Author: Asmita Mukherjee | Hyderabad
Barbeque buffet restaurant chain – Absolute Barbecues (popularly known as AB’s) is aiming to reach its 100th outlet by 2024. In a recent interaction with Hospitality Biz at a press conference organised at Hyderabad, Vivek Kolukula, Territory Manager, AP & TS, Absolute Barbecues informed that the brand which has 60 outlets across India, covering 23 cities is now mulling a rapid expansion. “Within the next 18-24 months we want to hit 100 marks across India. To be in line with the current expansion plan we are targeting to open two outlets per month. We are opening 3 outlets this month.…
As the market opens up after a hiatus of two years, hotel companies are inclining towards an asset-light model to expand faster in the market. According to BCG, asset-light models can deliver a better return on assets, lower profit volatility, greater flexibility, and higher scale-driven cost savings than asset-heavy models. While “light” is not always the right choice—and sometimes is absolutely the wrong choice—its applicability is growing. Asmita Mukherjee spoke with industry experts to know the pros and cons of being asset-light. Rapid Expansion: A key benefit The asset-light model involves managing and franchising (pre-existing properties) hotels rather than owning…
American Brew Crafts, a home-grown beer manufacturing company, recently launched its flagship brand BlockBuster beer. The company is now mulling rapid expansion across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha by next month and across Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal and the North Eastern part of the country (Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland) by next year. In a freewheeling conversation with Asmita Mukherjee, Srikanth Naraparaju, Chief Strategy Officer, American Brew Crafts mentioned that due to the positive response received by the brand from the consumers, such a huge and rapid expansion across the country has been planned. “We started with the two markets of Telangana and…
Chef Davinder Kumar, President of Indian Culinary Forum who is also the Vice President – F&B (Production), Hotel Le Meridien New Delhi recently spoke with Asmita Mukherjee regarding the Indian Culinary Forum and the vision of the event for the future of the culinary industry. What was your vision while forming the ICF? When I entered the culinary world 5 decades ago, we were called ‘khansamas’. The profession wasn’t respected much back then, and none of the parents would encourage their children to take it up as the first career option. This had to change, as careers in the culinary…
Despite being a Chai nation, coffee culture has been quietly and steadily growing upwards in India. According to Abhinav Mathur, Managing Director, Kaapi Machines, coffee has become an art and a lifestyle beverage. But due to the huge demand, coffee is facing challenges like never before, from farm to cup. Mathur mentioned that unprecedented climate change sparks a domino effect over crop quality and quantity and due to the uncertainty, it is forcing roasters to compromise. Also the lack of the right information in time affects the product. In a conversation with Asmita Mukherjee, Mathur elaborated on the various challenges…
American Brew Crafts, a home-grown beer manufacturing company, has recently launched its flagship brand BlockBuster beer. The brand is now mulling rapid expansion across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha by next month and across Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal and North Eastern part of the country (Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland) by next year. In a conversation with Hospitality Biz, Srikanth Naraparaju, Chief Strategy Officer, American Brew Crafts mentioned that due to the positive response received by the brand from the consumers, such a huge and rapid expansion across the country has been planned. “We started with the two markets of Telangana and Andhra…
National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) recently concluded its AGM and The Indian Restaurant Conclave 2022 (TIRC) at HICC in Hyderabad. Pivoting on this large-scale event, the state of Telangana successfully secured an investment commitment of almost INR 500 crore in a single day. The event also witnessed the launch of a single window application for the food service sector, the TS-iPASS portal by the Telangana government. Some of the key investments for the state came from Wow Momo (INR 50cr), Olive Bar and Kitchen, (INR 30cr), McDonald’s (INR 100cr), Impresario Group (INR 30cr), PH4 Food and Beverages (INR 10cr),…
Stotrak Hospitality is the brainchild of three hoteliers, Yogita, Manish and Pradeep who came together to give form to a vision of running a business to create experience-driven stays in the country. Having been founded in 2020, the brand has successfully managed to gain popularity among consumers within a very short span of time. It is currently operating/ managing 4 hotels in Uttarakhand and 2 hotels in Rajasthan. Asmita Mukherjee spoke with Pradeep Shekhawat, Partner, Stotrak Hospitality to know more about their plans for 2023 and beyond. What is the business model followed by Stotrak? Are you planning to adopt…
Inflation is the most important discussion of every industry right now, and with good reason. For the hospitality and F&B industry, which was just witnessing a rebound from the blows of the pandemic, the current environment of inflation has again rung the bells of gloom. In a time of inflation and recession, food and beverage or eating out is the first thing that consumers cut back on as part of their spending. Asmita Mukherjee spoke with F&B industry leaders to gauge the response preparedness of the industry to the looming inflation. Rising inflation across the globe is causing serious concerns…
Leisure Hotels Group (LHG), an experiential luxury resort chain in North India, has been witnessing 25% Y-O-Y growth (compared to pre-covid levels). In a conversation with Asmita Mukherjee, Vibhas Prasad, Director, Leisure Hotels Group said that buoyed by their rapid growth the group is exercising their expansion strategy by launching a boutique property in Naukuchiatal in the current year and a high-end luxury property in Mussoorie within the second quarter of 2023. The brand also has plans to expand its presence to Corbett Park, Jaipur and Goa. Kindly brief us about the profile of LHG and what is the number…
