FoodCloud, an online resource portal that provides variety of cuisines through registered chefs and caterers, has raised Rs 3.5 crore for expanding its operations beyond NCR and has entered Kolkata.
In a statement, the company said, "Our present chefs are offering a varied appetite indulgence including comfort American foods, Chinese, Tex-Mex, specialised bakery requirements, desserts, Mughlai food for those who shifted here recently, with smatterings of Italian, Burmese and even French cuisine. These items can be delivered anywhere within Kolkata with a few hours' notice and ordering on FoodCloud. FoodCloud also received its first phase of funding amounting to the total invested into this Food Tech biz now at Rs 3.5 crore."
The statement added that FoodCloud has been inducted into the 'Start Up India Programme' by the Government of India and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
According to data from VCCEdge, investments in food technology, which posted a 358 percent increase in deal value to USD 504 million in 2015 with 85 deals, registered only 33 deals worth USD 67 million in 2016 until September. Experts believe the reason for the tumble in funding is the recognition of challenges in achieving scale in the food-tech space.
Deepinder Goyal, CEO, Zomato, said, "All the money went into food ordering but that's a hard business to scale and run. The unit economics don't work that easily. When a lot of startups that mushroomed last year got to the point where they had to raise Series A or B, the lacklustre performance on the entire unit economics and scalability led to the belief that this (model) cannot work."
Éntisi Chocolatier's first flagship location outside of Mumbai, in Koregaon Park, Pune, makes chocolate fantasies come true. The brand was founded by Nikki Thakker. This is Éntisi's sixth store also its first excursion outside of Mumbai.
The 2000 square foot area is filled with the alluring scent of excellent chocolate as soon as one enters. The artistry behind every bite is reflected in the space's sumptuous and welcoming vibe, which is created by warm, earthy tones and contemporary design features. The live chocolate tempering station provides a real treat for chocolate lovers.
Speaking about the experience centre, Nikki Thakker - Founder - Éntisi Chocolatier says, “Our new store in Koregaon Park, Pune, is more than just a place to buy chocolates; it's a celebration of the craft, passion, and creativity that goes into every piece we create. We invite our customers to step into a world where they can see, taste, and feel the magic of chocolate making. Expect a journey of indulgence, discovery, and a whole lot of fun!”
Subway, one of the world’s largest restaurant brands, has officially opened its new global dual-headquarters in the Waterford Business District.
The new global dual-headquarters of Subway are situated at 1000 Sub Way, a street named after the brand by the Miami-Dade County.
The headquarters' design is distinctive and aims to support Subway's transformation plans, which seek to improve all facets of the business, including workspaces.
The brand's new headquarters' strategic location enables an even closer partnership with the Independent Purchasing Cooperative, a Miami-based purchasing and supply chain cooperative owned by Subway franchisees. I believe that Miami's thriving business environment and diverse cultural heritage make it the perfect spot for Subway to continue evolving as part of its ongoing transformation journey, said, John Chidsey, Subway's CEO.
The office is equipped with an Innovation Center and Mock Restaurant, a first for Subway, and a contemporary open layout with various collaborative areas, a high-end fitness center, and a roomy cafeteria.
Subway's Innovation Center and Mock Restaurant serve as a "think tank" for ongoing food innovation, enabling employees to consistently work together with the culinary team to develop new sandwich creations and products like proteins or sauces.
Designed to simulate an authentic Subway restaurant, the Mock Restaurant provides a dedicated area to test products in a genuine setting, enabling the brand to refine its operations and explore new prospects to enhance the customer experience.
Subway is the biggest occupant of the building, renting two and a half floors across levels six, seven, and ten, providing an awe-inspiring view of the city and abundant natural light.
The office houses around 150 Miami-based Subway workers, including staff from consumer-facing departments and the Latin America regional office. HLW was in charge of the architecture and design for the new office.
Previously, Subway declared its decision to relocate its headquarters in Connecticut to an innovative and contemporary location in Shelton, Connecticut. All of the current Milford-based team's responsibilities will move to the new space later this year.
After brewing delicious artisan coffee and disrupting the coffee market in Bengaluru and Delhi, the cafe chain plans to open 30 cafes in Mumbai within a year and 150 cafes in over 20 Indian cities by March ’23.
Premium artisan café chain Third Wave Coffee, which has built a popular and loyal community of coffee lovers in Bengaluru, Pune, and Delhi since its launch in 2016, has opened its flagship outlet in Mumbai at Lokhandwala.
With this new cafe, the brand currently clocks a total of 43 cafes in India - 28 in Bengaluru, 11 in Delhi NCR, 2 in Mumbai, 1 each in Pune and Coonoor with plans to expand to over 150 cafes in over 20 cities by March ’23.
“Like all urban cities, Mumbai has the kind of crowd that loves to experiment with and enjoy different brews of premium artisan coffee. Since its inception, Third Wave Coffee has been at the forefront of the coffee and cafe experience in India,” shared Sushant Goel, Co-Founder & CEO, Third Wave Coffee.
Third Wave Coffee is the brainchild of three young founders - Sushant Goel, Ayush Bathwal and Anirudh Sharma, who have spent the past several years disrupting the coffee-drinking experience.
Third Wave Coffee’s flagship outlet at Lokhandwala, spread across 2000 sq. ft., welcomes you into its cozy, warm interiors done up in hues of beige and off white and the most welcoming appetizing aroma of coffee. The cafe offers a personal, inclusive space that allows customers to build relationships over a perfectly brewed cup of coffee.
“Innovation lies at the heart of everything we do. We also take pride in our ability to pair familiar Indian flavors in a more cafe friendly format. Mumbaikars will have their own local favs including the Chipotle-flavored Paneer Pao or the spicy shredded chicken pao in all our Mumbai cafes. Third Wave Coffee has always introduced new coffee and food experiences that are wholesome, comforting and satiating, and we can't wait to share our offerings with the world,” said Anirudh Sharma, Co-Founder, Third Wave Coffee.
By March next year, Third Wave Coffee will have captured the largest market share for offline coffee consumption in Bengaluru and Delhi. The brand aims to replicate its model across India.
While Juhu Tara Road is dotted with hotels and designer boutiques, a casual café with high-quality food and drinks makes for a great addition to the popular area.
Helmed by two young women entrepreneurs, Ashna Mehta and Nitisha Mehta, Café 49 is all set to add an easy-breezy vibe to The Emerald Hotel.
“Café 49 has all the elements to make Mumbai's very own Central Perk – an iconic, cozy little spot where all of life’s events can unfold in the form of stories told over shared plates, lots of laughter and warm cups of coffee. I look forward to good times here,” said Ashna.
The cafe is all set to launch tomorrow on 16th February 2022.
An all-day space, Café 49 is apt for animated coffee dates, intimate group dinners and cozy catch-ups over cocktails.
Designed to put customers at ease, the interiors reflect warmth and personality. Off-white brick walls provide the perfect canvas to highlight the salmon and teal coloured seating along with a bright and colourful photo-op wall with wings.
Flanked by tasteful display shelves on one side and an open kitchen up ahead, Café 49 is all about comforting guests with openness and quality assurance.
The all-vegetarian menu focuses on a mix of cuisines with a heavy Mediterranean-European influence.
Barbeque Nation has strengthened its presence in Mumbai with the launch of its latest outlet at Growels Mall in Kandivali East.
The 158-seater outlet is spread over an area of 5,072 sq ft.
Suman Mukherjee, Regional Manager, Barbeque Nation Hospitality Ltd, said, “What really captures the essence of Mumbai is its food. We have successfully delivered on variety, quality, taste and comfort, making Barbeque Nation a favourite among food lovers in this magnificent city.”
“It delights us to add more outlets, particularly in Mumbai, as the people here have dearly acknowledged our hospitality, encouraging us to expand and serve them better. We hope to entice foodies in and around Kandivali with our new restaurant,” he further added.
Menu Offering
The casual dining restaurant chain’s menu is drawn from the Mediterranean, American, Oriental, Asian and Indian cuisines. Besides offering a delectable menu, Barbeque Nation has sizzling skewers on tables that double as a live kitchen.
Barbeque Nation serves eat-all-you-can buffet, showcasing an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian spreads.
For starters, the restaurant offers non-vegetarian delicacies like Mutton Kadhak Seekh, Chilli Garlic Prawns, Ajwaini Fish Tikka, Murg Boti Kebab, etc. For vegetarians, the restaurant provides mouth-watering Hariyali Kumbh, Pineapple Chaat, Cajun Spice Baby Potato and Punjabi Paneer Tikka, among others.
The restaurant’s main course includes non-vegetarian dishes like Chicken Dum Biryani, Kashmiri Mutton Rogon Josh and Murgh Makhani, and vegetarian ones including Paneer Tikka Masala, Kashmiri Pulao, Dal-E-Dum, and Mushroom Ka Josh.
Its dessert section consists of Walnut Brownie, Assorted Pastry, Angoori Gulab Jamun, Marvel Cake, and Kesari Phirnee. The restaurant’s popular Kulfi Nation counter also offers a wide range of Kulfis.
Casual Dining Restaurants Industry
In India, the Casual Dining Restaurants Industry is the second most popular category within the food and beverage (F&B) space.
At present, the Indian restaurant industry is worth Rs 75,000 crore. Growing at an annual rate of 7%, this segment is majorly driven by a young population aged between 15-44 years. Other factors that drive the growth of the casual dining market include disposable incomes, growth of consumers in smaller towns and broadening the exposure of new cuisines, rapid urbanisation and the higher frequency of eating out has evolved the market for the food services industry in India.
Casual Dining Restaurant demand is driven by the shifting lifestyle trends with a wide variety of menu offerings and flavours. Eating out has now transformed from occasion driven to becoming a regular activity even on weekdays besides weekends only and they are gradually moving from fine-dine to enjoy more of casual dining culture.
Curry Up Now, the Indian fast-casual restaurant franchise, has ventured into the New Jersey market. The brand has opened its first location in Hoboken, New Jersey, with plans to launch another four locations.
This is Curry Up Now’s first spot east of Atlanta. It is situated at 91 Washington St. The brand will be introducing a restaurant in Newark this spring at 58 Halsey Street.
The restaurant franchise is eyeing locations in Central and North Jersey for its other three restaurants.
Rana Kapoor, Co-Owner of Curry Up Now, said, “The Hoboken restaurant opening is especially exciting for us, as it marks Curry Up Now’s debut on the East Coast. Pritesh [Benjamin, the New Jersey franchisee] has been a great partner for us so far, and we are excited to continue growing with him as we open Hoboken, Newark, and at least three more restaurants across New Jersey.”
Offerings by Curry Up Now
Curry Up Now provides unique dishes, and even kids' meals, in a casual setting. These meals include the traditional Indian ingredients and sauces like chicken, lamb, paneer cheese, and vegetables. However, the menu offers a variety of bowls, naan bread dishes, including naan pizza, and scrumptious "Sexy Fries", which are sweet potato waffle fries with a kick.
Curry Up Now’s signature dishes include tikka masala burritos, deconstructed samosas, Indian-style tacos, naughty naan, and more traditional dishes such as Thali Platters, Kathi Rolls, and Bhel Puri.
Its menu gives traditional Indian food an interesting twist. Dishes are converted into street-food concepts like tikka masala burritos, deconstructed samosas, and Indian-style tacos.
Mother Dairy has forayed into the Indore market. With this, the dairy brand is strengthening its footprint in Tier-II cities.
The company will be selling four milk variants through 1,500 outlets spread across Indore.
Vinod Chopra, Business Head (Milk), Mother Dairy, said, “Our entry into the market of Indore is in line with our vision of having a national footprint, complementing our presence in over 100 cities of India.”
“The newly launched milk range in Indore market is sourced from the regions of in & around Madhya Pradesh and is being processed and hygienically packed in an associated plant in Dewas,” he added.
Mother Dairy’s Story
Incorporated in 1974, Mother Dairy is a pioneer in the dairy industry. It began as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The brand was created under the Operation Flood Initiative, the world’s largest program for dairy development, targeted at making India a milk sufficient nation.
At present, there are around 1400 retail outlets and around 1000 exclusive outlets of Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Private Limited.
The company sells milk and milk products under the ‘Mother Dairy’ brand. Its edible oils are marketed under the ‘Dhara’ brand, while fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen vegetables, unpolished pulses, honey, organic range of products are sold under the ‘Safal’ brand.
Indian dairy market
In India, the growth story of the dairy market is driven largely by small-scale dairy farmers. The dairy market in the country is amongst the largest and fastest growing markets in the world.
The things that offer further impetus to India’s dairy industry include growing private sector investment in dairy farming, supply chain, processing facilities, and backward integration.
In India, the demand for dairy products is likely to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by more consumers, higher incomes and greater interest in nutrition. The demand for quality dairy products is increasing and production is also rising in many developing countries. Consumption of processed and packaged dairy products is growing in urban areas.
Due to the increasing competition from the private sector, several national and international brands have forayed into the dairy market and expanded consumers’ expectation of quality.
Blimpie is growing its global footprint with the expansion into the Southeast Asian region. Kahala Brands, the parent company of Blimpie, has tied up with Deelish Brands Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based restaurant management company, to launch the Blimpie brand in Singapore.
Deelish Brands operates in the fast casual restaurant sector, focusing on brands that believe in using only the freshest ingredients and preparing cooked to order meals.
As part of the agreement, Blimpie will be working with Deelish Brands to launch and expand the brand in Singapore with plans to unveil 5 stores within the next five years.
Moe Ibrahim, CEO of Deelish Brands, said, “For more than 50 years, Blimpie has been America's beloved neighborhood deli, and that's why it's known as America's Sub Shop. The brand has perfected the art of a bigger, better sandwich, using the freshest ingredients and doing it at an affordable price.”
“We believe that the Blimpie Way fits nicely with Deelish Brands' strategy of bringing the world’s most beloved and fastest growing restaurant brands to Southeast Asia. We are excited to bring Blimpie to the region as we are confident it will soon become Asia's sub shop as well,” Ibrahim added.
With this global expansion, Blimpie fills the need of Singapore consumers looking for fresh food options.
Eddy Jimenez, Senior Vice President of international operations and development, Kahala Brands, stated, “Continuing to build the brand's international expansion with highly esteemed companies such as Deelish Brands has been a pleasure for us at Blimpie. Their passion and commitment to developing such a great and successful F&B business in the market is very impressive, and we are thrilled to introduce America's Sub Shop and our hearty portions of fresh-sliced meats, fresh-baked breads and robust offerings to all consumers in the Singapore market.”
Tablez has launched two outlets of Cold Stone Creamery, the iconic American ice cream brand, in Hyderabad. These outlets are located at HSR Eden Building, Banjara Hills, and SP Road, Begumpet, respectively.
With the launch, Cold Stone Creamery ventures into Hyderabad. These new outlets are the 26th and 27th outlets of Cold Stone Creamery in India.
Tablez holds franchise rights for Cold Stone Creamery.
Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director, Tablez, said, “Hyderabad is known for its rich gastronomic traditions, and we are glad to bring the popular American ice-cream brand to the city. Cold Stone’s range of ice-creams is made fresh and is expected to add flavour to the taste-buds of all age-segments.”
“The new stores strengthen our growing presence across the cities in South India. Hyderabad is developing at a rapid pace, and the discerning local crowd will definitely enjoy Cold Stone’s Ultimate Ice Cream Experience. We plan to launch 3 more stores in Hyderabad by May 2020,” he further added.
Ice cream market in India
In India, the ice cream industry is one of the fastest growing segments of the dairy or food processing industry. The country has a low per capita ice cream consumption of ice cream at 400 ml as compared with per capita consumption of ice cream of 22,000 ml in the United States and 3,000 ml in China.
The ice cream sector in India has great potential for growth with the improving cold chain infrastructure in the country coupled with increasing disposable income and the changing lifestyle.
In India, the ice cream industry generated revenue of over $1.5 billion in 2016 and is projected to generate revenue of approximately $3.4 billion by 2021.
Ice cream franchise
In modern times when franchising has become the best option to start a business, the ice-cream franchise provides a great opportunity to establish oneself as a capable entrepreneur and earn handsomely.
The organised ice-cream industry constitutes just 4-6% of the total industry, therefore, there is a large scope of growth in the coming years.
For those aspiring franchisees that feared that the diet conscious people would no longer care for this lip-smacking dessert, there is good news! With the growing popularity of ice-creams among health-conscious consumers, one can find an array of frozen desserts fitting various dietary regimes like reduced-fat, fat-free, low-carb, no sugar added or lactose-free ice creams. So, with this development, there is an increased need for more franchise owners in the ever-growing ice-cream franchise segment.
The growth in this sector can be envisaged by the ever-increasing players and their expansion pan India through the franchise route. The brands like Kwality Walls, Vadilals, Amul, Mini Melts, Baskin Robbins, Gelato Vinto, etc, are some national and international players that have prospered from one outlet to hundreds and thousands within a span of a few years, showing the popularity of franchising in this sector.
Barbeque Nation has expanded its presence in Andhra Pradesh with the launch of a new outlet in Kakinada. This is the brand’s 144th outlet in India.
With this launch, India’s leading casual dining restaurant chain offers the opportunity to Kakinada people to experience the joy of grilling their own vegetarians and non-vegetarian barbeques on the tables.
The newly launched outlet can serve 94 guests in one sitting.
Barbeque Nation’s Eat-All-You-Can Buffet
Barbeque Nation’s eat-all-you-can buffet showcases an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian spreads.
For starters, the restaurant offers non-vegetarian delicacies like Mutton Kadhak Seekh, Chilli Garlic Prawns, Ajwaini Fish Tikka, Murg Boti Kebab, etc. For vegetarians, the restaurant provides mouth-watering Hariyali Kumbh, Pineapple Chaat, Cajun Spice Baby Potato and Punjabi Paneer Tikka, among others.
The restaurant’s main course includes non-vegetarian dishes like Chicken Dum Biryani, Kashmiri Mutton Rogon Josh and Murgh Makhani, and vegetarian ones including Paneer Tikka Masala, Kashmiri Pulao, Dal-E-Dum, and Mushroom Ka Josh.
Its dessert section consists of Walnut Brownie, Assorted Pastry, Angoori Gulab Jamun, Marvel Cake, and Kesari Phirnee. The restaurant’s popular Kulfi Nation counter also offers a wide range of Kulfis.
Naresh Naidu, Cluster Manager, Barbeque Nation, said, “The ‘Eat-all-you-can’ buffet at the restaurant offers the people a plethora of dishes in vegetarian and non-vegetarian spreads.”
Casual Dining Restaurants Industry
In India, the Casual Dining Restaurants Industry is the second most popular category within the food and beverage (F&B) space.
At present, the Indian restaurant industry is worth Rs 75,000 crore. Growing at an annual rate of 7%, this segment is majorly driven by a young population aged between 15-44 years. Other factors that drive the growth of the casual dining market include disposable incomes, growth of consumers in smaller towns and broadening the exposure of new cuisines, rapid urbanisation and the higher frequency of eating out has evolved the market for the food services industry in India.
Casual Dining Restaurant demand is driven by the shifting lifestyle trends with a wide variety of menu offerings and flavours. Eating out has now transformed from occasion driven to becoming a regular activity even on weekdays besides weekends only and they are gradually moving from fine-dine to enjoy more of casual dining culture.
Froneri, an ice cream manufacturer, has introduced a new plant-based ice cream range 'RØAR'. The move comes as demand for vegan meal occasions continues to increase.
The new ice cream range has been unveiled in collaboration with not-for-profit organisation Panthera’s Tigers Forever fund. RØAR contains no palm oil and the cocoa used is all UTZ Certified.
RØAR has been made available in three flavors, including Hazelnut Chocolate Cookie, Coconut Mango Passionfruit Oat Cookie, and Hemp Seed Chocolate Brownie.
Ibrahim Najafi, CEO of Froneri, said, “We have launched RØAR in response to growing consumer demand for plant-based products. Recent research shows that plant-based meal occasions have increased by 37% in the last four years. But it isn’t just vegans who are embracing this; there has been a 92% increase in plant-based meals being eaten by non-vegans.”
“While creating this indulgent plant-based ice cream with a conscience it also made perfect sense to link up with Panthera, giving financial support to their Tigers Forever fund, as well as a range of their other education and awareness initiatives,” Ibrahim added.
The new range is launched in the UK through Ocado and Tesco. Besides the UK market, it will be available in Germany and Finland.
Ice cream market in India
In India, the ice cream industry is one of the fastest growing segments of the dairy or food processing industry. The country has a low per capita ice cream consumption of ice cream at 400 ml as compared with per capita consumption of ice cream of 22,000 ml in the United States and 3,000 ml in China.
The ice cream sector in India has great potential for growth with the improving cold chain infrastructure in the country coupled with increasing disposable income and the changing lifestyle.
In India, the ice cream industry generated revenue of over $1.5 billion in 2016 and is projected to generate revenue of approximately $3.4 billion by 2021.
Ice cream franchise
In modern times when franchising has become the best option to start a business, the ice-cream franchise provides a great opportunity to establish oneself as a capable entrepreneur and earn handsomely.
The organised ice-cream industry constitutes just 4-6% of the total industry, therefore, there is a large scope of growth in the coming years.
For those aspiring franchisees that feared that the diet conscious people would no longer care for this lip-smacking dessert, there is good news! With the growing popularity of ice-creams among health-conscious consumers, one can find an array of frozen desserts fitting various dietary regimes like reduced-fat, fat-free, low-carb, no sugar added or lactose-free ice creams. So, with this development, there is an increased need for more franchise owners in the ever-growing ice-cream franchise segment.
The growth in this sector can be envisaged by the ever-increasing players and their expansion pan India through the franchise route. The brands like Kwality Walls, Vadilals, Amul, Mini Melts, Baskin Robbins, Gelato Vinto, etc, are some national and international players that have prospered from one outlet to hundreds and thousands within a span of a few years, showing the popularity of franchising in this sector.
The Beer House Café has launched a new outlet in Shipra Mall in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad. It is one of its kind properties in Indirapuram and survives on the philosophy that an excess of a good thing is a very good thing, the greatest plan is no plan made at all, and that quest of pleasure is a noble one.
Starting from its humble roots in Indirapuram, the brand has been building its café in the heart of Delhi’s most colourful and prominent neighbourhood. The Beer House Café is an amalgamation of a Lounge bar, pub; an eatery they reckoned that every great neighbourhood deserves.
The Beer House Café’s desire for classic gastronomy and a strong influence of its fellow-travellers pushed it to voice the passion by projecting some of the world-renowned 30+ beer brands in its little space, fondly call as a “Beer Paradise”.
A bold multi-faceted venture, where you can choose to either unwind, party, or indulge in social gatherings, aims to be a haven for foodies projecting a multi-cuisine menu consisting of Italian, Mexican & Continental. The ambience is second to none with emphasis on classic modern décor, suitable for corporate meetings as well as social gatherings and late-night musical session.
Taxation on Beer
In India, the alcoholic-beverage industry, including beer, is heavily regulated, with excise and other taxes forming an important source of revenue for state governments. Due to this, it is difficult for most companies and retailers to register higher profits.
The beer attracts the highest taxation of any beverage in the country, with only 5% alcohol in beer on average. Furthermore, beer retails from as low as Rs 36 for a Kingfisher beer bottle in Goa to Rs 115 in Madhya Pradesh, indicating how there is a huge price disparity for the same brand.
“With equity infusion of just Rs 84 crore till now, we have done gross revenue of over Rs 500 crore since we started. The burn has come down significantly and the leverage is kicking in,” Singh stated.
Indian Beer Market
As per the report, India Beer Market Overview, 2018-2023, The Indian Alcoholic beverages market observed the highest market share of Whisky which is followed by brandy & beer. Indian Beer market has a market share of 17%, being third in the Indian alcohol beverages market.
The rise in disposable income of the Indian population has somewhere led the consumers to shift from standard beers to premium and craft beers. The population is turning more brand conscious, offering numerous business opportunities to entrepreneurs.
The beer consumption in India, in volume terms, is less than 1.5% of global beer volumes, while spirits consumption is as much as 12%. Also, the country’s per capita beer consumption at around 2 litres per annum remains materially below other markets.
Chinese Wok has now grown to 31 outlets. Starting as a dream to recreate a fantastic gastronomical experience, the Indianised Chinese restaurant chain is now a fast-growing start-up quickly becoming the favored brand for Indianised Chinese food aficionados.
Aayush Agrawal, Founder and Director, Chinese Wok, said, “Over the years, the taste of customers has evolved as they have been exposed to many flavours. With the increase in the number of outlets, there has been an organic evolution in the brand’s inherent personality.”
“There has been a streamlining of the menu and research data mined from our successful outlets' expansion has been applied to provide to our millions of patrons with the best selling options,” he added.
Wok Express reborn as Chinese Wok
Wok Express has now become Chinese Wok.
Agrawal stated, “Research has shown that Chinese is the most popular foreign cuisine in India, surpassing all others like Continental, Italian, and Mexican. In line with this learning, and demand of customers who are actively looking for branded and hygienic Chinese food brands, we have gone ahead with the renaming (from Wok Express).”
“Chinese Wok has become more focussed on Chinese cuisine, and it was a natural progression to move to a relatable name that will have an affinity with the target audience. Thus the brand is reborn as Chinese Wok,” he further said.
With this new avatar, Chinese Wok offers an extensive menu that presents the best and freshest popular Chindian cuisine at affordable prices. The restaurant serves a variety of dishes, including fried rice, hakka noodles, spicy gravies, momos, chicken wings, soups, etc., or consumers can make their own Wok Bowls.
Growth Plans
Chinese Wok is planning to launch 300 stores over the next three years. As part of its expansion plans, the restaurant chain is looking at expanding to other Indian cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore, etc. It is aiming to make investments to the tune of $415 million for its expansion plans.
The brand is having a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of more than 10% over the last four years, with 2020 looking bigger and brighter.
Barbeque Nation has expanded its presence in Mumbai with the launch of its latest outlet at Phoenix Market City, Kurla (West). This launch coincides with the 14th anniversary celebrations of India’s leading casual dining restaurant chain.
Spread over an area of 2,600 sq ft, the newly opened restaurant has a seating capacity of 110.
Suman Mukherjee, Regional Manager of Barbeque Nation Hospitality Ltd, said, “With the launch of our latest outlet in Kurla, we are also celebrating our 14th anniversary.”
“Barbeque Nation’s journey started in this very city, and we feel privileged to have served the people of this country, for the last 14 years. We would like to welcome diners around this region to our new outlet and allow us the opportunity to serve them with our lip-smacking menu offerings,” he further stated.
Barbeque Nation’s Eat-All-You-Can Buffet
Barbeque Nation’s eat-all-you-can buffet showcases an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian spreads.
For starters, the restaurant offers non-vegetarian delicacies like Mutton Kadhak Seekh, Chilli Garlic Prawns, Ajwaini Fish Tikka, Murg Boti Kebab, etc. For vegetarians, the restaurant provides mouth-watering Hariyali Kumbh, Pineapple Chaat, Cajun Spice Baby Potato and Punjabi Paneer Tikka, among others.
The restaurant’s main course includes non-vegetarian dishes like Chicken Dum Biryani, Kashmiri Mutton Rogon Josh and Murgh Makhani, and vegetarian ones including Paneer Tikka Masala, Kashmiri Pulao, Dal-E-Dum, and Mushroom Ka Josh.
Its dessert section consists of Walnut Brownie, Assorted Pastry, Angoori Gulab Jamun, Marvel Cake, and Kesari Phirnee. The restaurant’s popular Kulfi Nation counter also offers a wide range of Kulfis.
Casual Dining Restaurants Industry
In India, the Casual Dining Restaurants Industry is the second most popular category within the food and beverage (F&B) space.
At present, the Indian restaurant industry is worth Rs 75,000 crore. Growing at an annual rate of 7%, this segment is majorly driven by a young population aged between 15-44 years. Other factors that drive the growth of the casual dining market include disposable incomes, growth of consumers in smaller towns and broadening the exposure of new cuisines, rapid urbanisation and the higher frequency of eating out has evolved the market for the food services industry in India.
Casual Dining Restaurant demand is driven by the shifting lifestyle trends with a wide variety of menu offerings and flavours. Eating out has now transformed from occasion driven to becoming a regular activity even on weekdays besides weekends only and they are gradually moving from fine-dine to enjoy more of casual dining culture.
The Date House, a new premium healthy food product line, will soon launch its first outlet in Chandigarh at Elante Mall. The new store will be catering to the new varieties of premium and best dates from across the world.
The healthy food store’s product category consists of premium pitted dates, filled dates, chocolate dates, Azwa and Mejdool dates.
Besides dates, The Date House will also launch date oats cookies, honey oats cookies, coconut cookies and honey almond cookies during the launch of the store in Chandigarh.
Date is the healthiest sweet alternative, satisfying sweet cravings and people’s health needs. Being a great source of energy, vitamin A, calcium and iron, these dates are filled with health benefits. Dates have zero fat, zero cholesterol, and a high percentage of dietary fibre.
The Date House’ product portfolio includes the imported dates from Saudi Arabia and Jordan, almonds and walnuts from the USA and pistachios from Iran.
Ashish Dang, Director, The Date House, said, “The world is moving towards healthy food and natural sweetener. There is a greater emphasis on natural food products than ever, and the market size is growing exponentially.”
“These natural products have a global taste palette, which makes it appealing all across. We are seeing greater demand from Indian customers in this segment, towards a holistic healthy lifestyle. Keeping this in mind, we have bought the best products from all over the world to satisfy our Indian customers’ needs,” he added.
Surging Demand for Healthy Food Segment
We have seen different concepts and trends coming to India over the last two years. With burgers becoming the QSR favorites and pizza capturing the party scenes, the health food segment has also grown eventually in the Indian market.
Nowadays, people do not only want to eat food, but they are much more focused on getting healthy food at a reasonable price with taste in it. With the growing awareness of healthy foods and healthy diets on the menu, the young office goers and the students are more attracted to the healthy food being offered in the market.
Experts say that consumption of healthy food is a part of a broader ‘lifestyle’, and with growing prosperity, the demand prospects do look bright in the years to come.
In India, the health-conscious segment is catering to around 50 lakh people in the top six cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai. It is growing at 10-15% annually with market size of Rs 12,500 crore at present.
Jumboking, a leading QSR company, launches its first store with indoor seating in the Charbagh locality of Lucknow. Currently, the newly opened store offers seating for approximately 28 customers.
The QSR chain follows a ‘stand-in’ and takeaway format in western India. It has now set up a seat-in store in Lucknow.
Dheeraj Gupta, Founder & Managing Director, Jumboking, said, “Lucknow is known for its educational institutions. It is a centre for entertainment and multi-cultural experiences. With a growing progressive population, Lucknow is emerging as the new IT hub and a young population on the move using its metro network.”
QSR’s Statistical View
As per a recent report, the Food Industry is no doubt booming at a fast rate, with Full-service restaurants and Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) together accounting for around 73% of the total restaurant industry.
According to the report by the National Restaurant Association of India, the overall restaurant market will touch Rs 510 billion in the next four years, from the current Rs 205 billion. It said that QSR space would be amongst the fastest-growing, touching nearly Rs 250 billion of the overall market in the next few years. This segment is expected to witness increased activity via market expansion and entry by various players.
Popularity of QSR in India
QSRs have gained popularity with evolving lifestyles, urbanisation, and growing nuclear families. They are growing faster than the full-service restaurants across the globe due to their quick deliveries and competitive pricing that attract consumers. McDonald’s was the first QSR in India followed by various others such as KFC and Dominos.
QSRs have always been a zone of attraction for both consumers and business investors, making its franchises a lucrative segment for investment. QSR can be a one-stop destination for budding entrepreneurs that are stepping in this industry for the first time.
The Changing Behavior of Customers
Standardization across food outlet chains in terms of ambiance, hygiene, easy accessibility, and service has caused an instant interest in the mind of the customers, increasing the QSR’s footfall. QSR’s are helping Indians to warm up the western cuisines.
Despite Indian food being the ultimate winner, cuisines like Chinese, Mexican, Italian, and American are gaining significant popularity because of the curious customers who are willing to experiment with their taste buds.
Seeing the potential of the Indian food industry, more franchisors could be seen entering the QSR segment for marking their existence as a brand.
Tata Starbucks Private Limited has expanded its presence in Gujarat with the launch of an outlet in Vadodara market. The new outlet is located at Centre Square Mall.
Vadodara outlet is Tata Starbucks’ seventh store in Gujarat and the 170th in India. This is the eleventh city for the coffee chain’s footprint in the country.
Navin Gurnaney, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Starbucks Pvt Ltd, said, “We have had an incredible journey in India so far; this year we have reached the 170th store milestone and set foot in three new cities in the same year, all in Gujarat. After having successfully opened our doors to customers across Ahmedabad and Surat, we are delighted and honoured to bring Starbucks to Vadodara and endeavour to continue to expand our footprint in India.”
New store offerings
The newly launched outlet will provide a wide range of Starbucks offerings. These include the Starbucks signature espresso-based beverages such as Cappuccinos, Americanos, Lattes and all-time favourites like Cafe Mocha, Java Chip Frappuccino, Signature Hot Chocolate and Caramel Macchiato.
The Vadodara outlet will be serving Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew, the latest in a series of coffee innovations highlighting the barista craft and high-quality coffee. It will further offer a range of Teavana teas, including the Starbucks signature tea innovation, India Spice Majesty Blend, available for those who seek a modern and reimagined tea experience.
Delighting customers in Vadodara
In order to enhance customer experience, Starbucks is serving food items that cater to all customer needs such as breakfast, lunch and everything in between with an extensive food menu comprising Indian and international favourites.
The new outlet will provide customers with more vegetarian food options as well. Starbucks’ extensive dessert range is sure to delight customers in Vadodara, celebrating the culinary expertise of the brand.
The company is also bringing to customers in Vadodara its loyalty programme, My Starbucks Rewards. This program offers members the opportunity to earn rewards and personalised benefits, ranging from a free beverage in the birthday month to free-size upgrades and special offers on food, beverages and merchandise.
The Vadodara outlet will also provide the unique Starbucks range of merchandise and Starbucks gift cards that customers across India love.
“Our aspiration is to delight our customers in Vadodara with the Starbucks Third Place experience that is built on three core fundamentals, the connection our partners (employees) have with our customers, our stores and our coffee,” Gurnaney further added.
Dine Brands International has opened the first IHOP restaurant in Lima, Peru, through an agreement with Percapitals S.A.C.
The company is planning to unveil 25 IHOP restaurants in Peru through 2028. These launches are projected to bring over 600 new jobs to the regional economy.
Steve Joyce, CEO and President, International, Dine Brands Global, Inc, said, “South America is an important growth market for Dine Brands and we’ve seen great success there so far this year.”
The new launch in Peru marks the 62nd restaurant in the Latin America region. Dine Brands International is continuing to place emphasis on growth in markets like Central America, Colombia and Chile.
“IHOP’s friendly, come as you are philosophy expands borders and cultures. It’s the place where people can simply come together to enjoy world-famous pancakes and a wide variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner items at affordable prices, any time of day,” Joyce added.
Eyeing expansion across the US
IHOP Restaurants has entered into a franchise development agreement with TravelCenters of America Inc. Both companies plan to launch up to 94 IHOP restaurants over the next five years in TA and Petro branded locations across the United States.
At present, there are four IHOP restaurants already in TA’s travel center network. TA Restaurant Group, a division of TravelCenters of America, will operate IHOP restaurants in the portfolio.
Jay Johns, President of IHOP, said, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with TravelCenters of America to open up to almost 100 new IHOP restaurants over the next five years in TA and Petro travel centers across the US.”
“The TA brand, a trusted hospitality leader in the industry and with consumers, shares the same values as IHOP when it comes to delivering an outstanding experience to guests on-the-go. We’re looking forward to serving the great-tasting, freshly made menu items we’re known for at breakfast, lunch and dinner, to the millions of guests who stop at TA and Petro locations each year,” he added.
The new agreement is the single largest IHOP development deal in the brand’s 61-year history.
Barry Richards, President and Chief Operating Officer, TravelCenters of America, stated, “When it comes to serving our customers, IHOP and TA's missions and cultures align. Adding such a highly regarded brand like IHOP to our restaurant group shows our commitment to bringing the best possible dining options to both professional drivers while they're away from home and to local families living in the communities we serve. An important part of our restaurant strategy is focusing on growing our partnerships with trusted brands like IHOP that appeal to broader audiences, and today’s agreement will enable us to accelerate that process.”
Presently, there are over 1,700 IHOP restaurants in the US and another 100+ restaurants globally.
Biryani By Kilo has ventured into the Pune market with delivery outlets in the IT-dominated residential and commercial area of Kharadi and Wakad.
The food delivery chain will also launch a dining facility in Wakad. Biryani By Kilo is banking on its serving method to gain customers.
Vishal Jindal Co-Founder of SkyGate Hospitality, the holding company of Biryani by Kilo, said, “The fact that we deliver Biryani in the same handi in which it is cooked means there is no reheating and the customers get the fresh flavorful, authentic, aromatic and complete meal experience.”
Starting its journey in 2015 with one outlet in Gurugram, Biryani By Kilo has grown to over 35 outlets across India in 2019.
The company has secured a Series A funding of $5 million led by IvyCap Ventures in 2019. Biryani By Kilo announced that it will use the freshly-raised capital to aid its geographic presence across West and North India, and for improving its platform, product, and technology.
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. The brand started as a cloud kitchen and now has more than 1000 outlets. The popularity of BBK shows that customers are even ready to wait for longer to get authentic & delectable biryani.
sbe, the leading international hospitality group that develops, manages and operates award-winning brands, has announced that Umami Burger, its world-renowned premium burger brand, is launching its sixth Japanese location. This marks Umami Burger’s meteoric rise in one of the world's most sophisticated markets.
Situated in Tokyo's Grandberry Park in Machida, the new location is the fifth Umami Burger to unveil in Tokyo and comes on the heels of introducing the brand's first location in Japan's second largest city, Osaka, this past September.
This move is part of sbe's recent commitment to launch four additional locations in Japan by 2020 and over 100 Umami Burger restaurants across the globe in the next seven years.
Sam Nazarian, Founder & CEO, sbe, said, “The global growth of Umami Burger has been nothing short of amazing. The fact that Umami Burger has been overwhelmingly embraced by the discerning taste of the Japanese consumer is a testament to the quality, innovation and, most importantly, delicious nature of the brand. It has been an honor to work with our Japanese partners Tatsuhiro Kaiho and his team led by Paul Medeiros on building the Umami Burger brand in Japan.”
New Outlet Offerings
Umami Burger at Grandberry Park will be offering the traditional Umami Burger menu along with two all-new specialties, including the pulled pork "Limited Burger" and vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate "Fancy Milkshakes".
Tatsuhiro Kaiho, CEO of Umami Burger Japan, stated, “Umami Burger has been a resounding success in Japan and we're proud to continue our momentum by opening this sixth location. I'd like to thank Sam Nazarian and the entire Umami team for their continuous support and an incredible first year.”
Future Plans
Umami Burger is looking at launching new restaurants throughout the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, and the Pacific region, as part of the next phase of its rapid global growth.
sbe has also announced plans to unveil its second New York City Umami Burger location in 2020 at the newly renovated Le Méridien New York on the iconic 57th Street. Spread over 4,900 square feet, the Umami Prime space will be designed by award-winning interior designer David Rockwell. Offering direct access to 57th Street, the new space will hold more than 130 seats.
Presently, Umami Burger has over 28 locations globally, including 18 US locations in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, in addition to restaurants in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, Nassau, Bahamas, Mexico City, Querétaro, and Pueblas, Mexico.
Ripsey, a Mumbai-based health-food tech startup, has opened new outlets in Powai and Chembur adding to its existing outlet in BKC. With this expansion, Ripsey is ready to offer delectable healthy food to the entire Mumbai region.
Ripsey offers a full-stack subscription solution where a top-class team plans, cooks, delivers and tracks the health goal journey for the consumers. In addition to the subscription, one can taste the tantalizing Ripsey flavors through food aggregators like Swiggy, Zomato, Uber Eats.
Ripsey’s current menu of subscription plans helps the consumers with their various health goals such as Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Stay Fit and Keto. The team tailors the food plan to one’s dietary requisites, cooks the meals, delivers the food as well as tracks the health goal progress.
Alekhya Boora, CFO and Head of Corporate Strategy, Ripsey, said, “We are very attentive to the consumers, and we constantly improvise on our recipe offerings and service based on our customer feedback. Both our product strategy and operational strategy is designed around providing a seamless experience to a consumer that is looking to ‘eat-healthy’.”
Recently, the company has also raised funding from the Stand-up Government India Fund, which aims to support women entrepreneurs.
Also Read: Is Healthy Food The Next Big Thing
Silky Singh, CEO and CTO, Ripsey, stated, “The new outlets are a natural evolution in the business. We are extremely delighted to launch these outlets and spread the wonderful flavors of Ripsey. We make our own food, everything is made on-site in our kitchens, by a team of top chefs. Every operation is in-house, and thus we ensure the food quality, taste, and safety. We are constantly innovating, and we are looking to launch several new plans in the coming months.”
“We are excited about our next roll-out and their launch is an answer to numerous feedback and requests that we have received from our customers. We are all geared up to launch Ripsey Athlete, a plan focused on folks with intense activity lifestyle, and Ripsey Cutter, a customized and personalized approach to Fat Loss that ensures the achievement of the health goals in an expeditious manner. The idea behind the new launch is to leverage our data insights and technology and create food that the customer is looking to eat. We have many more exciting plans in the works,” Alekhya further added.
Also Read: How healthy food segment is fuelling demand
Surging Demand for Healthy Food Segment
We have seen different concepts and trends coming to India over the last two years. With burgers becoming the QSR favorites and pizza capturing the party scenes, the health food segment has also grown eventually in the Indian market.
Nowadays, people do not only want to eat food, but they are much more focused on getting healthy food at a reasonable price with taste in it. With the growing awareness of healthy foods and healthy diets on the menu, the young office goers and the students are more attracted to the healthy food being offered in the market.
Experts say that consumption of healthy food is a part of a broader ‘lifestyle’, and with growing prosperity, the demand prospects do look bright in the years to come.
Ice Cream Lab is planning to have around 30-50 operational stores in India over the next 12-18 months.
The brand is globally known for its unique way of making made-to-order ice cream instantly. Ice Cream Lab is a liquid nitrogen-based molecular gastronomy concept that turns all-fresh natural ice cream base into ice cream instantly.
Rashed Hareb, Partner, Ice Cream Lab, said, “We have made a 3-5 year expansion plan for India. Over the next 12-18 months, we are looking for 30-50 operational stores in India. Looking at the market viability in India, it is something very achievable. We have already signed four franchise partners and are in advanced stage with many more prospects.”
First store launch in Hyderabad
Recently, Ice Cream Lab has opened its first franchise outlet in Hyderabad. The brand has aggressive plans to spread the franchise base to the top-10 cities.
The ice cream chain has also signed franchise agreements for locations including Bengaluru, West Bengal, and Punjab.
Hareb, Partner stated, “We are very pleased to open our first store in Hyderabad. The city is on a fast economic growth path with the influx of corporate houses and MNCs which are attracting large manpower and skilled resources. Establishing our first store in Hyderabad is our judicious move to get right brand awareness and to provide a robust start to our brand in India.”
Also Read: Live Ice Cream Rolls: A Business Idea That Travelled From Thailand To India
Different formats for Ice Cream Lab franchise
Currently, Ice Cream Lab is working on 3 distinct models in India. The first model is the grab-and-go food kiosk model, requiring the investment of Rs 32 lakh and an area of 100-150 sq ft. The band’s second model is an Ice Cream Lab café that requires an investment of Rs 50 lakh and an area of 400-500 sq ft and the third model is the large-format café model requiring an investment of Rs 70 lakh and an area of 800 sq ft.
“The initial investment includes the operating expenses for the first two months. While the operational expenses do not exceed 30-35% of the monthly revenues, all Ice Cream Lab franchise models offer a profit margin of 32%. In addition, we offer end-to-end logistics support to all our franchisees,” Hareb added.
Ice Cream Lab has already collaborated with a supplier for delivering quality-controlled milk as well as a vendor for offering machinery and equipments to all franchisees at competitive rates. It has further deployed an on-ground team that will supervise franchise operations, training and logistical support on a day-to-day basis.
Also Read: Can Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Be The Coolest Biz Opportunity
Cold tea cafe chain T-Enjoy has launched two new outlets in New Delhi in Preet Vihar and Karkardoma.
The chain provides 20 different natural flavors and blends, which vary from healthy bubble teas, cheese teas, fruit teas and milk blend teas. Apart from cold teas, T-Enjoy also offers a variety of dishes, including pizzas and pasta.
BM Rastogi, Founder of T-Enjoy, said, “I observed the concept of cold green teas during my many international tours. Bangkok, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia have the concept of cold green tea.”
“I took inspiration from the healthy teas available in China, and decided to introduce them to our own tea-loving country, India. I initiated the process by first sending my team to China, to learn the process of preparing a fine cup of cold tea. The training took almost four months,” he further stated.
Rastogi added, “The first T-Enjoy cafe had opened at Kamla Nagar, New Delhi. A month after its inauguration, we added two more branches to the chain. By the end of 2020, we intend to open 20 more cafes across the country, in cities like Chennai, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Mumbai.”
Honey & Dough has launched a new outlet in East Delhi. The bakery chain already has 6 flourishing outlets across the capital.
Aavika Chhawchharia, Owner of Honey & Dough, said, “We are ecstatic about our newest outlet in East Delhi. The cafe is much bigger and all the more better than our previous bakeries because here we’re serving more than just cakes. Guests can come in and enjoy cheesy pasta or a meat loaded pizza with their pals.”
The new cafe has a very colorful and vibrant ambience. It can house around one hundred people at a time. The bakery is also open to hosting birthday parties and baby showers as well.
Honey & Dough’s menu includes Mediterranean Salad with a sweet honey-lime dressing, topped with feta and caramelised walnuts; White sauce Pasta; Spicy Jalapeno Potato Burger; Pomodoro Pesto Pizza; Sunny Side Up with an in house salsa toast accompanied with sausages and baked tomato, Summer Blossom Salad and more.
Tea cafe chain Chaayos has ventured into Bengaluru. The Tiger Global-backed company is aiming to launch 15 cafes across the city by March next year.
The company said in a statement, “Chaayos made its debut in Bengaluru with 3 cafes. It further plans to add 12 more stores across the city by March 2020.”
Presently, Chaayos is operating 65 cafes across Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Chandigarh and Mumbai. It was started by Raghav Verma and Nitin Saluja in November 2012.
Nitin Saluja said, “Today we spread our wings to the seventh city. The potential of Bengaluru market is immense. We plan to have 15 stores by March 2020. We also expect delivery, which currently constitutes about 20 per cent of our overall business, to play a significant role in Bengaluru too.”
Raghav Verma stated, “Given the city's passion for technology, the company is looking forward to Bengaluru's response towards its tech stack.”
Tablez has launched a new outlet of the iconic American ice cream brand ‘Cold Stone Creamery’ at Eros City Square in Gurugram. With this launch, Cold Stone Creamery now has 24 outlets in India.
Cold Stone Creamery is a pioneer in hand-crafted ice cream with delicious ingredients.
Spread across 2,200 sq ft, the store will launch two newly-added flavours, viz. Rasmalai and Paan, along with Rasmalai and Gulab Jamun cake this season.
Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director, Tablez, said, “We expand with great pleasure in NCR, where the audience has a high level of awareness and an evolving taste for ice cream.”
“Thanks to the brand’s unique range of flavours and offerings, we are confident our new outlet will enjoy the same popularity that Cold Stone locations enjoy globally. The brand has expanded in India steadily, and the reception is overwhelming. We are excited to be a part of Gurugram’s cosmopolitan setting, and look forward to serving our amazing new range to the customers,” he further added.
Cold Stone Creamery provides a perfect blend of Indian elegance and international standards with its amazing in-store experience. The ice cream brand helps customers indulge in a wide spectrum of innovative flavours of ice cream.
Stickhouse, an Italian Handcrafted Gelato brand, is planning to open outlets in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata. The brand produces quality gelato with carefully selected raw materials and respecting the Italian artisanal tradition.
Vineet Gupta, Director of Stickhouse, said, “We have 2 stores in Delhi, one in Cyber Hub and another in Greater Kailash, and 3 in Hyderabad. Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata are the next target market for us.”
The brand is already operating out of 96 locations across 17 countries and is looking to entrepreneurs who are excited to take advantage of made in Italy concept.
“Franchising is a very fast way of growing. It adds value to the market where our franchise partners can also make money with the system we have build. We look for an investment of about 25-30 lakh in which we offer the entire store set up, inclusive of all equipments, the store designing and interiors,” Gupta further added.
Wow! Momo Foods Pvt Ltd is planning to launch about 40 Wow! China outlets across India. Home-grown QSR brand will be opening Wow! China outlets across Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore within the new fiscal.
Recently, Wow! Momo Restaurant bagged $23 million from Tiger Global at a valuation of $120 million. The brand seems well set to enter Chinese cuisine and replicate its success story with momo in case of what it positions as “re-imagined Chindian cuisine”.
Wow! Momo was co-founded by Sagar Daryani and Binod Homagai in 2008. The brand currently sells as many as 5 lakh momos per day from 281 Wow! Momo outlets across 15 cities in the country. Of these 281 outlets, 280 are company-owned while one is a franchise.
The Kolkata-headquartered food start-up is also eyeing to cross the Rs 200 crore mark this fiscal. It notched up a revenue of Rs 120 crore in FY19.
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Los Angeles-based Halo Top Creamery will soon launch its ice cream tubs in the UAE, each containing only 320-360 calories. The brand will be made available at Carrefour, Spinneys and Choithrams.
Founded by former lawyer turned ice cream aficionado Justin Woolverton, Halo Top is sold in over 20 countries across the globe. It has even been named one of TIME Magazine’s “25 Best Inventions of 2017”.
The Los Angeles-based company will establish its UAE presence against the backdrop of a growing ice cream market.
Doug Bouton, President and COO, Halo Top Creamery, said, “We’re thrilled to be entering the UAE with the first ice cream that tastes great and actually is good for you. We think that Halo Top ice cream and the Halo Top brand are going to be a natural fit here and can’t wait to see what Emiratis think.”
The ice cream brand will introduce seven dairy and two non-dairy flavors, giving ice cream lovers a wide range of delicious options to choose from. Its dairy flavors contain 320-360 calories and 20 grams of protein per tub. Halo Top’s non-dairy and vegan friendly flavors are made with coconut milk.
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United Breweries Limited (UBL), the maker of Kingfisher (KF) beer, is planning to expand the KF portfolio to play across product segments and price points within India and abroad.
Initially, UBL will be introducing four new in-house products under craft and variety beer categories, besides launching new premium, niche international beer brands. The company will also be investing in expanding production capacity and brand building.
Gurpreet Singh, Divisional Vice-President (Marketing), UBL, said, “We want to expand our share in all products segments and price categories. We will have at least four new craft and variety beer brands ready for launch from the Kingfisher stable within a couple of months. We will also bring in more international beers to the Indian market. All these are part of our efforts to build a wide range of portfolio under KF.”
At present, UBL is studying the market for craft and variety beer in India through taste trials across Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, where such beverages are becoming popular.
“We are closely studying these segments. Apart from a wheat beer, there are a few other varieties that are catching the fancy of customers. We want to cash in on this growing interest for such beer in the country,” Singh added.
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Wrap It Up! is opening its second outlet in India in the northern state of Haryana. With this launch, the casual-dining brand continues to push its international expansion.
Spread across 651 sq ft, the new outlet will be the third global store for the franchise chain, following stores in Gurugram, India, and Lahore, Pakistan. This outlet also represents the 17th store for the chain globally.
The new restaurant will be situated at the Elements One Mall in Gurugram, Haryana.
Tayub Mushtaq, Managing Director at Wrap It Up!, said, “India has proven year-on-year to be a rapidly-growing food delivery market, seeing growth at around 15 per cent each quarter in 2018, and we are excited to see how our new store can ride this impressive wave of growth in the country.”
Gargi Aggarwal, Owner of the new Wrap It Up! store, stated, “The new store will provide a refreshing alternative to other casual dining brands in the area, and I have no doubt that locals will take a loving for our delicious and international menu.”
Miami-based nitrogen ice cream brand, Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream, has launched its national franchise program to expand the concept across the US. Currently, the brand is operating 8 locations throughout South Florida.
Chill-N is eyeing explosive growth due to its popularity, high-quality recipes and strong unit economics.
Daniel Golik, COO and Co-Founder, Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream, said, “Ice cream is a universal and timeless dessert and the idea of making ice cream with liquid nitrogen has always fascinated me, and when we realized we could perfect this concept to share with the larger community, it was a no-brainer.”
“Since our first store opened in 2012, we've received tremendous support and love from our die-hard fans and I'm excited to expand the Chill-N experience to customers across the country,” he added.
David Leonardo, CEO of Chill-N, stated, “After speaking with Daniel and doing my due diligence, I was most impressed with the unit economics of the brand and the strength of the ice cream industry in good times and bad. Chill-N appeals to a wide audience and we are eager to onboard the right franchisees who will help us build a strong business with our support and resources.”
At present, Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream is seeking experienced single- and multi-unit operators to become a part of the growing brand and develop franchise territories in new markets.
1441 Pizzeria has launched its outlet in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. With this launch, the brand is aiming to expand the horizons of flavoursome pizzas in the state.
After foraying into 4 cities, 1441 Pizzeria now eyes at launching multiple outlets, which will be both company-owned and franchisee-owned.
This unique pizzeria was founded by Krishna Gupta and Istayak Ansari in 2015. It is built on the inspiration of offering its customers the true essence of the flavours of Italy.
1441 Pizzeria serves authentic and traditional wood-fired pizzas with unlimited toppings delivering a taste that stays lingering on the mind.
Krishna Gupta, Founder of 1441 Pizzeria, said, "Major QSR chains have stuck to the proven formula of a limited and focused menu. But we at 1441 Pizzeria wanted to try something different and spoil the customer for choice. Hence, more choices and personalized pizzas with unlimited toppings have managed to make the brand a favourite among the patrons in all the three cities we have our presence in. Now, with our newest outlet, we wish to bring the same taste and authentic flavours to Jodhpur."
Istayak Ansari, Director & Co-Founder, 1441 Pizzeria, added, "After establishing a strong presence in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, we are all set to get our authentic Italian flavours to the city of Jodhpur. 1441 Pizzeria is on an expansion spree and we aim at growing our brand presence from 10 outlets to 50 in the next 2 years in cities like Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai. With the brand’s success in the metros of the country, we are now penetrating in the tier 2 cities as we feel these cities have become more welcoming of the new age brands."
Premium ice cream brand Dumont is planning to launch 100 outlets across South India over the next one year. The brand is being opened with 10 stores in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Vijayawada.
Dumont is aiming to have 200 stores in three years with presence in all southern states and Maharashtra. These new stores will be a mix of own outlets and franchises.
Vivek Inampudi, Managing Director, Dumont, said, “Five to six stores will be added in next one month. The company has received 40 enquiries for franchise outlets.”
The brand is targeting revenue of Rs 12-15 crore in the first year of operations. Each store will likely generate revenues of Rs 60 lakh by selling ice creams in 34 flavours and milkshakes.
Currently, Dumont is catering to the B2B segment for frozen dessert products under brands such as Dairy Treat, Dairy Nuts and Dairy Fudge, among others. the brand is set to launch its ice cream products nationally.
The company’s manufacturing plant near Vijayawada has a capacity of 1,900 litres ice cream per hour. It has 10 cold storages spread across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
“We would set up another plant in Hyderabad in a year or two with an investment of Rs 15 crore. It will have a capacity of 2,500 to 3,000 litres of ice cream per hour,” Vivek stated.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, the American fast-casual restaurant chain, has opened its first international location at the Dubai Mall in the UAE. The brand’s second location is slated to launch at the Mall of the Emirates in the coming weeks.
These restaurants are owned and operated by Tastebuds Group, a food & beverage (F&B) arm of Dubai-based Younata Investment. In an effort to drive Freddy’s growth across the Middle East, the franchisee company plans to open new locations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman and Qatar.
Yousef Khattar, Managing Director of Tastebuds Group, said, “The training and support that we’ve received from Freddy’s since signing our initial master franchise and development agreement has been incredible and a true testament to the level of passion and commitment they devote to each venture. It has been a pleasure working alongside the team to ensure that all aspects of the family-friendly concept will be received well by our guests in Dubai.”
“We are truly elated to celebrate the opening of Freddy’s first international location, and to be able to bring the taste of Freddy’s authentic steakburgers and frozen custard to the Middle East for the first time,” he further stated.
The fast-casual restaurant chain is also eyeing to launch over 40 restaurants across the US by the end of this year.
As the demand for non-alcoholic beverages is increasing, more companies are moving forward in this segment. In recent times, United Breweries Limited has introduced Kingfisher Radler, its new non-alcoholic beverage, across India. And now, Rasna, which has dominated the soft drinks concentrate market for three-and-a-half decades, is foraying into the non-alcoholic bar business.
Rasna is setting up a chain of mocktail bars, namely Rasna Buzz, across the country. It is hoping to become the first Indian beverage brand vending drinks using typically Indian ingredients.
The company’s very first mocktail bar, Rasna Buzz, has started serving people in Pune. Going forward, more such bars will come up in Mumbai over the next few months.
Piruz Khambatta, CMD of Rasna, said, “The company would have 500 such outlets across India over the next five years, which, together, is expected to have a turnover of `500 crore. Rasna is hoping to tap young Indians with these mocktail bars as they are increasingly consuming beverages outside home.”
These bars will be operating in two formats, kiosks and standalone bars. The company is further partnering with Franchise India to take the franchise route.
“Very few Indian beverage chains have come up in the country and nobody has grown to the scale we want to grow to. There is some much we can do with Indian beverages, and no company has done this with a retail format,” Khambatta stated.
Grand Imperial restaurant chain is eyeing to expand into Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau, after the launching of its ninth outlet in Malaysia.
The newest outlet will be located at First World Plaza, Malaysia. The restaurant was the first to combine two concepts, fine dining at Grand Imperial Seafood Restaurant and casual dining at Grand Imperial London Duck.
Rand Cheung, Managing Director of Grand Imperial Group, said, “Our fine dining concept offers VIP customers exquisite choices such as abalone and local river fish.”
“We cater to the different tastes of Southeast Asians who visit Genting Highlands and our restaurant,” he further stated.
Grand Imperial Malaysia will be opening another outlet at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. The group is also planning to list publicly within three to five years.
Mother Dairy, a leading milk supplier, has partnered with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) for setting up 31 kiosks at latter's bus depots, terminals and housing colonies. This partnership is part of Mother Dairy’s efforts to expand presence in the National Capital Region.
The dairy firm is selling more than 30 lakh litres of token and pouched milk per day in Delhi-NCR.
The company said in a statement, "The company has been allotted space to operate 31 kiosks of which 21 kiosks have been set-up at various locations of DTC's bus depots, terminals, colonies, etc. The remaining 10 kiosks will be opened in a phased manner."
Mother Dairy will be providing all products in its kiosks, including products from Safal and Dhara.
Sangram Chaudhary, Managing Director of Mother Dairy, stated, "We, at Mother Dairy, have been instrumental in offering quality and nutritious products in close vicinity of our consumers. With the addition of these kiosks, we will be serving not only the residents but also the consumers on the go."
Manoj Kumar, Managing Director, DTC, added, "DTC has been in the forefront with providing last mile connectivity to the residents of Delhi-NCR. With a daily ridership of more than 32 lakh passengers, it was only natural to join hands with another ubiquitous Delhi institution like Mother Dairy to provide convenience to the commuters as well as residents of nearby colonies."
Krispy Kreme will launch the first-of-its-kind flagship in Times Square, New York in early 2020. Within the shop’s 4,500-square-foot retail space, it will be serving more guests annually than any other Krispy Kreme location in the world.
Krispy Kreme Times Square Flagship will be showcasing the end-to-end doughnut-making process, from the mixing of raw ingredients to the iconic glaze waterfall.
Michael Tattersfield, CEO and President, Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation, said, “Our direction is to be the most loved sweet treat brand in the world. In the most iconic city in the world, the Krispy Kreme Times Square Flagship will showcase our brand on the global stage and inspire customer wonder. We love making awesome doughnuts – and New Yorkers deserve hot and fresh doughnuts.”
Parag Milk Foods has unveiled its farm-to-home premium milk brand 'Pride of Cows' in Singapore. Dairy FMCG company is airlifting the milk from its dairy farm, located in Manchar, near Pune to Singapore.
Parag Milk claims to be the first Indian company that is selling fresh milk in Singapore. Initially, Pride of Cows will be made available through various home delivery platforms.
Devendra Shah, Chairman of Parag Milk Foods, said, "A typical Pride of Cows consumer has an evolved taste preference and is brand as well as health conscious. With an abundance of such consumers in Singapore, we have identified a huge opportunity for expansion there."
"As the consumption of fresh and organic milk has increased in Singapore, consumers have become mindful of the source of the milk they consume and its nutrient content and we believe that there is a dearth of such products in the country," Shah further stated.
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