Recognizing the best restaurant with delectable food and a delightful ambience.
Chandigarh
INDIA’S ONLY REGISTERED
RESTAURANT AWARDS
About Restaurant Awards
Restaurant Awards 2024 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 2024, browse through the appropriate category and region and nominate yourself today.
Read more »Awards
Restaurant Awards premium focus is to create recognition for various industry experts.
01Conference
The conference brings new perspective on Scaling up your Restaurant Business.
02Networking
Influential restaurateurs , thought leaders, innovative suppliers and industry titans join the show. They’re all here.
03Knowledge
Hear intriguing insights on the latest insights on Food Industry and visionary experts. Sit back and learn as Restaurateurs.
04-
8+
Editions
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2500
Delegates
70+
Award Categories
50+
Speakers
20+
Sessions
Explore Award Categories
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.
North India Edition Jury 2024
Ritu Marya
Editor-in-Chief, Entrepreneur India & Asia-Pacific
Ritu Marya
Editor-in-Chief, Entrepreneur India & Asia-Pacific
Ritu Marya is the Editor- in- Chief for Entrepreneur India-Asia-Pacific and Franchise India Media, a group company of Franchise India Holdings Limited. She is the Group Editor and leads the editorial desk which comprises business magazines including Entrepreneur, The Franchising World and Retailer together with the Digital media arm of Entrepreneur.com, Franchiseindia.com, wellnessindia.com, indianretailer.com and restaurantindia.in. In her tryst with Business Journalism over the last 16 years, Ritu is regarded as an authority on Startups, Entrepreneurship, Technology, Fintech, AI, Blockchain, Consumer Businesses, Retail, Luxury to Education, Restaurant, Funding and more. In her role as the Group Editor she meets and interacts with Leading Indian and Global Entrepreneurs and thought-leaders while tracking Startup and Entrepreneurial and consumer business landscape in India and Asia-Pacific.
Chef Kunal Kapur
Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur
Chef Kunal Kapur
Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur
Chef Kunal Kapur is a well-recognised Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media
personality known for his food-focused television shows, cookbook and hosting High dignitary’
events in the country.
He is well recognised by the Ministry of India and was given an opportunity to present Satvik
cuisine to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Ms. Merkel, in Bangalore. He
also cooked for 42 first ladies on the India Africa Summit 2015 besides an interactive
cooking session with them during their visit to India.
He also had the opportunity to represent Indian Cuisine based on millets to the First Ladies
at the G20 Summit held in New Delhi in 2023.
Chef Kunal has an in-depth understanding of regional Indian cuisine having learnt it from the
best in the industry during his early career. He is equally adept with innovative Indian
cuisine that is at par with the best culinary standards in the world. He is known as the
Master of Kebab & Curries in India and has lent his expertise in the culinary domain to over
80 restaurants in India & internationally.
Nita Mehta
Chef and Author
Nita Mehta
Chef and Author
Nita Mehta is a name that is looked upon as an inspiration when we talk about food and
recipes. Through the single minded pursuit of her goal, she has managed to build a successful
business enterprise defying all stereotypes. Her knowledge is based on the solid backbone of
a MSc. degree and Gold Medal in Food and Nutrition. The appeal of her recipes lies in the
creative blend of exciting flavours that appeal to every palate.
‘Kitchen Queen Nita Mehta’ is her range of specially formulated spice blends which have
become extremely popular because of the right flavour it imparts to every dish. These carry
40 years of her cooking experience and expertise.
The products are the outcome of Chef Nita Mehta's 40 years of experience & expertise. To
date over 70 SKUS of specialized spice blends, pickles & seasonings have been launched and
many more products are in the pipeline.
Rocky Mohan
Author, Influencer and Founder & Mentor, Gourmet Passport
Rocky Mohan
Author, Influencer and Founder & Mentor, Gourmet Passport
Rocky Mohan is not only the custodian of the world famous Old Monk Rum, he is also a passionate hobby cook & foodie & has authoured some amazing books on the Indian Cuisine. Due to his deep involvement in Indian Cuisine and traditional predilection Rocky Mohan started cooking & then documenting Indian recipes in the early 80’s. He continues this ‘Labour of Love’ with a dedicated zeal and eye for meticulous detail, sharing his abiding ardour for cooking with food enthusiast all over the world through both mediums of writing & Television. He published his first book ‘Art of Indian Cuisine’ in November 1999 which has been in continuous print since then completing 20 plus years and has also been published in many foreign languages. Rocky Mohan’s second book is on the patriarchal culinary tradition of Kashmiri Wazwaan. This is the first time ever that the exotic treasury of secret recipes from the renowned family of Waza has been documented and published. Wazwaan continues to be the only book of its kind ever published.
North India Edition Our Speakers
Kiran Dhillon
Co-owner- Rooh Resorts Pvt Ltd
Kiran Dhillon
Co-owner- Rooh Resorts Pvt Ltd
Kiran Dhillon had the privilege of growing up amidst honest food. She learnt early on that
the finest cooking depends on the freshest ingredients – a lesson she got right in her
backyard.
Kiran’s culinary journey began at her father’s farm in a village in Faridkot district. Her
father, an agriculturist, taught Kiran invaluable lessons on cultivation, apiculture,
poultry, dairy and fisheries and sustainable cuisine. Kiran’s food philosophy centres around
good ingredients and she considers Farmers as real heroes.
Armed with a degree in fashion from NIIT Mohali, Kiran spent a decade in fashion and luxury
industry acing aesthetics and designing. The food lover in her found a coherence between
fashion and food too. During her research trips to Europe and Asia, while studying the
heritage of a place she also became curious about how the food was intertwined with the
culture. So, while designing collections for brands like Zara, Mango, Hugo Boss, Calvin
Klein, she was also journaling the food maps across the continents.
Keen to re-orient her skills, Kiran then did an MBA in luxury brand management from Paris and
China. She came to Mumbai to join an agency that conducted fashion shows, fashion tours and
IPL events. After this, Kiran shifted to Delhi where she used her corporate and management
lessons to help a friend successfully launch a fitness Mobile app which was bought by a
conglomerate. Kiran combined her entrepreneurial edge with her love for F&B and along with
her chef friend Gurpreet Gehdu brainstormed ways to transform locally harvested ingredients
into culinary experiences. They experimented with local and global trends and combined the
purity of their ancestral food. “Rang Punjab,” in Amritsar is the brainchild of Kiran and
Gurpreet that serves some of the most authentic food is Kiran’s ode to Punjab.
Chef Kunal Kapur
Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur
Chef Kunal Kapur
Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur
Chef Kunal Kapur is a well-recognised Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media
personality known for his food-focused television shows, cookbook and hosting High dignitary’
events in the country.
He is well recognised by the Ministry of India and was given an opportunity to present Satvik
cuisine to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Ms. Merkel, in Bangalore. He
also cooked for 42 first ladies on the India Africa Summit 2015 besides an interactive
cooking session with them during their visit to India.
He also had the opportunity to represent Indian Cuisine based on millets to the First Ladies
at the G20 Summit held in New Delhi in 2023.
Chef Kunal has an in-depth understanding of regional Indian cuisine having learnt it from the
best in the industry during his early career. He is equally adept with innovative Indian
cuisine that is at par with the best culinary standards in the world. He is known as the
Master of Kebab & Curries in India and has lent his expertise in the culinary domain to over
80 restaurants in India & internationally.
Anand Preet Singh
Director, Gianis & The Waffle Company
Anand Preet Singh
Director, Gianis & The Waffle Company
A visionary leader in the Indian food and beverage industry, Anand Preet Singh (b. July 29,
1990) has a remarkable entrepreneurial track record. After graduating from IILM, Lodhi Road,
and honing his culinary expertise at Le Cordon Bleu, London, Singh strategically joined his
family's legacy, Gianis Ice Cream, in 2012.
His forward-thinking approach led to a transformative rebrand in 2015. Singh along with other
directors spearheaded a complete interior design overhaul and pioneered a successful
franchising model, propelling Gianis to over 300 stores and 2,000 retail counters
nationwide.
Singh's relentless pursuit of opportunity continued in 2017 with the launch of The Waffle
Company This innovative concept, featuring gourmet waffles, pancakes, and shakes, thrived
under his strategic franchising expertise. Today, The Waffle Company boasts over 100 outlets
across India and a flagship store in Surrey, Canada, solidifying Singh's international
vision.
Further demonstrating his unwavering entrepreneurial spirit, Singh launched Go Fro, a
delectable frozen yogurt brand with a loyal following, in 2022. His latest venture, Ammy’s, a
premium coffee shop brand, exemplifies his unwavering passion for the industry.
Anand Preet Singh's journey is a testament to his dedication, innovation, and keen ability to
identify and capitalize on market trends. He is a true leader, shaping the landscape of the
Indian food and beverage industry while inspiring future generations of entrepreneurs.
Inderjeet Singh Banga
Promoter, Pirates of Grill
Inderjeet Singh Banga
Promoter, Pirates of Grill
The visionary who loves introducing exclusive food concepts has alternated the way Delhi dines. He is the one who believes that the future of dining is essential guest experience, is credited with introducing unique brands with utterly different notions and approach, the one such evergreen brand is Pirates of Grill. Every restaurant has a story to tell. If a restaurant does not have a story or idea behind it, the essence gets lost. As an entrepreneur, if I don’t have a story, people won’t ever connect,’ says Banga. Pirates of Grill is a buffet with never-ending dine-in experience. Treasure hunt has always been associated with the pirates, and the theme of the restaurant inherently makes the customers feel that they are in a treasure hunt of food. It has been positioned as a value-centric family dine-in. The brand that started on 2009 has currently 17 operational outlets in best malls at prominent locations like Gurugram, Noida , VasantKunj, Delhi, Tagore Garden Delhi, Bhopal, Patna, Guwahati, Chandigarh, Jammu, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mohali, Patiala, Zirakpur, Yamunanagar. Pirates of Grill is aiming for huge expansion with 7 outlets to open by 2025. Also, pirates of Grill is all set to foray into international market soon with their first outlet slated to open by end this year in Dubai.
Previous Edition Previous Speakers
Rashmi Daga
Founder & CEO, FreshMenu
Pravesh Pandey
Co-Founder, Roxie
Pravesh Pandey
Co-Founder, Roxie
Having over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, restaurateur Pravesh Pandey's
latest venture, Roxie is making waves in the IT city. Helmed as one of the top 30 bars in the
country, the 35,000 sq. ft., it is the largest craft brew house in India.
Apart from co-founding Roxie, Pravesh has served as a director at the Byg Brewsky Brewing
Company in Bengaluru as he has a has a thorough understanding of hospitality management,
business development, financial management, operational excellence, brand management,
marketing & strategy.
His insight into the F&B industry led him to become the Vice President of Restaurant Success
at Zomato. In an older stint, he was the director of operations for both, Brigade Hospitality
as well as JSM Corporation.
Pravesh conceptualised Roxie on the experience of meeting Roxie Catteneo on a cruise ship
(where he worked as a Maitre De) in 2003. She taught him many life lessons, and showed him
the value of relationships and people. The brewhouse, Roxie is an ode to the lady who
transformed many lives, including his. The restaurant is inspired by renditions of recipes
that she had picked up from her travels as well her traditional family preparations.
Abhijit Saha
Chef-Entrepreneur, Restauranteur and Author
Abhijit Saha
Chef-Entrepreneur, Restauranteur and Author
He is the Founder & Principal Consultant of Ace Hospitality & Consulting and has recently
opened his Neo Indian Fine Dining Restaurant ‘Ammakase’ at 1 Raffles Place, Singapore and
LYFE Restaurant & Pizzeria in Whitefield, Bangalore.
Abhijit Saha was awarded “Chef of The Year 2023’ at the Times Food & Nightlife Awards. The
coach and mentor of Team India for Bocuse d’Or Asia-Pacific 2018; Guest Judge of MasterChef
India and Senior Judge of Young Chefs Olympiad – Abhijit Saha was inducted as a fellow of the
‘IIHM International College of Distinguished Fellows’ by International Hospitality Council,
London in 2021. As the Principal F&B Consultant of Bangalore Airport, he has been leading the
Food & Beverage Development work for Terminal 1 & Terminal 2 during the last five years.
As founder-director of Avant Garde Hospitality from 2008 to 2020 he conceptualized, executed
and managed award-winning and critically acclaimed restaurants such as Caperberry (Modernist
European Cuisine), and Fava (Mediterranean Cuisine) in Bangalore. His Michelin recommended
Signature Indian Restaurant ‘SAHA’ (2014-18) in Singapore was awarded the Epicurean Star
Award for Best New Restaurant, 2014 by the Restaurant Association of Singapore. He has
provided consulting services and technical knowhow to several Red Rhino Craft Brewery, The
Pizza Bakery, Tamara Resorts, Serai Resorts and Dream Cruises Hong Kong. Three of his recent
projects Glass Kitchen & Bar, The Pet People Café and Over Coffee have won the ‘Times Food
Award’ for Best Modern Indian Restaurant 2022, Best Plant Based-Healthy Restaurant 2022 and
Best Cafe 2024.
Prasanna Kumar
Co-Founder and CEO, BLR Brewing Co
Vikram Ramasubramanian
Partner, Inflection Point Ventures
Vikram Ramasubramanian
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.
Jinraj Adyanthaya
Head - Key Accounts & Retail One - Nestle Professional
Jinraj Adyanthaya
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.
Biraja Prasad Rout
Founder, Biggies Burger
Biraja Prasad Rout
Founder, Biggies Burge
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 Vikas Seth
Chef & Culinary Director, Embassy Leisure and Entertainment Projects LLP (Embassy Group)
Chef Vikas Seth
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.
Mahesh Reddy
CEO, GoPizza India
Karan Kapur
Executive Director, K Hospitality Corp
Karan Kapur
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.
Pravesh Pandey
Founder & Director, Handcrafted Restaurants Private Ltd
Nidhi Singh
Co-Founder, Samosa Singh
Nidhi Singh
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.
Sandipan Mitra
Co-Founder and CEO, HungerBox
Sandipan Mitra
Co-Founder and CEO, HungerBoxSandipan 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.
Akshay Luthria
Managing Partner, Street Storyss and Sindh Kitchen
Akshay Luthria
Managing Partner, Street Storyss and Sindh KitchenAkshay 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.
Chef Dr. Avin Thaliath
Pastry Chef, Co-founder and Director of Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts
Chef Dr. Avin Thaliath
Pastry Chef, Co-founder and Director of Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry ArtsThe 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.
Anand Ramanathan
Partner, Deloitte
Anand Ramanathan
Partner, DeloitteAnand 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.
Dawn Thomas
Managing Director, V&RO Hospitality
Dawn Thomas
Partner, DeloitteDawn 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.
Ramesh Prabhu Ramasamy
Channel and Customer Marketing Manager – South India
Nestle Professional
Ramesh Prabhu Ramasamy
Channel and Customer Marketing Manager – South IndiaNestle Professional
10+ Year of Experience in Out of home F&B Space and part of two successful product launches in South.
Sunil Nair
Chief Strategy Officer, Third Wave Coffee
Sunil Nair
Chief Strategy Officer, Third Wave CoffeeStarted 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.
Ankur Singh
Principal, Kearney
Ankur Singh
Principal, KearneyAnkur 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.
Mohammed Ali Shah
COO, FreshMenu
Mohammed Ali Shah
COO, FreshMenuMohammed 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.
Shikha Nath
Culinary Director, Charcoal Concepts
Shikha Nath
Culinary Director, Charcoal ConceptsTo 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
Agenda 2024
6:30 - 6:45 PM
Welcome Note
Speaker:
Ms. Ritu Marya, Editor-in-Chief, Franchise India Group & Entrepreneur Media
6:45 - 7:30 PM
How restaurant & food brands are scaling and maintaining unit economics
- Soul & Scale: Bringing Customer’s Back to the Table
- Investing in restaurant technologies that excite diners
- Future of Food Retail: What’s trending in the Biz
- Curating Experience, Captivating Diners/ shoppers
- Key strategies to wow! Your customers
- Foodtainment: How Food and Entertainment has become one
Session Lead & Moderator: Ritu Marya, Editor-in-Chief, Franchise India Group & Entrepreneur Media
Speakers:
Kunal Kapur, Celebrity Chef, Restaurateur
Kiran Dhillon, Co-owner- Rooh Resorts Pvt Ltd
Inderjeet Singh Banga, Curator & Promoter, Prankster/ Pirates of Grill
Anandpreet Singh, Managing Director, Gianis & The Waffle Company
7:30 PM Onwards
Sumaiya
