Court To Decide Over Khan Chacha Tradmark For Its Restaurant

Cibbo, an all-day coffee shop and bar, offers a charming European getaway within the bustling bustle of Fergusson College Road, Pune. Located in a bungalow with a traditional Italian flair and a menu influenced by European flavors, Cibbo provides a calm hideaway during the day and a vibrant social hub at night. Cibbo is derived from the Italian word for "food," symbolizing the restaurant's commitment to showcasing a variety of flavors with a dash of European flair.

The aesthetic of Cibbo evokes a classic Italian bungalow, giving guests an authentic European vibe from the moment they enter. Designed by Hrishikesh and his father, the interiors are a tribute to natural materials with rich textures. Key elements include warm veneer wood, durable Morano stone, and lush greenery, echoing European architectural traditions suited to colder climates.

"With Cibbo, I wanted to create a place that feels like a genuine European escape in the heart of Pune. Every detail, from the food to the ambiance, is crafted to transport our guests to a new experience that’s both comforting and invigorating," shared Hrishikesh Baravkar, Founder, Cibbo.

Mumbai hosts the opening of the newest Taproom for BIRA 91, the top craft beer brand in India. This is the eighth Taproom for the brand and the first in Mumbai, making it the sixth city to join BIRA 91's expanding network of craft beer experiences across the country.

 The new Taproom, situated in Santa Cruz in the energetic center of Mumbai, will serve a wide variety of BIRA 91's craft beers, which are made with the best ingredients and represent a robust, flavorful approach to the beer industry.

Speaking on the launch, Ankur Jain, Founder and CEO of BIRA 91, said, “We are thrilled to bring the BIRA 91 Taproom experience to Mumbai, a city known for its energy, diversity, and love for innovation. Our Taprooms are designed to not only showcase our unique brews but also create a space where people can connect over their shared love for craft beer. Mumbai is the perfect location for our continued expansion, and we’re excited to introduce our 8th outpost to this amazing city.”

"At our Taprooms, we believe that exceptional beer deserves exceptional food. Our new Taproom in Mumbai will not only feature the widest range of beers on tap, but also a thoughtfully curated menu by Celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani, a proud Mumbaiker, designed to perfectly complement each brew. By blending bold flavors with local culinary influences, we aim to create a dining and drinking experience that truly resonates with the diverse tastes of “The City of Dreams,” commented Rahul Singh, Senior Vice President, Pubs Vertical, BIRA 91.

The launch of the Mumbai Taproom is part of BIRA 91’s broader strategy to expand its craft beer culture across India, with Taprooms now open in 6 cities – Ludhiana, Mohali, Delhi, Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

The culinary landscape at Indian airports is set for a seismic transformation. In an exciting move that sets a new standard for culinary excellence in Indian airports, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants is pleased to announce a landmark partnership with Travel Food Services (TFS), India’s leading travel Food and Beverage Company. 

The arrival of Gordon Ramsay Plane Food, Street Pizza, Street Burger and Gordon Ramsay Plane Food To-Go marks the celebrated chef’s first foray into dining in India.

The agreement, as announced today marks the beginning of a three-year opening programme, which will see six restaurant concepts unveiled across Indian airport terminals by 2027, with the first sites due to launch in the final quarter of 2024.

“This is not just a launch; it’s a monumental culinary event! With this partnership, we are building on the food revolution in Indian airports that TFS has been passionately driving. Gordon Ramsay’s iconic brands will deliver an unprecedented fusion of flavour and finesse, further adding excitement to the Indian travellers’ journey and making their dining experience unforgettable,” shared Varun Kapur, Executive Director of TFS.

Gordon Ramsay, known for his unwavering commitment to excellence and his high culinary standards, has built an empire of critically acclaimed restaurants and an array of popular television shows, making him a household name around the world. For the first time, the culinary icon brings his signature flair and unparalleled standards to Indian airports with his three stand-out concepts: Street Pizza, Street Burger, and Gordon Ramsay Plane Food To-Go. Each brand embodies Ramsay’s commitment to quality and creativity, offering travellers a taste of his world-renowned culinary proficiency. Gordon Ramsay Plane Food offers discerning travellers succulent all-day pre-departure dining, Street Pizza delivers artisanal pizzas inspired by London’s vibrant street food scene, Street Burger serves up gourmet burgers with bold flavours and premium ingredients, and Plane Food To-Go provides gourmet meals designed for convenience without compromising on taste. 

With a presence in over 19 cities and managing more than 380 eateries, TFS continues its legacy of innovation by introducing world-renowned dining concepts to Indian travellers. This initiative not only promises to transform terminal dining into an exhilarating, top-tier gastronomic adventure, but also reflects TFS’s commitment to bringing sophisticated and diverse culinary offerings to the Indian market.

“India's rich culinary heritage and its reputation for hospitality make it the perfect landscape for our brands. With Travel Food Services, Indian airports are the new stage for our culinary journey, and we are excited to see how travellers embrace these vibrant, flavour-intense dining experiences,” shared Gordon Ramsay Restaurant’s CEO Andy Wenlock.

As TFS and Gordon Ramsay Restaurants blaze new trails in the culinary landscape, this partnership is poised to not just meet but exceed the expectations of travellers and food enthusiasts alike, promising a journey filled with indulgence and excitement at every terminal.

In the quaint locale of Kamala Mills, Lower Parel, QEY: Sip and Vault opens door. The place is an escape from the world of chaos- a portal to the realm of the extraordinary, an opulent sanctuary where culinary artistry meets luxury like never before.

Alongside its breathtaking interiors and cosy ambience, QEY lets customer embark on an unparalleled journey with QEY's exclusive memberships, designed to open the doors to a world of sophistication. The QEY Membership Card is a passport to an exclusive world of luxury, available solely to a limited number of esteemed patrons. As a distinctive privilege, each member will have access to a personalised vault—a discreet space to keep most treasured collections, creating its own haven of indulgence.

QEY the brainchild of Divyesh Thakkar, Kaushik Mehta and Vijay Aagarwal, was born from the need for a space where one can belong and unwind in a city that's always rushing. With this new venture, the dynamic founders of Amicis Hospitality Pvt Ltd seek to redefine the premium dining experience and create a haven where every visit feels like a personalised journey. 

The restaurant with its unique offerings of loyalty memberships and exclusive access to the place makes it an enticing offer that you cannot refuse. The interior details crafted by Umesh Desai and Associates boast a stylish yet inviting ambience, a harmonious blend of sophistication and contemporary aesthetics, creating a welcoming space for patrons to unwind. From the choice of lighting to the arrangement of furniture, every detail is meticulously crafted to create a space where attention to detail meets contemporary design. 

"At QEY, we transcend the ordinary to create a haven where culinary artistry meets personalised luxury. It's not just a restaurant; it's your corner of indulgence. With our exclusive Loyalty Card and Memberships, we invite you to not just dine but to become a part of an elite community, unlocking a realm of sophistication, extraordinary perks, and a culinary journey that lingers in your memories long after you leave,” shared owner and co-founder Divyesh Thakkar.

QEY aims to redefine the dining experience with its European cuisine offerings- a blend of traditional recipes and modern twists. Each dish, meticulously crafted by world-class chefs is a culinary symphony, making your taste buds dance to a rhythm like no other. The culinary philosophy is deeply rooted in the rich tapestry of European flagship cuisine, where every dish is created with the finest ingredients and presented with finesse. 

Customers can pair these dishes with the magical elixirs concocted in a glass and immerse in a captivating range of cocktails that paint a vivid canvas of flavours from around the world. 

Time machines may still be a pipedream, but there’s something that might be good enough to make all your time-travel dreams come true. Gaylord - a name that needs no introduction, is all set to unfold a new chapter in its legendary journey. 

The iconic 67-year-old dining destination is all geared up to embrace the new times and the changing world with a revamped look while retaining its old charm that will draw not only the yesteryear crowd but also today's generation. 

The all-new Gaylord with its new yet cultural and heritage look will also offer an exciting new menu keeping its legacy intact.

Established in 1956 by partners Ghai & Lamba, located in the bustling street of Churchgate, the legacy continued with Sunil Lamba and continues still with the new owners Dhruv & Divij Lamba being the torchbearers of this iconic restaurant. 
 
‘Gaylord’, a combination of both the partner’s names ‘Ghai’ & ‘Lamba’ has served as a heritage landmark for decades, that stands as a link to Mumbai’s glorious past, is now ready to take you back to the golden years through a nostalgic cuisine and atmosphere. 

The new interiors designed by Headlights Studio, a design firm from Delhi draw its inspiration from the black and white colonial-era infused with rich historical accents. The lavish Parisian outdoor patio, colonial architecture, vintage atmosphere, cosy ambience, delicately carved historical artefacts & statues, beautiful intricate chandeliers, and plush seats will make you want to stay still in the moment. The walls are lined with more than 150+ original B & W photographs sourced from renowned photographers like Madan Mahatta and various others, narrating a story of their own. All these photographs are curated by Delhi based gallery Blueprint 12.

Among these photographers, you might also spot a few familiar faces of prominent personalities like Raj Kapoor, Lata Mangeshkar, Pandit Ravi Shankar and even some rock idols like the Beatles, a testament to Gaylord’s rich legacy and irreplaceable charm. 

“Redesigning the space of this iconic restaurant was like a dream come true. It was a harmonious dance between honouring its rich history and infusing it with a fresh, contemporary flair. Every element is carefully curated, and every detail is meticulously crafted, to create an ambience that not only captivates the senses but also pays homage to the restaurant's enduring legacy while embracing the spirit of modernity,” shared Sidharth Srivastava, Design Principal at Headlights Studio.

The elegant fine-dining space is no stranger to setting new trends, from introducing formal ballroom dancing and live bands in the Jazz age in Mumbai to being the go-to social gathering hotspot for many Bollywood celebrities in the '60s, Gaylord has been an indispensable part of the city’s cultural fabric and keeps this tradition alive still. 

The revamped Gaylord space will host many cultural nights from live grand piano recitals, to live music events and specially curated hi-tea parties, a truly designated space for people of all ages. While enjoying the cosy ambience, patrons can indulge in the newly curated dishes along with their old favourites featuring a variety of cuisines, and new scrumptious delicacies with the same trademark delicious taste.
 
 “Gaylord's new look & menu is not just a celebration but a tribute to its long-standing legacy of 67 years. We promise to keep pushing boundaries each year and preserve our precious past. Gaylord is committed to standing the test of times, being a haven for generations and forging new ever-lasting memories, synonymous with warmth and love for good food,” added Dhruv & Divij Lamba, owners of Gaylord.
 

Captain’s Brew is a unique new spot that blends a high-end ambiance with a complete aviation-themed dining experience. 
Set in the corporate heart of Thane’s Wagle Estate, this venue promises to take patrons on a journey, offering a thematic experience that reflects the owners’ vision.

The design of Captain’s Brew’s interior, crafted by Sanjna Talwar, was inspired by the aviation journey of its owner, Captain Teji Jha. Sanjna aimed to evoke a sense of adventure and comfort. Opting for subtlety, she carefully selected design elements that suggest the essence of flight, creating an elegant atmosphere. The decor stands out by combining aviation themes with functional, welcoming spaces, avoiding the usual clichés like airport look-alikes or cramped bathrooms. This design captures the spirit of travel and the thrill of discovery.

“Captain’s Brew is about the passion we all harbour, ready to propel us on a world journey. It’s a tribute to my own path, inviting everyone to explore global flavours and stories, all from their dining table. Join us on this flavorful adventure,” shared Jha.

At the heart of Captain’s Brew, Pilot Jha directs the culinary experience, aspiring to establish a haven for craft beer lovers. This place is where the appreciation for expertly brewed beers, the thrill of first-class cuisine, and the creativity of unique cocktails come together. Drawing on her extensive experience travelling the world, Jha understands how diverse flavours can unite people. Captain’s Brew goes beyond being a simple brewery; it’s an all-encompassing dining destination with daily specials. The mission here is to offer extraordinary beers and a menu inspired by global flavours, accompanied by imaginative cocktails that spark a sense of adventure. Every drink and dish here tells a story, turning dining into a global adventure with aviation-themed names like Check-in Tawa Pulav, Auto Pilot Dal Makhani, and Aviator’s Tandoori Prawns.

The cocktail menu, crafted with the precision of an aviator and the curiosity of a traveller, includes innovative options like the Sky Bound Saffron Soar and Elevated Pisco Echo. These drinks, along with a broad selection of house-brewed beers, celebrate the journey of discovery that Pilot Jha has embarked on. The beer selection, with choices like Witbier Wings and Mile High Vanilla Porter, is a homage to the joy of sharing a pint, offering a variety of flavours crafted from select German malts.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association (BBHA) has penned a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, outlining various pre-budget requests.

Notably, their primary appeal centers on permitting restaurants and eateries to operate round the clock.

PC Rao, President of BBHA, has consistently emphasized that allowing 24/7 operations would stimulate business growth, boost employment opportunities, and better serve customers, particularly those on night shifts.

Following a meeting with Home Minister G Parameshwara, Rao stated that the government is actively addressing the matter and reassured that permission will be granted soon, noting that it was discussed in a cabinet meeting.

Last year, the association also raised their appeal with deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who reportedly responded positively to their request.

Contrarily, Bengaluru City Police have previously declined requests for 24/7 operations, citing staff shortages to maintain law and order.

The association reports that Bengaluru hosts over 24,000 hotels, with nearly 10 percent willing to operate round the clock. Many aim to cater exclusively to night workers like auto drivers, newspaper vendors, media professionals, and florists.

Emphasizing the need to limit operations to commercial areas to avoid disturbances in residential zones, the association points out that states like Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu have already permitted 24/7 operations.

The association additionally proposes that trade licenses, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licenses, and Shop and Establishment licenses be made permanent to streamline business operations.

Furthermore, they urge the state government to confer industrial status upon the hotel sector.

They have observed that as the hotel industry significantly contributes to tourism growth, establishments in tourist hubs should receive special allowances regarding license registration and property taxes. Misbah Sheikh, a night shift employee, expressed that allowing 24/7 operations would be highly advantageous if the government considered it.

"On certain occasions, I struggle to arrange food to sustain myself during the entire shift. Once my shift concludes at 4 am, I often find myself waiting until 6-6:30 am for restaurants to start serving. As night shift workers, our health is already compromised due to our unusual work hours. Access to food is essential to help us cope," she explained. 

There is just something about Breach Candy that captures the very essence of artistry in Mumbai. Café culture is thriving in the ‘city of dreams,’ thanks to a surge of cool cafés and coffee shops shining the light on all-day breakfast dishes and specialty caffeine-based beverages.

A wholesome dine-out experience isn’t just about the food anymore. And if you are looking for a cozy café where you can unleash all your pent-up wanderlust on these pleasant winter days, Balmy Cafe is just the place for you.

The idea behind the premium all-day café and bar was to create a warm and welcoming space for the guests.

The café is highly picturesque with bedazzling designs and delectable food.

“South Bombay and specifically this belt of Breach Candy, Peddar Road, Nepeansea Road, Altamount Road and Malabar hill till Tardeo lacks a space where one can go from coffee to lunch to dinner and enjoy the food and atmosphere simultaneously. Hence, I decided to come up with a place with a focus on food and great coffee, but to ensure that you feel you have entered a fun, dynamic yet invigorating space where energy and ideas flow as easily as the food and accompanying beverages,” said Sujith Shetty, Owner of Aarya International that operate Balmy Café.

Sujith, being an out-of-the-box thinker, is now crossing the beauteous threshold onto the greener side of the F&B sector by extending his expertise and capabilities and building a modern, new age venture- Balmy, The all-day Café & Bar.

Balmy café takes you on a culinary journey of delicious natural flavours and caters to all dietary preferences such as vegan, vegetarian, Jain, and non-vegetarian. From the moment you enter its humble doors, you will immediately be transported into a world of tranquillity, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

With ‘Warm & Welcoming’ as its motto, Balmy café signifies the meaning behind its name- pleasant and refreshing.

Located in Breach Candy, the interior of the place with the glass façade complements the exceedingly comfortable furnishings and upholstery that is sealed with immense natural light and creates an easy-going but vibrant atmosphere suitable for utmost relaxation. The intricate interiors and environment of Balmy café perfectly resonate with its overall chic and cozy surroundings.

Built with exquisite materials, the café includes splendid artifacts synonymous with Salonee Kothari, a gifted and artistic interior designer. Balmy café is quintessentially minimalist and wrapped in neutral tones with pared-down seating and a statement roof with trendy cloth-made umbrella lanterns levitating from the ceiling, and indoor plants that add the perfect touch of coziness.

“We wanted to create a space that would be ever-lasting and extremely exciting. The coral-colored, PU-finished bar is the focal point. To balance the bright colour we decided to use a neutral and warm palette, textures, and materials,” added Salonee Kothari, Interior Designer, at SKO studios.”

A quaint and sprightly-styled cafe, Balmy accentuates a consoling ambience by offering authentic cuisines. The versatile menu that includes breakfast dishes, salads, hummus-based-specials, sandwiches, and sliders, Balmy Truffle Cocktail Bites, Dimsum & Bao, Sushi, wafer-thin pizzas, signature kinds of pasta; Continental, Asian & Indian large plates, and desserts.

The elaborate beverage menu exceedingly complements the food menu and includes a wide range of alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic drinks right from hot & cold coffees to craft cocktails.

Mauji, Pune’s first and India’s largest time-based cafe is all set to expand to different parts of India and globally.

It is currently seeking close to a million dollars in equity and debt funding.

These funds will be used for its expansion & set up across 8 cities in India, along with technology advancements and building F&B capabilities. 

“I strongly believe that third spaces (another term used for cafes, community spaces, etc) are evolving in a different way altogether. It needs to serve a very different purpose. We want to visit and be at places other than our homes and place of work more than often. However, every place these days has become so commercialized, they are losing the warmth and comfort and I think that needs to be retained. We need to keep the customer's needs in mind before everything else,” shared Vandita Purohit, Founder, Mauji Time Café. 

From the acquired funds, Mauji Time Cafe will use 75% in setting up new locations and 25% for talent acquisition, F&B, marketing, and brand building.

The current month-on-month growth is between 25-35% with a growth of more than 350% since its inception about a year ago.

With a current investment of 1 Crore, Mauji is looking to expand to cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Himachal, and Goa.

Located at the heart of Pune in Bhosale Nagar, spread across a massive 5,500 sq bungalow space amidst lush green surroundings, right in the city yet away from the hustle.

The Delhi Police on Monday sought a five-day custody of restaurateur Navneet Kalra from the court for interrogation in connection with alleged black-marketing and hoarding of oxygen concentrators.

Metropolitan Magistrate Archana Beniwal will decide on the police's plea seeking grant of custody, reported PTI.

The Delhi Police arrested Kalra on Sunday night. Kalra was on the run for over a week since the seizure of more than 500 oxygen concentrators from three upscale restaurants owned by him in the national capital.

Oxygen concentrators are a crucial medical equipment used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients and are on a high demand amid the second wave of the pandemic.

The district court had rejected Kalra's anticipatory bail plea on May 13, saying the allegations against the businessman were serious and his custodial interrogation was required to "unearth the entire conspiracy".

The Khan Chacha owner has sought a bail but Delhi High Court, which also declined to grant him interim protection from arrest in the case, agreeing with the reasons given by the trial court while denying him the relief.

According to reports, 524 oxygen concentrators were seized from three restaurants owned by Kalra- Khan Chacha, Nega Ju and Town Hall. The case was subsequently transferred to the Delhi Police's Crime Branch.

The police claimed that the concentrators were imported from China and being sold at an exorbitant price of Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 a piece as against its cost of Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000.

On May 5, a case was registered against Kalra under sections 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code as also under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Restaurants and bars in Delhi has been fined for not following COVID guidelines including no social distancing, serving hookah and more shared police officials on Sunday.

Delhi police conducted a two-day special drive to crackdown on those violating COVID-19 safety guidelines. People were fined for not wearing face masks and spitting in public areas, was conducted in places with high footfall, including markets, on Friday and Saturday.

Also Read: North Delhi civic body ask restaurants, shops to mention meat is halal or jhatka

“FIRs were registered against the owners of Jain Chawal Wala at Connaught Place, Informal Restaurant at Janpath, Classic Chicken Restaurant at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg and Choice Chicken Corner Kalina at Gole Market for not observing COVID-appropriate behavior,” shared an official.

The cases were registered under Indian Penal Code sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Vikas Kumar said.

They also have been booked under Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, he said.

Several night clubs, including the M House Club and Bar and Roar Night Club at Eros Hotel in Nehru Place, were fined for not maintaining social distancing and serving hookahs, said R P Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East), Delhi.

The commissioner has also asked Municipal corporations and the excise department to cancel their licenses. Besides the Epidemic Diseases Act, they have been also booked under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, he added.

He said a case has also been registered against Boken Cafe for not following COVID-19 protocols.

Also, Brijwasi, Al Nawaz, Al Jawahar, Zehra Al Noor and Al Bake in New Friends Colony sub-division were also fined and booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, added the officials.

May Interest: Restaurateurs welcome new excise policy by Delhi Govt, says it will boost revenue

In separate data shared by police, on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, 173 people and establishments were fined. Out of these, 13 were banquet halls owners, 58 restuarant owners and three night club owners, they said.

After Maharashtra government’s announcement to close restaurants, bars and other eateries for dine in the state; the restaurant industry has shown disbelief to the decision.

In the wake of the same, Pune Restaurants & Hoteliers have decided to exhibit our protest against Lockdown and display banner saying #NoLockdown, INJUSTICE TO HOTELIERS & CUSTOMERS.

Also Read: Restaurants, bars in Pune to close for seven days from tomorrow, industry body says they will get finished if lockdown happens

“Our Members have decided to display this banner at their respective entrances,” shared Ganesh Shetty, President, Pune Restaurants & Hoteliers Associations that has 850 members on board.

The restaurant sector which was one of the most impacted sector due the pandemic has already seen around 30-40% per cent of permanent closures of the restaurants and bars in the state.

According to PRAHA the sector has already suffered huge losses during the last year’s lockdown. “We were able to do about 35-40% of business when the government has again declared lockdown and shut our business. There are about 8000 food joints, restaurants and hotels in Pune and about 60,000 people are dependent on this sector for their livelihood,” added Shetty who feels that the government should take a compassionate view on the same.

May Interest: With no dinner biz in Maharashtra post 8 pm closure, restaurants fear big loss

The rapid spread of Covid-19 has forced the Uddhav Thackeray government to announce lockdown-like restrictions across the state from 8pm on Monday. On weekends, a complete lockdown will be imposed.

Over the years we have seen many Indian restaurants entering global markets and opening their doors to both global diaspora as well as for Indians living there.

Witnessing the opportunity, Franchise India Ltd, the largest franchise management company in Asia has entered into a strategic partnership with Directions Investments Holding Co. (DIHC), backed by the UAE Royal family, under the Chairmanship of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan.

With this, both companies will support Indian businesses that wish to set up their manufacturing, retail, restaurant, trading, representation, or marketing office or outlets in UAE.

This also makes it easier for Indian restaurants who are eyeing UAE as next big location to open their outlets.

“Expertise and Experience in the Laws of the land is vital to start a business in the UAE market. The investor-friendly UAE Government has been taking steps to make the process easier for Indian consumer and manufacturing brands to enter the UAE, especially Abu Dhabi,” shared Gaurav Marya, Chairman, Franchise India who believed that finding a trustworthy sponsor or partner can be tedious for Indian entrepreneurs and that is where this channel partnership will make the process easier and shorter.

The strategic partnership will be opening a gateway for competitive advantage in exploiting opportunities and avoiding pitfalls when operating in the MENA and APAC regions by Indian Companies.

Franchise India Ltd under the Chairmanship of Mr. Marya is seeking to assist Indian companies with setting up their Local Limited liability company and do business with government and private companies in the UAE under the direct guidance of the Royal Family office.

“Through our Value Added Services Program, we provide a platform where our JV partners and Sponsorship Program find the necessary elements to launch, grow and succeed,” added Zulfiquar Ghadiyali, Director, Royal Office, DIHC whose core focus is on sustainable development and investment towards knowledge based economy.

Also, the presence of a huge Indian diaspora is a big plus for Indian companies for zeroing down in the UAE and is a great market to replicate a successful Indian business model. Being an affluent market where restaurant and food and beverage scenario is quite well developed, the potential market is as big as many other emerging markets but highly concentrated.

According to the UN’s migration report in 2017, there are about 3.3 million Indian migrants in the UAE alone, constituting almost 27-plus percent of its population. Hence, it is a big competitive advantage for an Indian company to plan its expansion in the UAE.

Prashanth Kuchimanchi has recently been appointed as the new food and beverage and convention manager at Radisson Blu Atria Bengaluru.

Prashanth will spearhead the Food & Beverage Operations along with Convention Services at Radisson Blu Atria, Bengaluru.

Prashanth Kuchimanchi is a Hospitality Professional with close to two decades of experience in large scale operations with varied experience in all aspects of Hospitality Management, mainly focused on Food and Beverage and conventions.

Hotel Management, Project Management, Business Development, Venue Operations and Food & Beverage management are his areas of expertise.

Prior to joining Radisson Blu Atria, Prashanth has worked with leading brands like Maven Hospitality, Hyderabad International Convention Centre & Drumossie Hotel, UK.

In his new role, Prashanth will be working to position Radisson Blu Atria Bengaluru as the most preferred venue in Bengaluru for Eating out and also a premium Conference, Wedding and Banquet Facility.

The hotel has a human-centric approach by designer Domenico de Palo with special lighting fixtures according to choromotherapy results in a unique magenta and blue illumination that tells a story while ensuring maximum comfort to guests at the hotel.

Reliance Industries is set to foray into the restaurant business by collaborating with a Michelin-starred Armani eatery for this purpose.

The Mukesh Ambani-owned company will be spearheading its food business in collaboration with Emporio Armani, the Milan-based luxury company. Reliance is aiming to launch the first Emporio Armani restaurant in its upcoming luxury mall in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex.

After Paris, Milan, New York, Tokyo, Munich and Dubai, Mumbai will be the latest city where the Michelin-star Armani launches its restaurant.

The firm is developing a mega-commercial complex in BKC called Jio World Centre. This complex will house an international convention centre, hotels, two shopping centres including a luxury mall, a performing arts theatre, a rooftop drive-in movie theatre and commercial offices. The luxury mall will be opened next year.

A Reliance spokesperson said, “We are never the spokesperson as Reliance/India operator and always want our brand partners to be the face of the brand in India.”

The company is already a master franchisee of Armani. It operates Emporio Armani, Giorgio Armani and Armani Exchange branded outlets in India.

At present, Armani is operating 20 restaurants around the world. The brand unveiled its first restaurant in Paris in 1998.

The new restaurant will be the latest addition to the partnership between Reliance and the Italian luxury giant.

Restaurant start-up Zorambo is looking to launch its first outlet in London in the next few weeks, making its international debut. Currently, the brand is operating four outlets in Gurugram and New Delhi.

Also, Zorambo is in talks with venture capital firms to raise about $5 million in Series-A funding, which it expects to close by September-October.

Dhruv Verma, Co-founder of Zorambo, said, “We aim to bridge the gap between premium cafés and fine dining restaurants. So, Zorambo is positioned in the premium casual dining restaurant space that not only offers a curated menu of Indian fusion food options but also has a wide array of beverage options.”

The start-up is planning to expand its footprint to 16 outlets in this financial year.

“By March 2020, we plan to have six operational outlets in Delhi-NCR, four outlets in Bengaluru and six outlets in London. We have aggressive plans to have 200 outlets in India and UK in the next 48 months with an investment of $50 million,” Verma stated.

He further added, “We are in talks with VCs to raise about $5 million. The brand is getting significant investor interest from both India and the UK markets. In the next 48 months, the focus will be to open company-owned restaurants and we will look at franchise-operated stores at a later stage.”

United Spirits' crorepati club has shrunk nearly 10% in a year in which the country's largest spirits maker saw overall market fall 3% due to regulatory changes.

A total of 51 executives at United Spirits (USL) took home more than Rs 1 crore in salary in the year ended March 2018 — against 56 in the previous year — according to the firm’s annual report. The average increase in remuneration for all employees also fell to 5.3% during FY17-18 compared to 6.3% a year ago. Since 2014 when British liquor giant Diageo took full control of USL, the maker of Mcdowell's and Antiquity whiskey has been seeing consistent employee exits every year. Permanent employee base has fallen to 4427 during FY17-18, shrinking by more than a third compared to 6797 people, according to the latest financial report.

Experts see this as a positive sign as the company consolidated manufacturing and distribution over the past few years to cut costs.

"The exits must be a healthy mix of voluntary and involuntary separations which is expected and essential when Diageo is trying to bring in changes in the way USL has been working in the past," said A Ramachandran, senior partner, EMA Partners India. "Despite market fall, the EBIDTA margins have expanded which shows the organisation’s focus on a strong bottomline-led growth."

Diageo, the maker of Johnnie Walker Scotch and Smirnoff vodka, bought a controlling stake in USL from Mallya in July 2013 and later raised its holding to 55%. The company has been changing its business from having a largely mass market portfolio earlier to premium ones that earn higher margins. For instance, just years ago, the contribution of its 'prestige and above' business were 50% of the net sales which has risen to nearly 63% until March.

"In a year of extraordinary changes – the highway ban, alcohol exclusion in GST and its fallout and the uncertainty caused by expected route to market changes in many states – we have delivered strong financial performance," Anand Kripalu, MD at USL said in the report.

With USL's efforts on reducing interest costs and monetising non-core assets, the company posted a 23% increase in profit after tax even despite a 13% drop in sales volume. Over the past three years, the company's manufacturing footprint has come down to 58 from 88 earlier. "The management indicated that there is not a lot of scope for margin expansion remaining. We believe this guidance could potentially disappoint investors," said a recent Goldman Sachs report.

Starting today, Impossible Foods’ flagship product will be available at three popular restaurants at Galaxy Macau, Asia’s premier integrated resort and entertainment hub. Galaxy Macau has some of Asia’s top-ranked restaurants and entertainment venues, as well as more than 3,000 hotel rooms on the glamorous Cotai Strip.

Macau is one of the world’s leading resort destinations. A former colony of Portugal and a historic trading post for Asia, Macau is now a Chinese Special Administrative Region. Macau’s international food scene and unique cuisine draws influences from Southern China, Southeast Asia and Europe.

“We’re humbled to launch in Asia’s premier tourist destination at one of the world’s most spectacular resorts,” said Nick Halla, Senior Vice President for International at Impossible Foods. “Macau is a global crossroads of ideas and influences, and we are confident that chefs and consumers in Macau’s dynamic restaurant scene will fully embrace plant-based meat.”

Impossible Foods’ plant-based meat is also served in nearly 3,000 restaurants across the United States -- from award-winning restaurants to mom-and-pop diners to America’s original fast-food chain, White Castle. Most restaurants serve the Impossible Burger with traditional condiments and sides, but the versatile product can also be used in any ground-meat dish, including dumplings, noodle bowls, tacos, meatballs, breakfast sandwiches and more.

Impossible Foods is rapidly expanding in Asia. In April, the California-based food startup made its international debut in Hong Kong with some of the world’s leading chefs, including May Chow (Little Bao, Happy Paradise) and Uwe Opocensky (Beef & Liberty). Impossible meat is now available in over 30 restaurants in Hong Kong, including Jinjuu, Urban Bakery, Plat Du Jour, Alto, and five-star hotels Hotel ICON and Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.

At Galaxy Macau, Impossible meat will be served eight different ways at three of the property’s acclaimed restaurants: CHA BEI, The Apron Oyster Bar & Grill and The Noodle Kitchen.

CHA BEI, a homegrown multifaceted lifestyle concept focused on wellness and conscious living, is adding three delicious dishes with impossible meat – including Tex-Mex Tacos (MOP108), 853 Burger (MOP158), and Thai Lettuce Wraps (MOP98) – to its all-day dining menu.

The Apron Oyster Bar & Grill – known for high-quality, sustainable ingredients – will showcase two creative preparations of the plant-based meat: Chipotle Croquettes (MOP98) and Vegetable Millefeuille (MOP128).

The Noodle Kitchen, which features handmade noodles using fresh flour from Inner Mongolia, will innovatively incorporate impossible meat into three traditional Chinese dishes: Seared Buns (MOP98), Chive Dumplings (MOP98), and Tossed Noodles with Spiced Eggplants (MOP128).

In development since 2011, the Impossible Burger debuted in July 2016 at Chef David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi in New York City. The Impossible Burger is the only plant-based burger to win a 2017 Tasty Award and a 2018 Fabi Award from the National Restaurant Association.

Impossible’s flagship product is made from simple ingredients, including water, wheat protein, potato protein and coconut oil. One special ingredient — heme — contributes to the characteristic taste of meat and is the essential catalyst for all the other flavors when meat is cooked. Heme is an essential molecular building block of life, one of nature’s most ubiquitous molecules. Although it’s found in all living things and in virtually all the food we eat, it’s especially abundant in animal tissues. Impossible scientists discovered that it’s the abundance of heme in animal tissues that makes meat taste like meat.

To satisfy the global demand for meat at a fraction of the environmental impact, Impossible Foods developed a far more sustainable, scalable and affordable way to make heme and therefore meat, without the catastrophic environmental impact of livestock. The company genetically engineers and ferments yeast to produce a heme protein naturally found in plants, called soy leghemoglobin. The heme in impossible products is identical to the essential heme humans have been consuming for hundreds of thousands of years in meat — and while it delivers all the craveable depth of beef, it uses far fewer resources.

Impossible Foods makes delicious, wholesome food without slaughterhouses, hormones, antibiotics, cholesterol or artificial flavors. The Impossible Burger uses about 75% less water, generates about 87% fewer greenhouse gases, and requires around 95% less land than conventional ground beef burgers from cows.

In order to ensure a great dining experience, Italy based fine dining restaurant Artusi Ristorante Gurgaon has introduced ‘Artusi Lunch Express’ on weekdays. The restaurant promises timely delivery of a multi-course lunch with 15 minutes of placement. If not, the lunch will be on the house.

Artusi Lunch Express allows discerning customers and aficionados to sample some of the finest cuisine from Italy within the regularity of office hours but without the stress of time.

The daily pre-selected menu offers guests a choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options for a two-course or three-course meal, as well as a complimentary Italian Espresso coffee – all of it served as fast as within 15 minutes of placing the order. The Artusi Lunch Express Menu regularly includes their fresh and delectable salads as well as their home-made premium pastas. Often the Lunch Express Menu also includes their famous Tiramisu.

The restaurant offers the elegant ambience of Artusi Ristorante at the plaza of One Horizon Center on Golf Course Road in Gurgaon. Delight their taste buds with the flavours of authentic Italian fare from the Emilia-Romagna region. Young professionals and corporate executives who are looking for world-class Italian cuisine on-the-go don’t have far to go now and considering the Artusi Lunch Express menu changes every day, the discovery of fine Italian cuisine within the lunch break is just 15 minutes away, every-day.

The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace has announced in the appointment of Chef Mahesh Padala as the Executive Chef. Chef Mahesh comes with rich work experience through diverse exposure.

His experimenting nature, humble culinary style and use of bolder flavors will elevate the food preparations at the restaurants.

Mahesh’s love for cuisine, his art of blending spices and producing distinct flavors is all taught by his grandmother. This is where he derived his conviction to maintain simplicity in his food. Although Chef Mahesh’s interests lie in Indian cooking, he is an exceptional continental chef. 

Prior to joining The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, Mahesh has worked as the Executive Chef at Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield and previously at Novotel Visakhapatnam, Varun Beach (NVVB).

He has been a part of the Marriott Group since 2005, working at Fairfield by Marriott, Rajajinagar, Bangalore, as the head of the kitchen. At the Jaipur Marriott Hotel and the Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention, under his helm, he steered the hotel into winning the Times Food Award from the year 2008 to 2014 consecutively. Chef Mahesh kicked off his culinary career at the Taj Residency in Vishakhapatnam.

In his several years of experience, he has pioneered numerous culinary concepts. Chef Mahesh is also a celebrated continental chef with many feathers to his cap. He has bagged several awards during his culinary journey, some of which are the Best Continental Chef for The Hyderabad Region in 2009, the Great Indian Culinary Challenge 2010. He also won the distinguished Global Marriott Award for Rising star Chef of the year 2011.

The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace takes pride in inviting its guests to experience Chef Mahesh Padala’s exceptional signature dishes at their restaurants.

In a process to consolidate business, Speciality Restaurants Ltd, a leading chain of fine and casual dining in India is planning to invest Rs.40 crore in the next two years to open new restaurants.

With brands like Mainland China, Sigree, Machaan, Haka, Cafe Mezzuna, and many others, Speciality Restaurants Ltd. has always remained the priority of the its loyal customers.

The debt-free company, which had currently 125 restaurants and confectioneries, plans to make this investment from its internal accruals

Anjan Chatterjee, Founder and Managing Director, Speciality Restaurants said, “We will be investing around Rs 40 crore over the next two years to open new restaurants as well as consolidating of existing restaurants. We intend to open 8-12 new restaurants in the next 18 months,”

The debt-free company, which had currently 125 restaurants and confectioneries, plans to make this investment from its internal accruals, he said at the celebrations of 25 years of its journey.

He said, “Apart from presence across India, we have one restaurant in Colombo, two in Dhaka, two in Tanzania, one in Doha, and we are opening one in Dubai next month.”

The company clocked revenue of Rs.229.44 crore in the April-December period of the current fiscal and its turnover was at Rs.317.66 crore in 2016-17.

Chatterjee also said that the restaurant industry has been singled out by removal of the input tax credit in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and such move has restricted the restaurant industry’s growth prospects.

Luxury labels are accustomed to tempting fashionistas, and now they're stretching from haute couture to haute cuisine.

Gucci opened a 50-seat restaurant, Gucci Osteria, in Florence where three-Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura will serve up high-end dishes.

The Italian fashion house, owned by Kering, is not the only luxury company to foray into food; LVMH announced late last year it would open a second branch of its gourmet grocer La Grande Epicerie in Paris, days before Tiffany's & Co opened its Blue Box Cafe in New York.

Gucci and its rivals do not expect these investments to yield significant financial returns, for now, but they are seen as a way of enhancing their global brands. In some cases, eateries can also be a way to make the most out of large, city-centre store sites as customers increasingly shop online.

Gucci restaurant is sited behind the walls of the 14-century Palazzo della Mercanzia building, overlooking the city's most famous square, Piazza della Signoria. Visitors can treat themselves to the likes of Parmigiano Reggiano tortellini, Peruvian-inspired tostadas, pork belly buns and mushroom risotto for 20-30 euros per dish.

With a global luxury market estimated to be worth 1.2 trillion euros in 2017, sales of luxury wines and spirits and food, together worth just under 120 billions, last year grew 6 percent, more than personal luxury goods such as bags, shoes and clothing, according to Bain & Co's yearly report on the sector.

The Gucci Osteria restaurant is part of "Gucci Garden", which includes an exhibition area and a cinema room.

Ramit Mittal, chief executive of Gourmet Investments said “Bharti Family Office Company Gourmet Investments will invest close to Rs 6 crore on its new brand Ministry of Crab.”

By year-end, the company, which runs PizzaExpress stores in the country, said it plans to acquire rights for multiple international food and beverage brands, the next one being Typhoon Shelter.

Gourmet Investments’ strategic alliance with Singapore-based Ministry of Crab, promoted by Sri Lankan cricketers Kumara Sangakarra and Mahela Jayawardene, is for a period of at least 10 years.

Even as restaurants gear up for record business during the festive season, the cash registers at burger and fries major McDonald’s will be eerily silent through Chirstmas and New Year as all six outlets in the city have downed shutters.

While store managers said they had run out of stock after supplies ceased a week ago, industry sources believe it is fallout of the acrimonious battle between the American fast food giant and the estranged Indian joint venture partner Vikram Bakshi, who controls the restaurants in north and east India. The franchisee had earlier shut 43 outlets in Delhi and adjoining areas after the eating house’s licence expired.

In Kolkata, restaurants continued to function despite McDonald’s barring franchisee Connaught Plaza Restaurants Ltd (CPRL) from using the brand, trademark and other intellectual properties in September. McDonald’s also told its suppliers that it had cancelled the franchisee agreement but they had not stopped supplies as they had pacts with CPRL.

Manager of One restaurant said “We have a central kitchen in Delhi NCR and national vendors supply to us through a distributor. Nothing is sourced locally. At the restaurants, too, we maintain a stock in the refrigerator but that can last only a few days at most. We have now run out of all stock.”

One of McDonald’s Employee said “We have been told that supplies will resume in eight to 10 days but we don’t see how that will happen as one cannot just pick up any bun and any patty and put them together to claim it is a McDonald’s burger.”

The spirit is high in hotels and restaurants in anticipation of a higher footfall of patrons, but the hospitality sector is a bit low with the watering holes not being in the list of establishments that can operate 24x7 in the state.

State government has amended that Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Service Condition) Act, 2017, allowing shops, hotels, restaurants and malls to remain open round-the-clock in three shifts from Wednesday. Bars, pubs, wine shops and discotheques will continue to function in the restricted timings.

Association president Dilip Datwani said “the decision would give a boost to tourism and economy and help the hospitality sector to emerge even stronger. We appeal to the state to consider allowing bars to be operational at least up to 3am, if not 24X7”.

Association sources said the state’s decision may not be implemented immediately, as logistics such as staff strength, salaries and the feasibility of keeping the establishments open round-the-clock have to be checked. They said the police’s responsibility will go up in terms of maintaining law and order in the changed scenario.

Vikram Shetty, vice-president of Pune Restaurants and Hoteliers’ Association, said, “Commercial zones such as station areas and highways witness footfall throughout the night and need business outlets and eateries to operate even after midnight. Earlier, only five stars hotels could operate 24/7’.

Restaurateur Praful Chandawarkar founder of Malaka Spice and Tvum Brands said, “Any encouragement to better consumption helps the economy. Establishments operating 24/7 in commercial areas will make sense. Such localities need all-night food joints and shops selling essentials.”

Rajiv Malla, director of Phoenix Marketcity on Ahmednagar Road, said, “We will have to take feedback from mall partners to work out the suitable timings and day to implementing the government’s decision. We have not yet received anything in writing from the authorities.”

Joint commissioner of police Ravindra Kadam said “We will have to use our existing manpower for both day and night patrolling. Action against drunk drivers has to be intensified. We will have to deploy more personnel in areas such as Koregaon Park, Baner Road and Deccan during night hours.”

Angel network platform Venture Catalysts has facilitated an undisclosed amount of investment in food tech startup The Bohri Kitchen. The seed round in the specialised cuisine startup has seen participation from Anuj Puri of Anarock Consultants, Abhishek Agarwal of Rockstud Capital, Anirudh Damani of Artha India Ventures, F&B veteran Riyaaz Amlani and food chef Rahul Akerkar amongst others.

Started by Munaf Kapadia and his mother in 2014, The Bohri Kitchen offers dishes that are unique to the Dawoodi Bohra community to food connoisseurs through a home dining experience. The start-up makes available legacy family recipes to specialised small groups of gastronomes.

Munaf Kapadia, Founder & CEO, The Bohri Kitchen said “When I first thought of the idea that would materialise into The Bohri Kitchen, I was confident of the viability of such a concept in the market. The response that we’ve had so far has just strengthened that belief. A former Googler, Kapadia is the recipient of the title of Forbes ‘30 under 30’ for creating The Bohri Kitchen (TBK).

Anuj Puri, Chairman of Anarock Consultants who is an investor in the company said “The brand has grown from strength to strength, setting up a delivery kitchen and slowly expanding into the restaurant vertical as well. We are confident that TBK will continue to set new benchmarks in the experiential dining space and garner exponential success.

Through this investment round, Kapadia is also looking to widen the reach of TBK by hiring more skilled workers to help standardise the menus along with his mother.

Bengaluru based street food restaurant Yumlok plans to invest Rs 50 crore in setting up 50 stores by 2020.

Demand for home-like food along with paucity of time to cook at home among other are leading this two year old street food restaurant to think of expansion.

Avinash Gupta founder of the restaurant said “Our youth contributes to 28% of our population of 1.3 billion. Youth population of India has liberal mindset. They encourage experimentation with greater consumption. Eating out is often seen as habit among youngsters rather than occasion driven activity. Digital India has helped us in market penetration and prompt home delivery. Keeping all these in mind, time is just right to expand. Our processes are at place. So the key here is speed with right product, process, place and price. Value for money and authentic taste will make your position stable in over crowded market of QSR industries.”

A few popular dishes of the restaurant are Delhi style chaats, Mumbaiya pav bhaji, Bihari sattu paratha along with fusion of Indian and western cuisine, like one of the categories is US Aunty Wali Chaats, a blend of western recipes with Indian spices.

As per Gupta millennial and Gen Z are driving the growth of QSR and Online 2 Stores segments as they don’t have much time to spend on food due to their multi-tasking and digital media engagement.

Barcelos, A south african restaurant chain is planning to expand its business by adding 20 more oultes in india by the end of 2019 as part of its expansion plan. Currently company has five restaurants in cities such as Delhi, Gurugram, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hyderabad.

Barcelos Business Head India, Rohit Malhotra said “We plan to open up to 20 more restaurants in India by the end of 2019. Company is also looking to open up to 12 smaller outlets in food courts in the country. Internationally, the company already has this format. The new restaurants, apart from the cities where the company already has a presence, would be in Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Goa and Chandigarh, among others.  Current focus is on metros and tier I cities and only after that, the company would focus on tier II cities. Company is also working on a new menu for the Indian market for over the last six months, which would be launched shortly. We will be adding lots of varieties and a large portion of the menu would also be vegetarian also although focus for us will remain on international cuisine. The company, which is present in 20 countries, would be touching a figure of 200 restaurants by the end of 2017.”

Panel of state finance ministers suggested fresh changes on Sunday to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), including a cut in the levy at restaurants and a flat 1% tax for small traders, manufacturers and eateries that opt for the less onerous composition scheme.

Panel of five state finance ministers has suggested a flat 12% GST for standalone restaurants, whether air conditioned or not, and an 18% levy at eating joints located inside hotels. While standalone restaurants will not enjoy the benefit of input tax credit, those with 18% tax will be entitled to take credit for taxes paid by their suppliers.

While the overall incidence was expected to be lower with the gains of input tax credit eaten up by the restaurants, the levy is seen to be detrimental for consumers. The respite on composition scheme will also lower the burden for smaller eateries, which currently attract 5% tax under composition scheme.

Scheme, which also applies to traders and manufacturers with annual turnover of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore, comes with a flat rate of tax and a much lower compliance burden where only the sales details have to be disclosed with no requirement to file detailed returns with invoices. In addition, the returns have to be filed on a quarterly basis.

Those who are willing to pay tax on their total turnover, which includes revenue from the sale of exempted goods. But those who take the pains to segregate income from the non-exempted products will have to pay 1% tax on the sale of these goods.

While a final decision will be taken by the GST Council, comprising union and state FMs, early next month, the move by the panel is seen to be another attempt to assuage small businesses which have been complaining bitterly about GST as many of them were out of the tax net till the new regime kicked in on July 1.

National Association of India has said that eating will get more expensive if government goes ahead with the proposal of reducing GST rate of restaurants from 18% to 12% without input credit claims. As per media reports government are considering to bringing down GST rate from 18% to 12%.

Under the GST regime implemented on July 1, 2017, air-conditioned restaurants pay 18% GST on food. However, if the GST rate is brought down to 12%, then in the absence of input tax credit, they will not able to claim these tax rebates, resulting in an increasing in their operational costs by 7% -10%. In the earlier tax regime, restaurants were allowed an input tax credit on things like food items, cutlery etc, NRAI stated.

Ritaaz Amlani, President of the national Restaurant Association of India said” Under the earlier tax regime, the tax on processed food was at 5%, but now under GST, this has gone up to 12%. Taxes on many such inputs have gone up, so if we do not get an input tax credit, then our cost of running the restaurants will go up, leading to higher menu prices for customers. Best part about the GST scheme is complete pass- through of taxes via Input Tax Credit (ITC). ITC works in a way that all vendors and suppliers who may have earlier been in the unorganised sector are incentivised to come under the organised sector and file tax returns. Disallowing input tax credit will lead to higher operational costs for restaurants, ultimately leading to a rise in price of final products for consumers. Hopes the proposal is not implemented in its current form and that the industry’s views should be taken into consideration”.

Eating out in air condition comfort could get cheaper if a proposal to fix the GST at 12% on all restaurants is adopted by GST council. Air conditioned restaurant currently charging 18% GST and Non air conditioned charging 12%.

A government official said “It has been felt that the restaurants have not passed on the benefit of input tax credit to consumers. The lower rate of 12 per cent may be extended to cover the entire sector. The GST Council had set up a panel to look into the matter. Representations were made to the panel about restaurants not passing on the benefit of input tax credit while levying 18 per cent GST. After the imposition of GST on July 1, taxes on such services rose to 18 per cent from 15 per cent but the rationale was that input tax credit would neutralise the increase. Following lobbying by the industry, the GST Council set up a panel under Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to make the composition scheme more attractive and revisit GST rates on restaurants. The panel, which had been asked to give its report in two weeks, has finalised its recommendations.”

The industry lobbied for a 12 percent rate for all restaurants but with the benefit of input tax credit kept intact.

Leading American restaurant Arby’s bringing back venison sandwich for one day in all Arby’s restaurant throughout America. This is for One day on October 21^st. Last year venison sandwich was sold in selected Arby’s store and fro that it became popular. Last year when the chain introduced its farm-raised venison sandwiches, they sold out in mere minutes in the handful of states where they were offered.

Chief Marketing Officer of Arby’s restaurant said “if people are interested in trying the sandwich in only way to guarantee they can get one is to get there when we open or little before.”

Arby’s sandwich obtains its venison from New Zealand. The venison sandwich features slab of milk with crispy onion.

Leading dairy firm Mother Dairy has increased the price of its loose vended milk or 'token milk' by Rs 2 per litre in Delhi-NCR .

The company, however, has kept the prices of poly pack milk unchanged.

The price of token milk has been raised to Rs 40 per litre from existing Rs 38 per litre, Mother Dairy said in a statement.

Mother Dairy sells 30 lakh litres of milk per day in the Delhi-NCR market, of which 20 per cent is token milk.

The company said the retail price of token milk has been hiked due to "increase in the price of raw milk by Rs 3 to Rs 3.5 per kg over the last one year. It further said the company passes on close to 80 per cent of its sales realisation from milk to the farmers".

In the last 6-7 months, procurement prices have gone up by Rs 1-1.5 per kg.

The GST Council tweaked rules on Friday to make life simpler for small businesses and exporters and also cut rates on 27 products, including man-made yarn, which was a key demand of the textiles sector, in a bid to mollify those complaining about the new tax regime.

Similarly, the tax rate on rotis and khakra was cut along with savouries and ayurvedic and homoeopathic medicines. PM Narendra Modi was quick to comment that the decisions would help small and medium businesses. The GST Council on Friday decided to review several issues, including the tax structure for restaurants, amid complaints that several of them were not passing on the benefit of input tax credit through price cuts.

FM Arun Jaitley said there is an impression that large restaurants with 18% tax have not reduced the prices despite the benefit of input tax credit being available. A group of state ministers, which will submit its report in two weeks, will revisit the taxation structure for them and examine if the liability can be reduced an alternate structure should be put in place.

The GoM, which Jaitley said will set up soon, will also examine if the Rs 1-crore turnover, which is the threshold for the composition scheme, should include revenue generated from the sale of exempted goods. A food trader for instance, may be selling unbranded food pro ducts such as flour and daal along with packed and branded items, which face GST. Currently, all sales are included in calculating the turnover and an exemption is expected to result in massive leakages, tax experts warned.

Describing 3-month old GST as a "fairly encouraging exercise",Nestle India CMDSuresh Narayanan said there are a few operational issues that are still being ironed out. Since the early part of July we had settling issues but August was certainly better and September has also been reasonably good as far as settling into the GST regime is concerned.

As far as the FMCG industry is concerned, he said, with the passage of time there would be improvement and settling into the new indirect tax regime will turn better.

FMCG companies had witnessed slowdown and reported tepid sales in the April-June quarter because of destocking by trade partners, who purchased limited inventory due to uncertainty ahead of implementation of the Goods and services tax (GST) from July 1.

When asked about the company's plans of expanding the product portfolio and getting into new categories, Narayanan said it will be looking at expanding the scope of existing products and also selectively getting into new categories.

Reflecting on the company's ambition of double digit growth, he said in terms of reported sales there is a GST impact of almost 525 basis points that gets impacted on the company's sales, therefore the number might be a little lower that what a double digit would be.

Naraynan also said "As far as the company is concerned, we had recorded an 8.8 per cent growth last quarter and we had impact of GST in that and we were within the whisker of what we were looking at and therefore the ambition of double digit growth is something I would not like to lose right now.”

The BBMP may stop serving dinner at the 151 Indira Canteens on Sundays, taking into account the low footfall and the need for the kitchens to take a break. Chief Minister will take the final call.

Sources said the turnout is 50% less on Sunday night as it's a holiday. Service providers want time to clean the canteen area once a week.

A BBMP report showed the canteens in Subhash nagar near Majestic (ward No. 95) and Jayanagar (ward No. 153) had the highest footfall in September. The Palike then decided to increase supply-600 plates of breakfast, 600 for lunch and 400 plates for dinner in Subhash Nagar. In Jayanagar, it was 600 plates of breakfast, 600 lunch, and 300 plates for dinner. After October 2, when 50 more canteens were launched, the out let near KR Market saw the highest footfall of 1,500.

The project was launched to provide affordable food to citizens, it could be anybody as affordability is subjective. “When the rich walk into the canteens, it only means the facility provides good food in a clean environment. We cannot stop anyone from using the facility.

Eating out at a restaurant has become an indulgence after the implementation of goods and services tax (GST), as business is down by an estimated 35%, say restaurateurs across Gujarat. Customers seem to be feeling the pinch of 18% GST imposed on the service sector.

Narendra Somani president of the Hotels and Restaurants Association said “Restaurant business has certainly dipped after GST, even over weekends. Regular customers also don’t visit restaurants as often as they used to.”

Dilip Thakkar, a partner at a city-based restaurant said “A number of restaurants have seen a 50% hit to business. “With 18% tax, bills have been rounded up and prices have risen by 20% at most restaurants. For instance, a thaali which earlier cost Rs 300 will now be billed at Rs 360. A family of four visiting four times a month now visits just once or twice a month.”

Even in Surat, business is down by at least 20%-25%, according to South Gujarat Hotel and Restaurant Association (SHARA) vice president Sanat Reliya. Home delivery and takeaway businesses are also badly hit and have declined by at least 50%.

India's largest taxi-aggregators Ola, run by ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd, may shut down its food deliver service and grocery service.

This came after a year of launch of ‘Ola Cafe’ and ‘Ola Store’ amid slow expansion and struggles to generate customer demand for the business units, reported Mint.

Till now ‘Ola Cafe’ was available in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi.

While Ola Store currently operates in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Gurgaon.

Not only this, Flipkart recently announced to close down its hyper-local service 'Nearby'.

The app was launched five months back in order to experiment grocery delivery in Bengaluru.

In last five months around five food delivery players have closed their operations wholly or in cities they were not performing well.

Red Ribbon Advisory Services (RRAS), part of UK-based Red Ribbon Asset Management Plc has tied up with Franchise India, Asia's largest integrated franchise solution company to further expand their footprint in India. Franchise India will help RRAS to bring on board high net worth individuals and family business looking to participate in the India’s start up story.

Under this tie up, Franchise India will help RRAS strategize, get franchisees to grow the brand and implement their business strategy to accelerate visibility in India. Franchise India will act as a brand distributor and franchise model for RRAS and will target to appoint 500 distributors and channel partners for RRAS in India.

Red Ribbon promotes scalable projects that are incubated by investing its own capital in specifically chosen projects that meet their stringent selection criteria for incubation. Once a project is launched, an industry leader from the relevant sector is appointed as CEO to head the project and deliver the growth plan. The project is further developed and made ‘Finance Ready’ by crossing key gestation milestones, which significantly reduces risk profile for the investor.

Red Ribbon is also eyeing to invest in hospitality businesses including the restaurant business. 

Red Ribbon is offering these opportunities as a structured product for angel investors. This enables the investor to be free of the hassle related to identifying, vetting and engaging with the startup. Red Ribbon intends to develop a network of angel investors across India with a special focus on Tier II and III cities.

Red Ribbon is a strong believer in the ‘Make in India’ story and is very clear of only offering opportunities in traditional, ‘brick and mortar’ businesses which have the potential to create India into a manufacturing hub and generate employment opportunities.

Aditya Kanoria, CEO, Red Ribbon Advisory Services commented, “We are positive that the partnership with Franchise India will help us establish our presence PAN India. Through our franchise, we are looking forward to incubating brick-and-mortar start ups in India and playing our role in contributing to the ‘Make in India’ story. With the proven expertise that Franchise India brings to the table, we are sure to see rapid growth for the company in the coming months which will help us achieve new heights.”

Gaurav Marya, Chairman, Franchise India Holdings Ltd. said, “We are glad to partner with RRAS and believe in their unique way of incubating brick and mortar start-ups. We are optimistic to help them appoint the right distributors and franchisees across the country. With our expertise in strategising and implementation, we are sure to escalate the penetration and scalability of RRAS in India and also raise funds for them.”  

By Nusra

Italy’s Bertolli Olive Oil has appointed leading culinary expert and Celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar as their first Indian brand ambassador for its olive oil portfolio in Indian shores.

A global market leader in olive oil, Bertolli is owned by Deoleo, the biggest olive oil company in the world.

One of the most popular faces on Indian Television, Masterchef India judge and Celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar is famous for representing Indian food across the globe with over 20 years of experience in the food industry and more than 10 years at kitchen management positions across Indian and USA.

"Olive oil consumption is growing worldwide every year and India is one of the countries with great potential. Ranveer's contribution to the brand will be via multiple innovative marketing campaigns that will demystify cooking with olive oil in an Indian scenario and attract a new generation to the kitchen in a fun and easy way. Bertolli is an international food brand with its core product range of olive oil, which comes in 3 types for different uses: Extra Light and Classico, which are suitable for high heat cooking and Extra Virgin, which is recommended for cold dishes such as salad or bread dips" says Riddhi Kapoor, Deoleo - India Brand Manager.

One of the most celebrated Indian chefs across the world, he is renowned for his knowledge about the history of food, his expertise in various world as well as regional cuisines and also his proficiency in food styling and food photography, coupled with an unmatched passion for food that is healthy and delicious.

“Bertolli Olive oil is not only a delicious flavoring, it is healthy too. With inherent benefits that fully match today’s growing needs for a nutritious lifestyle, the benefits of olive oil have been seen in the Mediterranean Diet for centuries and the oil can naturally lend itself to Indian cuisine with scope for great creativity in the kitchen. Olive oil is one of the most dynamic and healthy contributors in the food sector today and I am honoured to be associated with Bertolli’s core values of quality and consistency,” adds Chef Brar.

Valued world over for 150 years, Bertolli is the World’s No 1* Olive Oil Brand that traces its roots to Francesco Bertolli (year 1865) in Tuscany Italy and has now expanded into a global brand which is both authentic and contemporary. Bertolli values simplicity, authenticity and flavour and wants to continue to bring these values to your family table in India, for years to come.