biryani lovers. From the northern flavors to the southern spices; they are working towards serving every possible biryani variant at Lattu Biryani.

They are using biodegradable material for packing and have been abstaining from single-use plastic.

They are also planning to expand to cities like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Dehradun to name a few.

Currently, the company relies on aggregators for order generation and delivery, however, the mid-term target is to generate and fulfill 10-15% of the order volumes through in-house channels and fleet.

ITC Hotels has announced the expansion of its ‘Biryani & Pulao Collection’.

Renowned for its well-researched cuisine concepts embodying culinary excellence, ITC Hotels expands its food delivery network and brings its second ‘Cloud Kitchen by ITC Hotels’, catered by the kitchens of ITC Windsor.

“It is no doubt that biryani is the most loved dish in our country, especially when every region boasts of regional culinary delights. With the Biryani & Pulao Collection, we are expanding the choices for the residents of Bengaluru by offering an aromatic and flavourful dining experience with their loved ones right in their living rooms,” shared Manas V. Krishnamoorthy, General Manager, ITC Windsor.

United in its diversity, Biryani and Pulao have permeated every region with their universal appeal, bringing forward gems from the heritage kitchens of India. From the Malabar coasts to the kitchens of Kolkata, the Masterchefs of ITC Hotels have traversed the country to create these authentic recipes.

Crafted with utmost care and hygiene to ensure a safe dining experience, the 'Biryani and Pulao Collection by ITC Hotels' is an ode to the legendary dishes, curated for diners to enjoy.

The Biryani & Pulao Collection will be available to order for the residents of Whitefield through leading food aggregator app Swiggy.

The platform will enable ‘no contact’ deliveries on all pre-paid orders, which involves a delivery partner leaving the food at the doorstep rather than an in-person exchange.

Backed by the promise of WeAssure programme, ITC Hotels follows stringent hygiene and safety protocol for Pan-India home delivery of food to their valued guests. With heightened health and safety measures in place, the cloud kitchens are sanitized along with regular temperature checks of all chefs, associates and the food delivery partners, among other practices. Moreover, packed in environment-friendly corrugated paper boxes, the Biryani & Pulao Collection offers a safe and responsible dining experience at the comfort of home.

Biryani chain Biryani By Kilo has now launched its first dine-in outlet in Pune, Maharashtra.

With foodies showing insatiable love for the royal dish, this newly launched outlet is set to deliver authentic & delicious Biryanis & Kebabs to Pune locals.

BBK’s latest dining facility happens to be at Wakad, one of the fastest-growing localities of Pune.

Also Read: “Everyone who is concerned about Hygiene & safety is our customer,” says Vishal Jindal of Biryani By Kilo

The restaurant offers a wonderful vibe, outstanding service offering authentic Nizami cuisine including Fresh Handi Biryanis, Kebabs, Kormas & lip-smacking desserts. With all this and more, BBK is all set to captivate and charm gourmands of the city.

With the aim of becoming the extension of one’s dining room, BBK also has four delivery restaurants in Pune at Kharadi, Baner, Wanowrie and Wakad for last one year.

Its six delivery outlets in Mumbai and one dine-in outlet in Thane has all biryani lovers hooked within the state.

The restaurant is taking all WHO guided safety and precautionary measures, ensuring a safe dining experience.

May Interest: Restaurants Unlock 2020

The group has 40+ outlets in Delhi NCR as well as Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Dehradun, Chandigarh, Mohali, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Bhopal, Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Bhubaneswar making it pan India most loved & premium Biryani & Kebab Delivery Chain.

Cloud kitchen platform The Biryani House that serves one of the largest variety of delicious Dum Biryanis apart from melting in mouth kebabs and curries is planning to expand Pan-India.

They are planning to open Master Kitchens, Takeaway and delivery units across the country.

Also Read: How this start-up is working on becoming an international biryani chain

In 2015, The Biryani House started their first outlet in Kalyan, Maharashtra, and started catering locals at a very reasonable price.

“Our organization is based on honesty and integrity. Nowadays, there has been a tremendous demand for food delivery and we always try to serve a hot and sizzling bowl of Biryani to our customers. “The Biryani House”, one of the fastest-growing, Process-oriented & Light asset F&B company since 2015, aims to deliver affordable, consistent, quality, and delicious food to every guest every time they order. Also, we give everyone to choose from our wide variety of Biryanis and relish a different taste on every order,” said Sarvesh Chaubey, Chairman, The Biryani House.

They intend to make their presence in major cities of India and will soon open in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, Varanasi & Lucknow, for which Master Cloud kitchen franchisee has been signed.

May Interest: The Story of Biryani: She Came, Saw and Conquered India!

The Biryani House is working on a strong expansion plan which will make their presence in every state capital and other major cities of India by opening a Master cloud kitchen. Each kitchen will, in turn, be connected with 80-100 franchised outlets.

They have a presence in Bahrain and Singapore and also planning to explore other international markets soon.

Mumbai-based QSR chain Charcoal Eats has raised INR 16 Cr in a round of funding led by Lokmat Investments, a division of multi-platform media company Lokmat Media.

The funding round also saw participation from a string of business leaders from the financial and FMCG segment, including Nilesh Mehta, Girish Patel and Pankaj Razdan.

The brand will use the funding to strengthen its presence in different parts of the country and invest in brand building.

Also Read: This Restaurant’s High ROI Franchise Model Led to 350% Growth in FY18

It is presently operational in nine Indian cities including; Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Jammu, Aurangabad, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam and Kolkata.

“In the last 5 years, we have served over 1.5 Mn orders and enjoy high customer satisfaction. The new investment reiterates our commitment towards building a high-quality Indian QSR brand and our investors’ confidence in the scalability of our model,” said Anurag Mehrotra, Co-Founder & CEO, Charcoal Eats.

Founded in 2015 by Mehrotra, Krishnakant Thakur and Mohammed Bhol, Charcoal Eats is a quick-service restaurant chain that delivers “high quality, consistent, authentic, modern Indian flavours to its patrons across the country across snack and meal times at affordable prices. 

Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata has curated a special menu for the T-20 season, under Marriott on Wheels, to offer patrons an exquisite range of mouthwatering combos, delivered to guests’ homes.

The appetizing delicacies from the 20-20 Combo menu will be available from Friday, 19^th September, 2020 to Sunday, 8^th November, 2020, ensuring that all our match-night cravings are satisfied throughout the course of the tournament.

Crafted by the stellar culinary team at Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata, the menu is unique; offering fans the choice to order food as per their city or team loyalty.

Guests can order in fuss-free finger food and shareable combos that are packed with delectable flavors.

The menu features the “Kolkata Nightlife Combo” with a “Park Street Vegetable Kathi Roll”, “Newtown Chicken Biryani”, “Kachumber Salad” for the spirited Kolkata team fans all over the city. The Mumbai team’s fans can dig into the “Mumbai Indian Combo 1” with “Bombay Sandwich”, “Murgh Kolhapuri”, “Masala Kulcha” or the “Mumbai Indian Combo 2” which offers “Misal Pao”, “Batata Vada” and “Fried Green Chilli, with Green Chutney”.

The menu has something for every team’s loyalists and all cricket lovers across the city. Besides the charming dishes inspired by the cuisines of all the states that form the T-20 teams, the menu also includes sumptuous vegetarian combos.

Guests can safely order in these delicious choices from the 20-20 Combo menu through direct orders from the property or via delivery aggregators such as Swiggy and Zomato.

The hotel maintains utmost safety and hygiene measures, including kitchen sanitization, safe packaging, contactless delivery and regular temperature checks.

Hyderabad-based Paradise Restaurants has opened its first restaurant in Kolkata. With this, Paradise is spreading its wings to the eastern part of India.

Situated in Southern Avenue, the newly launched restaurant will serve its renowned Hyderabadi Biryani along 28 other dishes. This is the brand’s 47th outlet in India.

Ali Hemati, Chairman, Paradise Food Court Pvt Ltd, said, “Over the years, Paradise has become an integral part of Hyderabad’s culinary culture and history as we host guests from across the world. We have been regularly complimented by our guest stating that a visit to Hyderabad is never complete without a meal at Paradise. This love has prompted us to expand our footprint to cities beyond Hyderabad.”

“Over the past few years, we opened restaurants in Chennai, Bangalore, Gurugram, Vizag, Vijayawada and Guntur cities. With this new restaurant in Kolkata, we are aiming to spread the taste of our Biryani to the Eastern region,” he added.

Gautam Gupta, CEO, Paradise Food Courts Pvt Ltd, stated, “The love for Biryani amongst the Kolkata citizens is evident with several eateries offering the dish. Paradise will add to it with its legendary Biryanis and Kebabs cooked by our experienced Chefs in the state-of-the-art kitchen. Paradise offers its award-winning cuisine loved for its purity and taste, true in every mouthful to its royal origins with 1 biryani served in every 3 seconds.”

Popularity of Biryani

India is a diverse country and its cultural diversity can easily be witnessed in its food. One such food is biryani, which is prepared differently in every region. There are over 20 types of biryanis in India, showcasing the craze for this dish in the hearts of the Indian population.

Biryani is considered the antithesis of fast foods. It is mostly preferred on special occasions or in fine dine-ins. However, one might not be surprised to learn that according to some food delivery apps Biryani is among the most popular dish ordered and its demand far surpasses western items. In fact, for fitness freaks and gym-goers, Biryani is their cheat meal.

With foodies showing insatiable love for this royal dish, franchisors serving different varieties of Biryani have forayed into the market.

Franchisors cashing in on the Biryani trend

Indian biryani market has largely been dominated by the unorganised sector & local shops. With the emergence of technology & food delivery platforms, entrepreneurs saw this as an opportunity for catering their services to a large number of audiences.

As per the industry reports, biryani’s dominance is unchallenged in the food ordering sector. In fact, industry estimate puts organised biryani delivery industry at a massive Rs 2500 crore.

Franchisors are cashing in on the trend of this biryani. The major reason for the success of these franchises is the uniqueness of their offerings; each brand has created a niche of its own, which is a contributing factor for success.

For instance, Biryani by Kilo (BBK), as the name suggests, provides biryani not by the plate but by the kilo. BBK is also the only biryani chain to make fresh biryani with every order in individual handis, which takes around 90 minutes to deliver.

Biryani is an evergreen classic dish that really needs no introduction. India offers so much on its culinary platter but the one dish that all Indians unanimously love indulging in is the mouth-watering biryani.

With variations having evolved into distinctive styles of biryanis, one is spoilt for options when it comes to experiencing this melting pot of flavours. JustMyRoots has tied up many renowned places with Authentic Flavours of Biryani’s from different communities across India, which can be ordered while sitting in the comfort of your home or wherever you may be within India.

From the light and fragrant Lucknow biryani to the spicy Hyderabadi one, the Kolkata version with potatoes and eggs to the mild Malabar Biryani, there are numerous regional variations of this dish one can order at Justmyroots from Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Delhi right at your doorstep.

The deliciously complex blend of flavours, spices, and aromas in biryani have come to epitomize the zenith of Indian cuisine. A complete meal in itself, biryani has enough varieties to please one and all. Eaten with love and gusto by the rich as well as poor, Biryani is indeed a marvel of India’s culinary heritage now easily available at the one-stop destination, JustMyRoots.

JustMyRoots makes it possible for one to enjoy such delicacies wherever they are in India and having tie-ups with renowned & authentic restaurants across the country right from Dastarkhhwan from Lucknow to Arsalan from Kolkata, one can order the Biryani according to their taste from the website and they will deliver it to you.

Popularity of Biryani

India is a diverse country and its cultural diversity can easily be witnessed in its food. One such food is biryani, which is prepared differently in every region. There are over 20 types of biryanis in India, showcasing the craze for this dish in the hearts of the Indian population.

Biryani is considered the antithesis of fast foods. It is mostly preferred on special occasions or in fine dine-ins. However, one might not be surprised to learn that according to some food delivery apps Biryani is among the most popular dish ordered and its demand far surpasses western items. In fact, for fitness freaks and gym-goers, Biryani is their cheat meal.

With foodies showing insatiable love for this royal dish, franchisors serving different varieties of Biryani have forayed into the market.

Franchisors cashing in on the Biryani trend

Indian biryani market has largely been dominated by the unorganised sector & local shops. With the emergence of technology & food delivery platforms, entrepreneurs saw this as an opportunity for catering their services to a large number of audiences.

As per the industry reports, biryani’s dominance is unchallenged in the food ordering sector. In fact, industry estimate puts organised biryani delivery industry at a massive Rs 2500 crore.

Franchisors are cashing in on the trend of this biryani. The major reason for the success of these franchises is the uniqueness of their offerings; each brand has created a niche of its own, which is a contributing factor for success.

For instance, Biryani by Kilo (BBK), as the name suggests, provides biryani not by the plate but by the kilo. BBK is also the only biryani chain to make fresh biryani with every order in individual handis, which takes around 90 minutes to deliver.

CX Partners, a private equity firm, is acquiring the majority stake (50.1%) in Dindigul Thalappakatti Biriyani for Rs 260 crore. This will be one of the largest investments in a local restaurant chain brand in India.

The deal will value the iconic Tamil Nadu restaurant close to Rs 600 crore. Thalappakatti Biriyani started with just one outlet in a small town in 1957.

The restaurant will use the fresh capital to expand in metros across India and also overseas. Currently, it has 64 outlets, including 7 overseas in France, Singapore, US, Dubai, and Sri Lanka.

D Nagasamy, Owner of Dindigul Thalappakatti Biriyani, said, “We are not attracting only Tamil diaspora, but all South Indians. The US is the biggest market because our only restaurant in Milipitas in California generates over Rs 2 crore in monthly revenues.”

The brand further aims to take the number of outlets to more than 200 in India with a focus on South India, apart from metros across the country such as Pune, Delhi, and Kolkata. The restaurant chain also eyes launching over 25 outlets overseas with a focus on Dubai and Sri Lanka, besides the US.

Jayanta Basu, Managing Partner, CX Partners, stated, “We spent time with them and saw that they have a strong and differentiated brand recall in core markets, especially in Tamil Nadu and now in Karnataka with Bengaluru.”

Delhi- NCR based Biryani By Kilo (BBK) has raised $4.3 Mn (INR 30 Cr)  in its Series A round of funding led by IvyCap Ventures.

The biryani delivery startup will use the fund to expand the geographic presence across West and North India and for improving its platform, product and technology.

“We are committed to making Biryani By Kilo leading premium pan India & worldwide Biryani & Kebab chain in next 4-5 years,” shared Vishal Jindal, Co-Founder & Director, Biryani By Kilo.

The company delivers three different variants of biryani– Hyderabadi, Lucknowi & Kolkata and provides customers with few basic tools to create the “dum” (which is to say heating of the earthen pot which is sealed from outside) at home just before eating.

“There is a tremendous opportunity for emergence of pan-India Biryani-focused chains, along with room for expansion into international markets. The founding team comes with extensive experience and demonstrable track-record of scaling-up F&B businesses. Further the business has demonstrated strong financial performance coupled with robust growth since inception with clear focus on capital efficiency,” said Vikram Gupta, Founder & MD, IvyCap Ventures.

The company primarily operates under the cloud-kitchen model with few dine-ins at select locations based on latent demand.

Biryani by Kilo also sells other complimentary products such as kebabs, korma, breads, and desserts.

Founded in 2015 by Kaushik Roy, Ritesh Sinha, and Vishal Jindal, Biryani By Kilo has previously raised about $1.8 Mn in seed funding and some of the investors include Ajay Relan, Chairman at CX Partners, Chandigarh Angels Network, ex-Evalueserve chief operating officer Ashish Gupta and GlobalLogic’s Sunil Singh.

Arsalan, the Kolkata based biryani brand, is planning to open outlets in cities like Asansol, Siliguri and Howrah. The restaurant is also opening three more branches in Kolkata as it is all set to celebrate the biggest festival of the region, Durga Puja this month, reported PTI.

“With three more branches set to be inaugurated in the city before the biggest festival of the Bengalis, Durga Puja, this month, Arsalan is dreaming to open up its branches in Howrah, Asansol and Siliguri,” said Mohammed Raghib Parwez, official spokesman Arsalan.

"We are planning to concentrate in the districts, mainly in the North and South 24 Parganas. We also have plans to open our new branches at Dumdum and Baruipur," added Parwez.

Arsalan, which currently has five restaurants in the city, will have three new locations near Ruby hospital on E M Bypass, Chinar Park in Rajarhat and one on Jessore Road.

Started in 2002, Arsalan has gained popularity because of its Biriyani, succulent kebabs and their unique combination of Mughlai and modern cuisine besides fish and prawn delicacies.