Recognizing the best restaurant with delectable food and a delightful ambience.
Restaurant Awards 2023 is the top honour bestowed upon the greatest in the industry who have tirelessly dedicated their lives walking an extra mile to raise the bar of the Food & Beverage Sector. The awards will go to various regions of the country physically,to honor and applaud the great work done by foodpreneurs and chefs around the country.
This is a precious opportunity to excel your food & beverage business and hear the elevating tunes of applause by the whole fraternity. These awards will put spotlight on exemplary contributions made by profound professionals and passionate restaurant brands. This recognition will enhance your business credibility and would help in restructuring your brand image. Submissions are now open for Restaurant Awards 2023, browse through the appropriate category and region and nominate yourself today.
Read more »Restaurant Awards premium focus is to create recognition for various industry experts.
01The conference brings new perspective on Scaling up your Restaurant Business.
02Influential restaurateurs , thought leaders, innovative suppliers and industry titans join the show. They’re all here.
03Hear intriguing insights on the latest insights on Food Industry and visionary experts. Sit back and learn as Restaurateurs.
04Recognizing the best restaurant with delectable food and a delightful ambience.
This Category recognises Night Clubs/Bars that demonstrates the best ambience,food & liquor.
This category recognises the best bakeries which offers outstanding value, excellent food and appropriate service.
This category recognises a Restaurant/Bar/Bakery that has the best interiors
This category recognises caterers/unique concepts/customer experiences and cloud kitchens.
This category recognises restaurateurs/chefs/sommeliers who have demonstrated outstanding qualities.
Partner, Inflection Point Ventures
As a Director in KPMG’s Deal Advisory practice, he managed mergers &
acquisitions, and restructuring engagements advising clients across Deal
Strategy, Strategic Transformation, Synergy & Cost Optimization, and other
Process Initiatives.
He worked as the Group Finance Manager – India and Thailand at Magna
Cosma International, where he led the M&A, Strategic Finance, and ERP
Implementation activities, development of cost models, and FP&A function
across the region.
He has also worked in EY (Financial Due Diligence) and PwC (Audit) teams in
the early part of his career, specializing in Industrial Manufacturing, IT & ITES
sectors.
Head - Key Accounts & Retail One - Nestle Professional
Experienced professional with 13+ years of experience in FMCGs like PepsiCo, Del Monte and Nestle in both B2B and B2C space with a demonstrated history of working in the food & beverages industry and Management consulting with Accenture. Skilled in P&L Management, Brand Management, Media Planning & Execution, Category development (core + innovation), Customer/Consumer Insights, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Trade Marketing, Business Development and B2B Marketing (Food Services industry), Management Consulting.
Founder, Biggies Burger
Biraja Prasad Rout is the founder of Biggies Burger. Being an entrepreneur with a passion for global food, Biraja was appalled to see the sordid state of affairs especially in the Indian grilled burger segment. With global chains serving up fried burgers, he took it upon himself to provide customer with healthier, grilled burgers. With the country fed up with the taste of fried burgers, Biggies Burger came up with the grilled burgers.
Having over 6 years of experience in automation, Biraja aims to utilize his experience to standardize the systems and processes so as to build India’s very own QSR chain that revolves around standardization and SOPs. He observed that there was a demand for grilled burgers in the QSR market. Biraja started the first Biggies Burger unit at Electronic City, in the year 2011. The concept of grilled burgers was first introduced to the Indian consumers, and received widespread recognition. Additionally, there was a very great reception for grilled burgers, which has since gone on to become the core USP of Biggies Burger.
Having taken baby steps during the initial years to grasp a better understanding of the nuances of the QSRs, the brand has gradually made its mark among the populace. Perhaps the best testament to the success of the brand is the fact that post adopting the franchising route in 2016. BIGGIES BURGER is the largest homegrown grilled burger chain in India with the brand currently operating 120+ stores in 23 cities across 15 states.
Biraja has since undertaken constant innovations and product development, ensuring uniformity in quality and taste across all locations. Not only in burger making, Biraja is also striving to ease the burger store franchising process for those that want to explore the QSR business opportunities. Adding to it is that Biggies Burger has enabled its franchisees that come from varied backgrounds, comprising of government officials, army personnel, IT professionals etc. to become successful in QSR business.
Chef & Culinary Director, Embassy Leisure and Entertainment Projects LLP (Embassy Group)
A well–travelled chef with an in-depth understanding of culinary concepts and a strong passion for innovation. IHM Mumbai alumnus, advance culinary skills honed at the Culinary Institute of America, comes with over two decades of work experience.
Chef Vikas Seth has been felicitated with the most coveted ‘Chef of the Year – 2022’ award by the prestigious Times Food & Nighlife Awards.
Chef Seth is now the Culinary Director at Embassy Leisure, he has been the brains behind the multi-award winning restaurants Sanchez Restaurante & Cantina, Sriracha – Contemporary Pan-Asian Dining, HopsHaus – Botanical Brewery + Kitchen, Zest Besopke Catering, F&B outlets @ BLVD Club – Embassy Boulevard, Eden Café at Embassy Springs, amongst others.
Chef Vikas Seth A truly multi-faceted chef and member of the prestigious International association of gastronomy as ‘Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’. He has authored books for private circulation “The Modern Indian Odyssey” and a unique twin cover brand book ‘Sanchez & Sriracha’. Chef Seth has been listed in the ‘Top Food Entrepreneurs’ book by Restaurant India, he is the winner of Upper Crust Food and Wine Celebrity Chef Competition. Chef Seth was one of the Super Chefs on the Sony TV telecast Cooking Reality Show - ‘Sanjeev Kapoor Ke Kitchen Khiladi’.
Chef Seth, has extensive experience in international product development as well, creating global flavours for every kitchen through the frozen food and ready-to-eat medium. These products were widely recognized globally and awarded a number of prestigious awards, namely in Boston Seafood Show and European Seafood Exposition in Brussels.
Founder & CEO, FreshMenu
CEO, GoPizza India
Executive Director, K Hospitality Corp
Karan Kapur has been with K Hospitality Corp since the past decade, and is part of the strategic decision making, business development and operations strategy roll out for the group.
With an expertise in business administration, finance and economics, backed by his education in various universities abroad, Karan believes in being a hands-on leader and believes in actively participating in the operations of the group to facilitate growth and expansion.
Karan Kapur is the Executive Director of K Hospitality Corp, one of India’s largest home-grown hospitality and food service corporations.
A graduate from Northwestern University in Economics, and from Kellogg School of Management, where he received a Certification in Finance. After setting up new businesses for the organization, Karan returned back to the US to acquire his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
He played an active part in the setup and launch of Travel Food Services, the travel retail vertical under K Hospitality Corp.
Karan currently heads the Indian and International food services verticals of K Hospitality Corp which include some of the acclaimed brands – Copper Chimney, Bombay Brasserie, Punkah House, Bombay Borough, Blue Sea Banquets, Pavitra Catering, amongst others; along with the recent foray into International QSR growth with the launch of Domino's Pizza in the African subcontinent.
At a group level, Karan is part of the strategic decision making, business development and operations strategy roll out for K Hospitality Corp, and has played an active role is building the organizational capabilities to scale up to over 6000 employees today.
Founder & Director, Handcrafted Restaurants Private Ltd
Co-Founder and CEO, BLR Brewing Co
Co-Founder, Samosa Singh
"Think Big! Trust Yourself and Make it Happen”, this is the mantra that Nidhi Singh, Co-Founder of Samosa Singh lives by.
Nidhi was heading the Business development vertical for a US based healthcare company, BioXcel Corporation. She worked a decade before quitting her satisfying job to start Samosa Singh.
She aspires to offer nostalgic and Indian delicacies both online and offline. She believes that the goal is to recreate and dominate the Indian snack category.
Her experience has enabled her to establish strong client bases that have assisted in reaching out at the corporate level for the business's growth potential. Her management and sales experience aided exponential growth and was critical in steering the startup by establishing a strong and healthy brand image.
Having a vision for developing healthy and hygienic food in India. Nidhi recognized a huge market opportunity and reached out to 10,000 customers in one day, delivering the samosas.
Co-Founder and CEO, HungerBox
Sandipan Mitra is the Chief Executive Officer of HungerBox – an institutional food technology company he co-founded in 2016, with Uttam Kumar, which helps institutions manage their F&B services effectively. It serves marquee clients across various sectors like corporates, manufacturing facilities, hospitals, malls, and multiplexes with the help of a comprehensive product suite built from the ground up to offer a seamless, digital cafeteria experience.
HungerBox currently manages over 550 cafeterias and works with more than 900 food partners to serve a user base of 1.2 million and handles 12 million orders every month. HungerBox counts 8 of the top 11 private sector employers in the country as its clients.
Prior to starting HungerBox, Sandipan co-founded HungryZone - South East Asia’s 1st online food ordering portal which saw a successful exit when it got acquired by FoodPanda.
An MBA by profession, Sandipan has worked with organizations like Wipro and Yahoo before venturing into his entrepreneurial journey. Fortune India featured Sandipan in its 2021, 40 Under 40 list of India's Brightest Young Entrepreneurs.
Managing Partner, Street Storyss and Sindh Kitchen
Akshay Luthria is a dynamic industry professional and restaurateur with over 15 years of experience.
His passion for hospitality projects led him to operate as a partner at Lemp Brew by Lemp Brewing Co., America’s first Lager beer brewers and one the most legendary brewing brands.
He has also opened his successfully running restaurants in Bengaluru and operating as a managing partner at Street Storyss and Sindh Kitchen.
Pastry Chef, Co-founder and Director of Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts
The bakery industry in India is the largest of the food processing segments with an estimated annual turnover of about $ 7.60 billion in 2020. The growth and spread of the bakery market have thrived on highly skilled bakers who have rattled the global industry as well.
Chef Avin Thaliath is one such name all pastry chefs and chocolatiers reckons with. An educationist at heart, the talented Chef’s mission is to spread joy with his insights and motivate others to find solace in this beautiful form of art.
Currently serving as the Co-Founder and Director of Academics at Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts, India, Chef Avin’s desire and ambition to set up a specialized baking school in India, came true when Lavonne was born.
Hailing from Kerala, Chef Avin’s mother played a pivotal role in shaping his career and largely influenced him to dive into the culinary world. He was awarded a bronze medal in 2004 during his Bachelor of Hotel Management degree from Bangalore University. He further stimulated his field of interest, by taking up advanced level program in Chocolaterie and Sugar at Feves the Choco Creation of Pastry Fine Arts, Malaysia. He also holds the credit of being a Golden Certificate Awardee of Vatel Scholarship, Nimes, France.
After his studies in France, Chef Avin also interned under Chef Antonio Texeira before working with Le Granier A Pain, Paris, Paris Mamamia, Institut Vatel, Nimes and also Rhone Valley in France. After his stint in France, he worked with Indian giants like The Taj Hotels and The Orchid Hotels. Chef Avin was also appointed as a member of WACS (World Association of Chef’s Society), SICA (South Indian Culinary Association), and IFCA (Indian Federation of Chefs Association).
Rising up as a skilled dignitary in his field, Chef Avin steered the grounds of academic prowess as author of a number of academic journals, books, and monographs and has presented award-winning papers at top-level industry summits. He also served as assistant professor at the prestigious Christ University, Bangalore, India and has been associated with WorldSkills Org, since 2016 and has been representing India with skills from across the country at a global level. As someone who believes learning never stops, he competed his PhD in oenology studies and was in The Harun list for the most enterprising entrepreneurs of India. At present he is vice-president for the Pastry Council of India.
Soon, Chef Avin will launch his book “The Science in the Art of Baking”, which he has been working on for past 10 yrs.
Partner, Deloitte
Anand has around 16 years of experience from both an industry and consulting perspective. Anand is currently a Partner with the Strategy & Operations practice in Deloitte based out of Bangalore. He is a graduate from BITS Pilani and has completed his MBA from IIM Indore and PhD from IIM Bangalore. Anand started his career with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. He has been in sales and brand roles for nutritional food brands such as Horlicks & Boost. Prior to Deloitte, Anand has been a part of the management consulting practice at KPMG for the past 8 years and has worked on over 90 engagements. His work has primarily been in the consumer markets domain across various sectors such as Retail, FMCG, Agribusiness, and Education. Anand led the channel and salesforce effectiveness solution for the practice.
Managing Director, V&RO Hospitality
Dawn Thomas has finished B.Tech from M.S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore. At the age of 17, Dawn co-founded Rices Obliquity (a clubbing community) to bring all of Bangalore together for incredible nightlife experiences and even joined hands with Sunburn and co-produced concerts of the likes of David Guetta, Avicii, Hardwell, Dada Life, Matzo, etc.
Just as most creators are - he is very particular about the brand image the company puts out and occasionally has taken up the responsibility of design & artworks himself in the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.
In 2018, Dawn Thomas started working on building V&RO Hospitality as the CEO & Co-founder. VRO Hospitality, is one of the fastest growing hospitality chains in India which is the parent company of Popular Restaurant brands like Hangover, Badmaash, Nevermind, Cafe Noir, Tycoons, Plan B & Mirage. V&RO Hospitality takes pride in its repertoire of multi-format restaurants, cafes, lounges across 22 outlets in India
Under the leadership of Dawn Thomas, V&RO Hospitality also acquired F&B brands like Fava, Cafe Noir, Plan B, Caperberry, and One Night in Bangkok amidst the pandemic and also ventured into cloud kitchen brands with Burger & Beyond, Holy Doh to adjust to the new world of dinning
V&RO Hospitality has successfully raised an amount of $3million in a mix of equity and debt funding in Series A funding led by CreedCap Asia
Dawn Thomas is now focused on the growth mode of the company and with this fresh round of funding he aims to keep V&RO Hospitality on the trajectory of success.
Channel and Customer Marketing Manager – South India
Nestle Professional
10+ Year of Experience in Out of home F&B Space and part of two successful product launches in South.
Chief Strategy Officer, Third Wave Coffee
Started from 25 Cafes at CAFÉ COFFEE DAY in the Northern India as a Territory head advanced to a National head leading about 1400+ cafes & 400 kiosk spread across the country with a team strength of almost 8000 employees. With the retail experience and with the astute relationship have managed to open cafes at about 130+ cities across the country. Have been instrumental in scaling up the Café Division from 100 to 800 CR (pre covid). Setting sales goals basis the annual business plan & driving the team to achieve the set topline targets has been the key primary task.. Driving ops team to deliver organizational goals and deliver best customer experience was the motto.
Last 1 year, the journey at TWC as a Chief Strategy officer one of the key focus areas of my profile has been expansion. The strategy used in sequencing new outlet launches, training the team on negotiation skills, ensuring profitability of every store, data-driven decision-making in finalizing newer locations combined with teamwork has resulted in the launching of 70+ successful new outlets in less than a year. Still a long way to go with the targets that we have set for ourselves, but I am excited to be part of that journey that will surely help us build a strong Indian origin brand called Third Wave Coffee.
Principal, Kearney
Ankur is Principal with the global management consulting firm – Kearney. He is a practitioner within Consumer Industries and Retail Practice. He has engaged with multiple Indian and global food retail companies. The said engagements cover a variety of topics ranging from cost improvement, Sales and operations planning, store operations optimization and growth strategy. Across these engagements, Ankur has been actively involved in both strategy development and ensuring last mile implementation.
COO, FreshMenu
Mohammed Ali Shah is COO at FreshMenu. He is an experienced Operations Supervisor with a demonstrated history of working in the food & beverages industry. Ali joined FreshMenu in 2015 as Operations Manager. He is highly skilled in Operations Management, Microsoft Excel, Customer Service, Sales, and Business Development. He is a Strong operations professional with a Master of Business Administration - MBA focused in Operations Management and Supervision.
Culinary Director, Charcoal Concepts
To say that Shikha Nath is passionate about food is an understatement. Discovering the best that India has to offer, and sharing it with the world, is what she brings to the Copper Chimney, Bombay Brasserie and Bombay Borough tables.
Having been with the K Hospitality Corp group for over two and a half decades, she's worn several hats, along with being Culinary Director for Charcoal Concepts, the specialist Indian F&B vertical under K Hospitality Corp.
She's travelled across the length and breadth of the country with her young team of chefs, identifying unique ingredients, understanding India's rich culinary history and bringing constantly evolving, fresh ideas to keep reinventing the foodscape for each brand, based on the it's distinct identity. Mrs Nath has also played a key role towards the setup, growth and expansion of restaurants across different formats in India as well as Internationally
This session uncovers the myriad ways operators are funding expansion and development, from asking patrons to participate in funding, to finding the right private equity partner and will establish how to successfully develop your concept with private equity partners
Chairman & Managing Director, Cremica Food Industries Limited
Mr. Bector started his career in 1987; post completion of B.E. in Industrial & Production Engineering. His initial endeavours included the establishment of a modern bread plant which was soon followed by a world class biscuit plant. His focus remained on expanding the business which saw him soon joining hands with Mc Donald's to become one of their biggest suppliers in India. Mr. Bector's efforts led to a JV with two companies- Quaker Oats Company (USA) for manufacturing of ketchup, mayonnaise and other liquid condiments and the other with EBI Foods (UK) for manufacturing of battering and breading pre-mixtures. Currently he is Chairman of CII NR Agriculture Council and Member of various Punjab Government Committees. In the 3rd National Convention on Entrepreneurship 2013, he was awarded 'Entrepreneur of the Year' and in 'Mc Donald's APMEA 2013 Supplier Business Forum' the Company received 'Mc Donald's Asia Pacific Award for Innovation
Chef Partner, SodaBottleOpenerWala
Anahita N.Dhondy is the Chef Partner at SodaBottleOpenerWala. After studying at IHM – Aurangabad, Anahita worked in four different hotels in three different cities before she took off to pursue her dream to gain the Le Grand Diplome from Le Cordon Blue. Bakery and confectionary is her passion and her adventurous journey with food gets a homecoming with SodaBottleOpenerWala to be close to her Parsi roots. Says Anahita N. Dhondy laughingly, “We Parsis are a hard lot to get. I’ve been confused most of the time as I’m still pretty young, but they are complex characters, with highly developed senses, from humour to food! I come from a family of creative people (and crazy like any other Parsi home), where there is always something hustling and bustling and never a quiet moment. Like every household in India and across the globe, women hold a special place, and this is not because they cook, it’s because they care and thus cook for the family. My mother and grandmothers were more ambitious. They know lots and lots of dishes, different cuisines and been increasing their knowledge bank for years with magazines and books…Parsi cuisine is simple as its complex. I could go on and on, but simply it comes down to “say a small thank you everyday’ and ChaloJumwaChaloJi! – (come let’s have a meal). It has become the most important and popular chant at any Parsi celebration–we look forward to serving you
Chef
Some people know their calling almost as soon as they are born. Some people realize it when they turn five – like Chef Koushik, or The Mad Chef. In fact, for him the urge to cook and create was more than a passion: it was a compulsion. School done, he went straight to IHM, Bangalore. He was in the right place at the right time. Indians were just beginning to explore new flavours and culinary experiences. Restaurants were THE ‘thing’. The Mad Chef was on a roll. Small kiosks, wayside bakeries, fine dining restaurants, or 100 seater casual diners sought him out. His magic at the stoves quickly became legendary. Today, his company, Eatitude has the right attitude towards food and hospitality. Chef Koushik’s projects span India, his expertise touches all aspects of food. Projects he’s worked on include restaurants and cafes such as Fromage, The Tickle Truck (an Ice Cream Truck concept)Maplai-Savour SouthIndia, Jonah’s Bistro, Cleo’s Grill, Koala Joes, Sloppy Joes, Illusions-The Madras Pub,Peaches, Gokulams, Java Green, Dewberry’s, Soup and Salad Café, the Bayleaf, Mash atBesant Nagar, and several others. His current projects include a revamp of the menu at The Mayflower in T. Nagar, Chennai where he has introduced a variety of Pan-Asian dishes, thin crust pizzas and more, and a new south Indian restaurant, Aadhirai which offers traditional vegetarian and meat dishes with a contemporary spin. With several exciting projects in the pipeline, his repertoire is increasing and his demand grows.
Chairman, Ambuja Neotia Group
World is committed to making participation in the event a harass ment free experience for everyone, regardless of level experience gender, gender identity and expression
Executive Director, K Hospitality
Karan Kapur has been with K Hospitality Corp since the past decade, and is part of the strategic decision making, business development and operations strategy roll out for the group. With an expertise in business administration, finance and economics, backed by his education in various universities abroad, Karan believes in being a hands-on leader and believes in actively participating in the operations of the group to facilitate growth and expansion. Karan Kapur is the Executive Director of K Hospitality Corp, one of India’s largest home-grown hospitality and food service corporations. A graduate from Northwestern University in Economics, and from Kellogg School of Management, where he received a Certification in Finance. After setting up new businesses for the organization, Karan returned back to the US to acquire his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He played an active part in the setup and launch of Travel Food Services, the travel retail vertical under K Hospitality Corp. Karan currently heads the Indian and International food services verticals of K Hospitality Corp which include some of the acclaimed brands – Copper Chimney, Bombay Brasserie, Punkah House, Bombay Borough, Blue Sea Banquets, Pavitra Catering, amongst others; along with the recent foray into International QSR growth with the launch of Domino's Pizza in the African subcontinent.
Celebrity Chef
Television celebrity, Masterchef India judge, author, restaurateur, food film producer and benefactor, chef Ranveer Brar is one of the most celebrated chefs in the country. He has set up restaurants in India (including a heritage hotel, Alila Fort Bishangarh) and abroad and curated the menu of many more (including cruise kitchens aboard Royal Caribbean). His popularity on television is matched by his tremendous fan following on social media as well. Getting the basics right and revering the kitchen as an artist would his/her studio, are mantras he lives by and propagates to others as well. He also pioneered the first ever Twitter video show called Ranveer On The Road, covering new destinations each season and exploring their cuisines and cultures. For someone who propounds the theory of cuisine being an extension of culture, he strongly upholds the belief of travel making a good chef better. An avid photographer with a keen eye for details, his love of art flows into his food styling and photographs as well. With a bestseller in his kitty, a popular host and judge on television and an artist both in and out of the kitchen, chef Brar calls himself a food-sufi on a constant culinary quest.
Co-founder, Dineout
Co-founder, Dineout.Co.In Sahil Jain is the Co-Founder at dineout with special focus on building innovative & scalable tech products. Sahil is responsible for the complete product development and growth/retention strategies at dineout. He co-founded dineout in early 2012 and positioned it as the premier table reservation service in India. Since then dineout has grown multifold, raised a round of angel investment in late 2012 and in April 2014 it was successfully acquired by Times Internet. Currently, dineout is the largest table reservation platform in the country and has grown to 8 cities with more than 200,000 diners on a monthly basis. Sahil is a Bachelor in Electronics & Communication Engineering from B.M.S. College of Engineering, Bengaluru and later completed his MBA in Finance, Marketing and Strategy from IIM Kozhikode. He has explored diverse avenues like web analytics, call centre analytics and business forecasting for Fortune 500 technology and telecom clients in the US, before exploring his entrepreneurial side.
Celebrity Chef
Indian celebrity chef, entrepreneur and television personality. Kapoor hosted the TV show Khana Khazana, the longest running show of its kind in Asia which was broadcast in 120 countries and in 2010 had more than 500 million viewers. He is also the first chef in the world to own a 24X7 food and lifestyle channel
Showcase your brand, plan a perfect business meet, Display your product to over 300+ key decision makers & Brand from the restaurant fraternity.
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26/1 Dr. Rajkumar Road Malleswaram,
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26/1 Dr. Rajkumar Road Malleswaram,
Rajajinagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka