What it takes to own a successful restaurant

Product thrust is the core element for a brand identity. It is the branding that makes a restaurant successful. To come up, a restaurant has to be a good brand. The brand comes down to menu, service and purposes. So, this way we add value to a restaurant. There is no commitment on footfall. It all depends on how your food is and how you have branded your restaurant. A consumer knows everyday what he is going to get. He knows that the ingredients which is being used in the food he has ordered is the same at every outlet and location. It is more on proper surety that the brand provides that makes a customer come back. There are few points that keep the restaurant business running:

It’s all about passion: Belief is the most important factor that keeps a brand an entrepreneur set up an enterprise. No matter how unique your concept is and how big your investment is, if you are not carrying the belief...your restaurant will be a big failure. It is all about the passion and belief that drives a business. Masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor when started his first restaurant 20 years ago he took the franchisee route without even wondering that he will not make it big. And, today with the same belief he is running 75 restaurants globally and has signed almost 135 franchise deals to go with. Hence, if you have got a business plan, you know you are driven by that passion, belief you are all set.

The power play of technology: I think today the reality is that we can’t move an inch without technology. Though, our adoption of technology is poorest. “We are primitive when it comes to technology and we are not front runners in terms of what we should do and what we can do,” shares Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. And, this is not the problem of technology providers but technology adopters. Technology brings transparency and that’s the reason the industry doesn’t want to adopt it as restaurant industry is full of inefficiencies and those inefficiencies would come to fore if they start to adopt technology. Technology has a huge role of around 25-30% in a restaurant business to make it successful, scalable business. Hence, choice is all yours...either to run an efficient business or work as an inefficient player.

Adding health quotient: India is still a country where we talk about salads but eat samosa. Though, people have started adopting health and organic culture, there is still ages to fully acquire the same. Restaurant owners and chef being the face of the industry should add ‘health quotient’ in their menu and that’s the running formula in the years to come. If you got something in the menu which caters to health conscious customers you surely are going to be a long run horse.

What usually works for the restaurant is the strategy “to think global and act local." Hence, every single metric has to be built so that every store looks like one, how satisfied are people here, how satisfied are the customers here, what is the ‘khushiyon’ ka meter reading here etc.