In a fast-evolving dining landscape where concepts fade as quickly as they rise, Hitesh Keswani is playing a different game – one built on longevity, originality, and cultural resonance. Being the Managing Director of Aspect Hospitality, Keswani is orchestrating a calculated expansion that’s both ambitious in scale and rooted in storytelling. From fine-dining destinations like Akina, Radio Bar and Estella to the agile, delivery-first Nom Nom Express, Aspect is rapidly widening its footprint across India — with plans to take its brands global next. In conversation with Asmita Mukherjee, Keswani unpacks the strategy, challenges, and storytelling at the heart of building lasting brands in India’s ever-evolving F&B space.
“In five years, we aim to be a pan-India powerhouse in the F&B space — with over 1,000 Nom Nom Express outlets, 50+ premium restaurant formats, and at least two international cities in our portfolio,” says Hitesh Keswani, Managing Director of Aspect Hospitality, outlining a bold yet culturally grounded vision for the company’s growth.
Aspect Hospitality currently operates 10 brands across 15 outlets, a portfolio that blends QSR scale with fine-diningfinesse. “Our philosophy is rooted in adaptability. Each brand under Aspect Hospitality is built from the ground up to suit its format — whether it’s the efficiency and scale of a QSR like Nom Nom Express, or the experiential, high-touch service of fine-dining concepts like Akina or Estella. We have dedicated teams and distinct brand identities for each vertical, ensuring that operational models, customer journeys, and marketing approaches are tailored, not templated,” Keswani explains.
One of the clearest growth drivers is Nom Nom Express, Aspect’s QSR arm. “We’re expanding rapidly across Mumbai & Pune. Hyderabad & markets like Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Surat on our radar. Our location selection is data-driven — based on delivery potential, catchment demographics, and scalability. We’ve designed Nom Nom Express to be agile and scalable, which allows us to move quickly once we see a market fit.”
For now, Aspect’s growth is entirely self-funded, which is a rare move in today’s fast-paced hospitality landscape. “Being bootstrapped gave us creative freedom and operational discipline,” Keswani notes. “But for the scale we’re eyeing, especially in QSR, we’re open to strategic partnerships — partners who understand the long game in hospitality.”
Aspect’s model blends direct ownership for premium brands with franchise-based growth for Nom Nom Express. “Franchising is part of our long-term strategy,” he says. “The model is delivery-first, operations-light, and brand-consistent — it lends itself perfectly to scalable partnerships. We’re now identifying franchisees who share our obsession with quality and consistency.”
The expansion isn’t limited to Indian metros, the brand is exploring expansion in abroad. “We’re evaluating Southeast Asia and the Middle East — cities like Dubai, Singapore, and Bangkok — where the demand for high-quality, design-forward Indian and Pan-Asian experiences is strong. The UK and Australia are on our long-term radar too, but we’re not just exporting brands — we’re building global concepts with local relevance.”
The brand’s vision is shaped as much by design and storytelling as it is by metrics. “Diners today want to understand the culture behind the plate,” he says. “There’s a movement toward storytelling, sustainability, and regional authenticity — whether that’s hyper-regional menus at The Coconut Boy or native Indian ingredients used inventively at Akina.”
Keswani believes, tech is the invisible engine powering these guest journeys. “We’re using tech across the board — from predictive analytics in our delivery kitchens to personalised guest interactions via CRM tools at our dine-in venues. We’ve recently begun piloting AI-based inventory and wastage tracking, and we’re looking into immersive tech for storytelling at our experiential dining spaces. For us, tech is not just about automation — it’s about enabling better decisions, faster.”
For Aspect the Southern part of India holds promise too. “Hyderabad’s been very welcoming — our recent launch of Radio Bar there opened doors for expansion into Bangalore and Chennai. We’re also looking beyond metros for places craving fresh F&B narratives.”
At its core, Aspect’s growth is about more than just numbers. “We want to be known for innovation and culture-building,” Keswani concludes. “Our restaurants aren’t just about food. They’re about memory-making.”
