Category: Expert Insights

The Unlikely Beginning: From Movement Therapy to F&B Marketing

Devika did not plan to end up in marketing. She trained as a movement therapist, someone who reads people through body language rather than words, and had wanted to be one since she was sixteen. Getting into brand communication happened almost by accident, on the job, with no formal marketing background to lean on.

That grounding in reading people turned out to be far more useful in hospitality than she expected. She points out that hotel groups spend enormous effort building SOPs and scripted greetings, training staff on exactly what to say and how to say it. But none of that matters if the person delivering it does not mean it.

A staff member having a rough day can recite the same warm greeting as everyone else, and a guest will still sense something is off, even if they cannot say what exactly gave it away. Devika has carried that same instinct for reading sincerity into every brand she has built since.

The First Way Brands Lose the Plot: Forcing Emotional Connect

Every F&B brand today wants to tap into nostalgia and emotional connect, and Devika agrees it matters deeply, especially in a market as emotionally driven as India’s. But she draws a hard line between connect that is earned and connect that is manufactured because a brand feels it is expected to have one.

Her point is that customers do not need any training in branding to sense when a story feels performative rather than real. They simply start wondering why a brand is trying so hard, and that question alone is enough to break the trust a brand is trying to build.

The Second Way Brands Lose the Plot: Not Knowing What They Actually Want

When a restaurateur comes to Devika with a marketing problem, she has learned that the stated problem is rarely the real one. She sees two kinds of restaurateurs walk through her door, those who have never run a restaurant before and are excited but unclear, and those with operational experience who still lose their way somewhere in scaling. Across both, one issue shows up more than any other.

Why a Simple Menu Is the Biggest Clarity Driver

This shows up most clearly in menus. Devika has seen countless multi-cuisine restaurants trying to serve Indian, Chinese and continental all at once, simply because the owner wants to appeal to everyone. Her belief is the opposite.

She has trained operations teams to physically taste every dish on the menu themselves and talk about what they genuinely enjoy, rather than reciting a memorised recommendation. Guests can tell the difference immediately.

For Devika, nearly every branding problem she has ever solved traces back to the same root issue.

The Third Way Brands Lose the Plot: Rushing to Scale

If there is one instinct Devika pushes back against more than any other, it is the urge to scale before a brand has proven itself. She has watched restaurateurs chase rapid expansion, only to shut down and pivot within months because the brand never had the chance to mature.

Her benchmark for F&B profitability runs far longer than most founders expect, and she is emphatic that this has not changed even now.

She points to Pebble Street Hospitality’s Foo as a brand that got this right, opening one outlet, letting it mature for years, refining what worked and what did not, before expanding at all. She sees the same philosophy behind old, beloved standalone restaurants like Kamling in Pune and Ling’s Pavilion in Bombay, spaces that never chased scale aggressively but built decades of loyalty simply by staying consistent and letting their regulars come back on their own terms.

The Fourth Way Brands Lose the Plot: Marketing That Doesn’t Talk to Operations

One of Devika’s more counterintuitive points is that brand communication does not start with the customer at all. It starts inside the organisation, in the conversations between marketing, chefs and operations, long before anything reaches a menu card or an Instagram post. Marketing teams often want to present a dish or a campaign in a certain way, but if it is not operationally viable, the idea falls apart the moment it meets reality.

She is candid about where the friction in these conversations usually comes from, especially between chefs who feel protective of their product and marketing teams trying to simplify it for a wider audience.

Her own approach, shaped by years of asking questions without any hotel management background to fall back on, is to never assume she understands a team’s constraints before asking.

The Fifth Way Brands Lose the Plot: Chasing Every Trend

Devika is also wary of brands that constantly chase whichever audience or trend seems to be winning at the moment, particularly the pressure many F&B brands feel to build everything around Gen Z. She does not dismiss younger audiences, but she is clear that a brand cannot let a demographic dictate its entire identity.

“Not every trend will work for every brand.”

Her advice is to be secure enough in a brand’s identity to sit out a trend entirely if it does not genuinely fit, rather than joining in simply because everyone else is.

One Brand, Many Playbooks: Bastian, Ammakai and the Question of Price Point

Devika’s time across Bastian, Ammakai, Nom Nom Express and Tibbs Frankie taught her that branding cannot follow one template even within the same company. Bastian’s beach club, Garden City and Empire outlets sit at a distinctly aspirational price point, one many customers cannot visit often, but still want to be seen at at least once. Ammakai, on the other hand, sits at a more approachable price point with consistently strong value for money, something many guests do not realise until they actually visit.

She also draws a clear line between formats. QSRs are built entirely around speed and efficiency, casual dining sits somewhere in between, and fine dining is about the full experience, where guests are paying as much for how they feel throughout the visit as for the food itself.

She adds that a single bad experience anywhere in that fine dining visit, even somewhere as small as a washroom, is often what a guest remembers most, regardless of how good the meal was.

What Keeps a Brand From Losing the Plot: Old School Loyalty

Despite spending most of her career building digital-first brands, Devika remains a firm believer in one very analogue idea, the loyalty card. At Nom Nom Express, this simple mechanic worked exceptionally well with younger customers who wanted visible value for their money without any complicated app or points system to track.

She is equally clear that loyalty cannot always be manufactured through a program. Some restaurants earn it purely by staying consistent for decades, citing Ling’s Pavilion and Malaka Spice as places where regulars keep returning without any loyalty scheme at all.

She also points to Tibbs Frankie as proof of how deeply nostalgia can anchor a brand. The word Frankie itself is trademarked to Tibbs, and for an entire generation of Bombay customers, no other roll ever really replaces it.

How She Knows If Marketing Is Actually Working

Devika is refreshingly honest about how difficult it is to tie brand marketing directly to revenue, unless it is a delivery platform where every rupee spent can be tracked against an order.

Her real litmus test for whether marketing is working has nothing to do with a dashboard.

She is equally clear that this same word of mouth is unforgiving. A brand can believe it has built the best product and given the best experience, but if guests are not talking about it, none of that effort has landed.

Consistency, more than any single great campaign, is what earns that word of mouth over time.

Final Thoughts

Most restaurant brands do not lose the plot from one big mistake. They lose it slowly, through a menu with too many items, a campaign forced into an emotional angle it has not earned, an expansion plan that moves faster than the product can support, a marketing team that never talks to operations, or a brand that keeps chasing whichever trend is winning that week.

The Moment That Made Scaling Possible

When Coffee King opened its second outlet in Vesu, it turned out to be the biggest cafe in Surat at the time. Mitesh was not prepared for what happened next. The crowd was massive, the response was overwhelming, and he found himself scrambling to keep up with orders in real time.

It was chaos. But it was also clarity.

That question became the foundation of everything Coffee King is today. Instead of hiring more staff or cutting menu items, Mitesh went upstream. He moved the early-stage preparation — sauces, rice bases, sizzler prep, smoothie mixes, sausages — into a single central kitchen. Every morning, fresh, prepped components were delivered to each outlet. The outlets only handled the final assembly.

The impact was immediate. Kitchen preparation time dropped sharply. The team size needed per outlet shrank. And the taste became perfectly consistent across every location, because everything was being made in one controlled environment.

Today, Coffee King and Super Sandwich’s multiple outlets all run off the same central kitchen. The rule of thumb Mitesh swears by is simple: start planning your central kitchen once you hit three to four outlets.

When Should You Set Up a Central Kitchen?

This is the question every growing F&B brand eventually faces, and Mitesh has a clear answer.

The setup does require upfront investment, space, equipment, a dedicated team, and a clear ordering system between the central kitchen and each outlet. But the return is compounding. Every new outlet you add becomes faster to set up, cheaper to staff, and easier to maintain quality in, because the heavy lifting is already happening centrally.

For Super Sandwich specifically, the plan is to take this model city by city, set up the central kitchen first, lock in the processes, and then build the outlets around it. Not the other way around.

From Internal System to B2B Business

Here is where the story takes a genuinely unexpected turn.

As Coffee King’s central kitchen grew in capacity, other F&B businesses in Surat started taking notice. They were dealing with the same problems: inconsistent prep, over-reliance on skilled kitchen staff, high wastage, and long ticket times. Mitesh started offering the central kitchen’s output to them, too. Cut vegetables, sauces, prepped bases, all delivered fresh each morning.

That is how the Cafe Support System was born, a B2B vertical that now serves over 50 clients across Surat.

Mitesh does not see competitors the way most people do. In his view, a stronger local F&B ecosystem benefits everyone. When a small cafe owner is freed from the daily stress of managing prep from scratch, they can focus entirely on what actually builds their business — the customer experience. For clients worried about recipe overlap, there is a formal non-competing agreement in place. But more than the paperwork, what makes the model work is trust.

The model is already attracting interest from outside Surat — NRIs, operators from other Gujarat cities, founders who have heard about it and want to understand how it works. Expansion is on the cards, and the plan is the same wherever they go: central kitchen first, everything else second.

The Foundation: Why SOPs Made This All Possible

None of this would have worked without the operational discipline Mitesh absorbed early in his career.

His first job was at Cafe Coffee Day, and he is the first to admit how lucky that was.

At a time when most of the food and beverage industry in India was still running on instinct, CCD gave Mitesh a front-row seat to what a structured, scalable business actually looks like. He absorbed everything: how departments work, how central kitchens operate, how quality is maintained across outlets. And then he built his own version of it from the ground up.

Watch the entire episode:

That quiet, self-driven approach to learning became the bedrock of Coffee King’s culture. When a new team member joins today, they absorb the culture within two to three days, not through a handbook, but through watching how everything around them works.

The Unglamorous Work Behind 95% Positive Ratings

Coffee King has maintained a consistent 95%+ positive rating across all its outlets for years. That number does not happen by accident. It happens because of daily, boring, non-negotiable systems.

Every day, cafe managers conduct their own internal review. Every Friday, the entire management team sits together to go through negative ratings and verbal feedback from customers. Nothing slips through.

When something goes wrong, the response is immediate.

“If the customer doesn’t like the taste, the customer is paying MRP. Our cost is 35 to 40%. So we replace it. No questions.”

This is not charity, it is long-term thinking in action. A customer who gets their order replaced goes home feeling respected. They come back. They tell their friends. The cost of replacing a dish is infinitely smaller than the cost of losing a customer forever.

Negative reviews that come in through their loyalty platform Reelo are handled with the same urgency; the team reaches out directly, offers a resolution or complimentary item, and invites the customer back.

The No-Push Culture That Builds Loyalty

One of the most counterintuitive things about Coffee King is what its team does not do.

In a culture where upselling is standard practice, Mitesh has trained every team member to do the opposite. No pressure. No forced add-ons. If a customer comes in with a budget, they should feel completely comfortable spending exactly that.

His thinking on this is simple and airtight. When you are running a business in a stable area with returning customers, the short-term upsell game destroys the long-term relationship. A customer who felt pressured walks out resentful. A customer who feels respected walks out wanting to return.

The loyalty program operates on the same principle. Customers earn points automatically. The team mentions it naturally at billing — not as a sales pitch, but as a service. Redemption rates are high because the team stays involved without being intrusive.

Two Brands, One Vision: Coffee King and Super Sandwich

As Coffee King matured, Mitesh launched a second brand, Super Sandwich, positioned entirely differently.

Super Sandwich is built around one clear idea: all-day Indian snacking, in a format that is convenient, consistent, and designed for sharing. The Box of 20 and Box of 40 formats, inspired by Naturals Ice Cream’s take-home packaging, make it easy for offices and families to order for events and gatherings. Trailers show up at weddings and large events, staffed by the Super Sandwich team, creating moments that get filmed and shared organically.

The Gen Z strategy is deliberate and long-range. Capture the young customer today, and the millennial customer follows them in three to five years. It is a compounding play, and Mitesh is patient enough to wait for it.

What Tier-2 Cities Are Teaching the Rest of India

Surat is not Mumbai. But Coffee King is not priced or operated like a tier-2 city business. The quality is metro-grade. The systems are stronger than most chains twice their size. And the innovation in formats, in B2B models, in catering, is genuinely original.

Mitesh sees the same energy across Surat’s F&B scene, young founders who have crafted their concepts carefully, priced them fairly, and built real operations behind them. He credits some of this shift to Shark Tank India, which created a generation of founders who are unafraid to think big from the very beginning.

And for anyone who comes to him asking how to get started, his answer is always the same.

What’s Next

The kiosk model for Super Sandwich is already in development. Geographic expansion beyond Surat is on the cards, with the central kitchen model leading the way into every new city. Cold brew delivery in pouches and litres, available on demand for parties and events, is the next product frontier.

And the Cafe Support System will keep growing, one collaboration at a time.

Eleven years of building, improving, and helping others do the same, all of it comes back to one decision made at a chaotic second outlet in Surat, when a founder asked himself a simple question: what if we centralized the prep?

That question is still compounding today.

When a 400-Year-Old Tradition Nearly Disappeared

December 2020. Middle of COVID. Nolan was walking through Anjuna during lockdown when he saw the local poder, the bread maker, standing by the roadside with cops beside him. Everyone masked. The baker couldn’t reach his customers. Customers couldn’t reach him. Bread was getting thrown away because people were scared of transmission.

This wasn’t just about one baker struggling. This was a 400-year-old tradition, gifted to Goa by the Portuguese, slowly dying before his eyes.

Nolan followed the baker to his establishment. The roof was half-caved in. There wasn’t even a proper table to make bread. This noble profession, one that literally gives us our daily bread, was eroding. And he thought: how do we make bread cool again?

That’s how the Poder Chronicles was born. Not as charity, but as a bridge. Nolan connected local bakers with hotel chefs and restaurants, creating over 50 recipes showcasing Goan breads. He made one rule crystal clear: maximum dish price of 250 rupees. Because when people buy bread for 5 rupees, paying 700 rupees for a dish seemed disconnected from the mission.

The result? Bakers got a steady income. Hotels have authentic local produce. And Goan bread became something people celebrated, not just consumed.

The Ingredient Everyone Forgets

What drives Nolan about modern food writing and criticism is the tendency to hide behind big words and technical jargon. But his approach is different; he keeps things simple because food, at its core, is about emotion. It’s about the people who spend their lives making others happy.

His grandmother used to say: “If you have nothing good to say, shut up.” She also taught him that even if an enemy comes to your house, feed them with a glass of water. Don’t let them go. That philosophy is deeply entrenched in how Nolan approaches hospitality.

That’s why when people ask why he only writes about the good stuff, he tells them, there’s enough bad happening in the world anyway. He sees himself as someone saving readers money by telling them what’s worth trying. What he likes, someone else might dislike. That’s fine. But he won’t criticize a chef because he knows what it takes to be in those kitchens.

What Makes Goa’s F&B Scene Special

Something magical is happening in Goa right now, according to Nolan. It’s not just about the four bars that made Asia’s 50 Best list. It’s about the entire ecosystem coming together.

Hansel Vaz from Cazulo is making fenni cool. Local gin makers, rum distillers, and coffee roasters are all supporting each other. Slow Tide creates cocktails named after Anjuna veterans from the ’70s and ’80s—like “Acid Eric,” honoring a gentleman from the hippie culture era. Petisco built an entire cocktail program around ‘Puramentache’—ingredients that would help people through the monsoon season when fresh produce was scarce.

People are going back to legacy, tapping into what their ancestors did correctly that’s been forgotten. Like using porcupine quills instead of metal nails to pick cashew fruits for fenni, because metal rusts and affects flavor. These small details matter.

Nolan remembers Dukshiri Fenni—Goa’s answer to any ailment. The name itself means “for pain.” It has herbs and roots fermented in fenni, and every Goan household used it. His grandparents swam in the Mandovi River daily because the salt content helped prevent arthritis. They knew things we’ve forgotten.

Now? Many Goans don’t even go to the beach. We’ve lost our connection to the land, to the traditions that sustained us.

The Problem with Scaling Too Fast

Everyone wants to scale up yesterday. Open seven locations before the first one finds its rhythm. But according to Nolan, hospitality isn’t a tech startup.

He thinks of Kainaz Messman who took 18 years to build Theobroma into what it became. Eighteen years. That service from the original spot? That DNA never changes, even as you grow.

When Nolan travels to Europe, he sees three-generation-old establishments that never franchised, never scaled. They took the time-bound approach: create legacy, hand it over to the next generation. There’s wisdom in that patience.

The fundamentals don’t change. Whether you’re cooking for 10 people at home or running a restaurant, service matters. That’s why even Swiggy and Zomato ask you to rate your delivery partner, because they understand that the person who hands you your food is a crucial touchpoint.

What Separates Good from Great

When judging restaurants and bars, Nolan has a clear philosophy: he can forgive a bad meal. He’s forgotten many bad meals. But he’ll never forget how people made him feel.

He’s had bartenders scoff at him for asking to remove ice from his cocktail. He’s had customers look at menus and call them stupid. But he’s also created dishes from scratch for demanding customers who ended up bringing 10 more people back to the restaurant.

It’s always about the people. Service with a smile. Old school? Maybe. But it works.

Watch the full episode here:

Nolan doesn’t even like the word “critic.” As he puts it, you can’t criticize someone’s driving with a clutch shift if you’ve only grown up in an era of electric cars. If you haven’t worked a range, a pass, or been a bar back, you shouldn’t claim expertise. And if you don’t like something? Just say “not to my liking” instead of tearing it down.

Building Communities, Not Just Businesses

From the Goa Culinary Club to the Miguel Arcanjo Award honoring his grandfather, everything Nolan does comes back to community. Your vibe attracts your tribe, as they say.

These communities aren’t about profit. They’re about preserving legacy, educating youth, and creating opportunities. The Miguel Arcanjo Award helps young Goan culinary students get placements and scholarships. The Poder Chronicles Academy connects generations of bread makers with modern establishments.

Because here’s the thing: there’s no amount of marketing that can replace genuine community. No Facebook ads can get you that kitty party crowd who comes because they trust you. Those relationships are built on something deeper than a transaction; they’re built on consistency, care, and genuine connection.

Looking Forward

Nolan now lives on an organic permaculture farm where he’s planted 4,000 trees while others around him fell them to build “eco-resorts.” There’s something deeply contradictory about that approach.

The future of food needs to be clean, sustainable, and connected to the land. People want to know where their produce comes from. They want transparency. Small batch over mass production. They’re okay with establishments running out of things if it means what they’re getting is fresh.

For anyone wanting to make an impact in the F&B space, Nolan’s advice is straightforward:

Keep it simple. Be true to yourself. People buy into you first, then your concept.

Be sensitive to your market. It’s price-sensitive, and while people will pay for quality, there are hidden factors to navigate.

It’s never about the freebies. They only last for a bit and don’t build sustainable businesses.

Your produce has to be good and clean. People want an extension of their lifestyle. They want to know your thought process, your story, where your ingredients come from.

Don’t compromise on ingredients. Cook with really good ingredients. In the long run, it makes sense.

The Human Touch

Soon, we might transition to an AI-digital world where hospitality becomes response commands. Press A for this, Press B for that. But today, we have emotion. And emotion is what makes food grand.

Nolan sees his role simply: as a gatekeeper, a guardian trying to uphold the legacy of hospitality in whatever format he can. Before we become modules and activation codes, he wants people to remember what it feels like to be truly served, truly cared for.

Because at the end of the day, whether you’re a poder making bread or a chef at a five-star hotel, you’re feeding someone’s soul. And according to Nolan Michael, there’s no higher calling than that.

A Legacy Rooted in a Simple Philosophy

Empire’s story began decades ago when Shakir’s grandfather, a Malaysian citizen of Indian origin from the northernmost part of Kerala, decided to return to India. Bangalore, then a bustling trade hub filled with Malayali-run eateries and tea shops, became the natural choice to start something of his own.

The early Empire was nothing like the large, iconic brand it is today. It was:

• a small eatery,
• selling tea and snacks,
• run entirely on simple principles.

And the philosophy was crystal clear:

This value system didn’t just shape the early years; it still defines Empire today. Shakir points out that more than 100 employees have remained with the company for over 25 years. That’s the mark of a business that puts its people first.

The Inner Game: Why Building the Leader is the First Step to Building a Brand

Many entrepreneurs spend their early years obsessing over brand identity, menu curation, or funding. But Praful flipped the script:

“If the entrepreneur doesn’t grow, how will the business grow?”

For him, the real engine of sustainable business is self-awareness. His turning point? Realizing that most Western business philosophies he had studied were not resonating with his Indian teams. He couldn’t pass down the knowledge effectively. That’s when he turned to Indian management thought:

• Arthashastra, the 2,000-year-old economic treatise by Chanakya
• Yogasutra, the introspective guide by Patanjali

These weren’t just spiritual ideas. They were strategic frameworks. The Yogasutra helped Praful become a more aware leader. He lost weight, made better decisions, and created a new energy that spread through his team.

This idea of inner engineering might sound esoteric to some, but to anyone managing a business where people are the product, it’s revolutionary. A more mindful leader creates a more stable business.

The Power of Indian Strategy: Understanding Chatushtayam

Most modern business playbooks jump from startup to scale overnight. But Praful insists on taking cues from nature. He uses a principle from the Arthashastra called Chatushtayam, which breaks a business lifecycle into four natural phases:

1. Start
2. Consolidate
3. Expand
4. Regrow or Reset

“A mango tree doesn’t bear fruit in the first year. Sometimes you have to throw away the first harvest so the tree gets stronger. Why should business be any different?”

This perspective is invaluable for restaurant owners who often get caught in the race of opening multiple outlets without mastering one. According to Praful, the consolidation phase is where most restaurants skip the work. It’s where systems are built, culture is shaped, and leadership is tested.

He urges restaurant owners to stop looking for universal formulas.

Redefining Growth: From Revenue to Relationships

For most restaurant chains, scale means expanding footprint or multiplying revenue. For Malaka Spice, it means multiplying impact.

One of Praful’s most radical ideas is how he turns employees into entrepreneurs:

• His audit manager became the coconut supplier.
• His head chef is now the fishmonger.
• His GM and CEO co-own franchise outlets.

“My purpose as an entrepreneur is to spread prosperity. What use is my success if it doesn’t raise everyone around me?”

This isn’t delegation. This is decentralized ownership. Restaurant owners often struggle with team retention, leadership succession, or vendor reliability. Praful solves all three by giving stakeholders skin in the game. When your team owns a part of the business, loyalty is not a policy. It’s the byproduct of trust.

The Dharma of Service: Seva as Strategy

One of the strongest recurring themes in this dialogue is seva. At Malaka Spice, the philosophy is simple:

For Praful, Praja includes:

• His team
• His vendors
• His guests
• Even the soil at Cherish Farm

This means that whether it’s the vendor who delivers meat or the guest walking in for lunch, Malaka Spice is in their service. This radical mindset flips the usual top-down hierarchy of most businesses. Seva is not a moral idea here. It is a strategic imperative.

“If I’m in service of my vendor, there’s zero chance he’ll bring me bad material.”

Imagine the implications for a restaurant owner: A kitchen that runs on mutual respect. A supply chain built on integrity. A staff that stays not for perks, but for purpose.

Business as a Circle: The Saptaang Framework

Praful brings the Saptang model from Arthashastra into everyday decision-making. It includes 7 elements:

1. Swami – The founder or leader
2. Amatya – The advisors or leadership team
3. Janapad – The territory or client base
4. Danda – The operational force or staff
5. Kosh – The treasury
6. Durga – The infrastructure
7. Mitra – The allies, partners, vendors

This is the blueprint of an ecosystem, not an org chart.

Praful maps this framework to every initiative, from restaurants to farms to his cancer charity foundation. And every day, he works on each of these elements in what he calls his Dincharya.

“You want to build a family, a business, or a nation? Start with the Swami, then nurture the rest.”

Dealing with Aggregators: Aligning Dharma with Delivery

What about modern-day challenges? Like Zomato, Swiggy, and the discount trap?

Praful acknowledges that aggregators are now part of the ecosystem. But he draws a hard line: if they don’t align with his dharma, they aren’t Mitras. He uses them only for discovery or logistics, not to erode his value with discounts.

Restaurant owners can take note: every partnership must be value-aligned, not just value-adding.

Passing the Baton: Preparing the Next Generation

As Malaka Spice approaches its 30th year, Praful’s focus is on leadership continuity, not just by hiring, but by mentoring and empowering.

Through Chiranjeev Gurukul, the learning and leadership academy he co-founded, he trains new restaurateurs in these principles. Watch the entire episode:

Final Thoughts: Go Inward to Grow Outward

Praful’s worldview is a beautiful counter to today’s business noise. His message isn’t anti-growth. It’s pro-intention. He doesn’t offer quick hacks, but timeless frameworks.

For restaurant owners, this isn’t just a masterclass in philosophy. It’s a guide to building a business that doesn’t just scale, but lasts.

Why Most Restaurant Expansions Fail (And How to Avoid It)

Before we jump into Justin’s strategies, let’s address the elephant in the room. Most restaurant chains fail because they focus on opening more locations instead of building better systems.

Justin’s approach is different. He treats each restaurant like a well-oiled machine that can run without him. Smart, right?

1. Start With Systems, Not Recipes

The mistake most restaurant owners make: They think great food automatically equals great business.

Justin learned this the hard way. When he opened Kerala Cafe without any hospitality background, he realized something crucial:

His secret weapon? A systems-first mindset. Instead of focusing solely on perfecting recipes, he built frameworks for:

• Daily operations
• Staff training
• Customer feedback loops
• Financial tracking

Pro tip: If you can’t explain your restaurant operations to someone in 30 minutes, your systems need work.

Read about: Queue Management System

2. Happy Staff = Happy Customers (The Math Actually Works)

Here’s a truth bomb that most restaurant owners ignore: your staff happiness directly impacts your bottom line.

Justin’s staff retention strategy:

• Hire for attitude, train for skills
• Create clear growth paths (store staff → manager → area manager)
• Use internal referrals instead of job portals
• Show employees their 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year career progression

The result? Lower training costs, better customer service, and fewer headaches for you.

3. Food Cost Control: Why Daily Tracking Beats Monthly Reports

Reality check: If you’re only checking food costs monthly, you’re probably bleeding money daily.

Justin’s Kerala Cafe initially had a 52% food cost because they were generous with portions and loose with inventory. Customers loved it, but the business was dying.

His daily food cost system:

• Weigh all incoming inventory
• Track prepped ingredients
• Record daily closing stock
• Monitor portion sizes religiously

The outcome? Food cost dropped to 28% for Kerala Cafe and even lower for premium brands like Francesco’s.

Benchmark to remember: Keep food costs under 30% of revenue.

You must read about: Benefits of Quarterly Analysis

4. Standard Operating Procedures: Your Scale-Up Insurance Policy

Want to know the difference between a 1-outlet restaurant and a 30-outlet chain? One word: Standardization.

Justin’s SOP framework covers:

• Opening procedures
• Order taking processes
• Food preparation steps
• Closing checklists
• Customer service standards

Pro insight: Review your SOPs quarterly for the first three years, especially when expanding to new cities.

5. Master Your Unit Economics Before You Scale

Golden rule: Don’t open your second location until your first one proves the model works.

Justin’s profitability benchmarks:

• ROI within 24-36 months
• Rent under 10% of monthly revenue (5% for cloud kitchens)
• Food cost under 30%
• Marketing budget: 2-3% of revenue (after initial launch)
• Combined utilities and marketing under 5%

Translation: Perfect one restaurant before you dream of ten.

Do you know: What’s RevPASH

6. Multiple Brands Strategy: How to Avoid Cannibalizing

Running multiple restaurant brands? Here’s how Justin manages two burger brands and a pizza brand without them competing against each other:

His brand differentiation strategy:

• Clear positioning for each brand
• Unique customer bases
• Distinct price points
• Different dining experiences

Example: Kha targets everyday burger lovers, while Francesco’s serves the premium pizza market.

Operational efficiency: He uses a hub-and-spoke model with central kitchens but maintains separate SOPs and marketing for each brand.

Watch the entire episode here 👇

7. Location Selection: Data + Gut Instinct

Expensive lesson learned: Justin once opened Kerala Cafe near a corporate hub, thinking office workers would love Kerala thalis for lunch. Plot twist: They didn’t.

His current location selection checklist:

• Catchment area demographics analysis
• Nearby anchor brands (if McDonald’s works there, good sign)
• Swiggy/Zomato delivery volume data
• Traffic and visibility metrics
• Video documentation of the area

Key insight: Even with perfect feasibility reports, location selection remains the trickiest part of restaurant business.

You must also read about: The Ripple Effect of Great Quality Control

8. The Future is Specialized QSR

Industry trend alert: Customers are moving away from multi-cuisine restaurants toward specialized brands.

Why specialization works:

• Easier inventory management
• Faster food preparation
• Better brand recall
• Simpler staff training

Think: Waffle-only brands, artisan gelato shops, or gourmet sandwich specialists.

9. Delivery Platform Management (Like a Boss)

Reality check: Food aggregators aren’t going anywhere, so learn to work with them strategically.

Justin’s delivery platform strategy:

• Track dashboard metrics daily
• Monitor Kitchen Prep Time (KPT) closely
• Hold account managers accountable
• Price products with commission costs built-in

Pro tip: Improving your KPT can boost sales by 20%.

10. Staff Retention: Growth Paths Over Perks

The problem with most restaurant jobs: No clear career progression.

Justin’s retention formula:

• Show new hires their potential career ladder
• Quarterly one-on-one check-ins
• Loyalty bonuses every two years
• On-time salary payments (sounds basic, but it matters)

Result: Lower recruitment costs and more experienced staff.

Essential Reading for Restaurant Entrepreneurs

Want to dive deeper? Justin recommends these game-changing books:

1. “Setting the Table” by Danny Meyer – Master hospitality-driven business building
2. “Know Your Numbers” – Essential for financial literacy
3. “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara – Create unforgettable customer experiences

The Bottom Line: Scale Smart, Not Fast

Here’s the truth: Scaling a restaurant business isn’t about opening more locations. It’s about building systems that work without you, empowering your people, and never compromising your brand’s soul.

Justin’s journey proves you don’t need to be a chef to build successful food brands. But you absolutely need to be obsessed with:

Ready to Scale Your Restaurant?

Whether you’re running your first outlet or planning your tenth, these strategies offer a proven roadmap. Remember: Get your systems right, know your numbers, treat your people well, and scale with intention.

The results will speak for themselves.

1. Funding isn’t a milestone. It’s a mindset.

One of the first questions we asked Hari was: When does a restaurant know it’s ready for funding? His answer flipped the question.

It’s not about hitting a revenue target or opening a second outlet. It’s about whether you’re building something that can sustain and grow.

Today, the definition of a restaurant has expanded. Cloud kitchens, RTE brands, and delivery-only setups are all part of the mix. Regardless of the format, what matters is your business model. Does it scale? Can it survive thin margins, platform commissions, and rent overheads?

Pro Tip: Don’t start with a pitch deck. Start with a solid understanding of your costs, margins, and customer habits. That’s what makes a business fundable.

2. Great brands don’t just taste good. They think well.

The reality of F&B is harsh. Tastes change. Delivery platforms dominate. And customers are spoilt for choice.

It’s a reminder that your instinct is important, but it has to be balanced with data. If your customers don’t like something, stop pushing it. Feedback isn’t just a formality. It’s the clearest signal of what’s working and what’s not.

That said, don’t confuse instinct with ego. Smart founders can separate personal taste from market opportunity. You might hate egg bites, but if customers love them with coffee, you need to pay attention.

3. Unit economics isn’t fluff. It’s survival math.

If you’re asking for investment, Hari says, know your numbers. And the one he keeps going back to? Food cost.

Margins are thin and getting thinner. Platforms like Zomato and Swiggy can take 20–30% of your sales. Add to that high rents, manpower churn, and rising expectations of consistency across locations.

What you can control:

• Rent (don’t overspend on a fancy location)
• Menu engineering
• Portion sizes
• Fixed costs

It might not be exciting, but it’s essential for survival. Watch the full episode here 👇

4. Storytelling beats spreadsheets (but you need both).

When it comes to pitching, most founders overload their decks with market data. Hari has a different take:

For example, if your data shows that 70% of your orders come from people aged 18–24 who order between 11 PM and 1 AM—that’s insight. That’s fundable.

A good pitch deck does three things:

• Tells a compelling story
• Shares clear customer insights
• Lays out solid financials and use of funds

And yes, know how the money will be used. Don’t leave it to your accountant to explain. Founders must know their financial plan inside out.

5. Valuation isn’t personal. It’s proportional.

Hari suggests a basic benchmark:

• Early stage: 2x annual revenue (up to 2.5x if you’re profitable)
• Premium, category-defining brands: 3x–4x (rare)
• Weak or early-stage: 1.5x (or even less)

Reality check: Even Biryani by Kilo, a 300+ crore brand, was valued at just 1.55x revenue during acquisition.

The key? Focus on profitability, visibility, and velocity.

6. Choose investors like you choose co-founders.

Not all money is equal. Hari warns founders to be careful about who they bring on board.

This is especially true in the F&B world, where operations are intense and founder burnout is common. You want someone who gets it, not just someone who wants quick returns.

And remember, investor control is real. If they hold majority equity, they can push decisions that may not be aligned with you.

7. Spiritual awareness can help you scale, too.

It might sound odd at first, but Hari credits his grounding in the teachings of Ramana Maharshi for his calm, balanced approach to business.

For founders constantly firefighting and making tough calls, this perspective is powerful. It’s not about being passive. It’s about being clear, centred, and kind to your team, to your customers, and to yourself.

Final Thought

Hari’s message is clear. Fundraising is not the goal. Building a great, profitable, beloved brand is. And if you do that, the money will follow.

Take that first step. Then keep walking.

Want more F&B wisdom like this? Check out more episodes of Today’s Special.

Know Your Customer, Grow Your Business

Behind every order lies valuable information that can transform how restaurants operate. When aggregators control this data, restaurant owners are essentially flying blind, unable to understand their customers’ preferences and behaviors.

Sagar Daryani put it simply:

The right customer insights allow restaurants to create targeted marketing campaigns, personalize offerings, and build meaningful relationships with diners, all without slashing prices.

The Data Gap: A Growing Industry Concern

The problem extends beyond just missing out on marketing opportunities. As Daryani elaborated, “For marketing costs to go down, we need to get a database, which we feel is our democratic right.”

This data gap is particularly challenging for smaller restaurants. “There is a sense of fear, and smaller brands are feeling the heat,” Daryani noted, highlighting how the current situation favors larger players with more resources.

Taking Back Control: The Direct Ordering Solution

Restaurants don’t need to remain dependent on aggregators. By implementing their own direct ordering systems, whether through QR codes, websites, or apps, restaurants can begin collecting valuable first-party data with every transaction.

These systems allow customers to browse menus and place orders directly, all while providing the restaurant with critical information about preferences and behaviors.

“If my cost comes down, I will not keep my online pricing higher than offline pricing and will pass on that benefit to the customer,” Daryani emphasized, highlighting how data ownership benefits both restaurants and diners.

From Data to Dollars: The Reelo Approach

This is where platforms like Reelo are changing the game. Known throughout the industry for helping restaurants “grow revenue without discounting,” Reelo offers comprehensive customer data management solutions specifically designed for restaurants.

Parin, Co-founder and CEO of Reelo, explains:

“When restaurants own their customer data, they unlock incredible growth potential without resorting to margin-killing discounts. It’s about creating value through personalization, not price cuts.”

Reelo’s CRM and marketing automation platform, currently used by over 28,000 restaurant brands, integrates seamlessly with existing POS systems to ensure restaurants never lose control of their valuable customer data.

Real Results: Success Stories From The Field

Berco’s 204x ROI Campaign

Berco’s, a restaurant chain with over 50 locations serving Chinese and Thai cuisine, faced challenges in coordinating customer communication across its expansive network. For their Viet Thai Festival, they leveraged Reelo’s Smart Groups to target:

• Loyalty point holders across 10 Delhi locations
• Higher spenders from the previous quarter
• Customers who previously enjoyed Thai menu items

The results were impressive:

• ₹13+ lakhs in revenue over just 7 days
• 854 restaurant visits in one week
• ₹1,522 average order value
• A remarkable 204x return on marketing investment

Pizza Bakery’s ₹1+ Crore Loyalty Empire

Pizza Bakery, known for its artisanal approach (including 48-hour cold-fermented sourdough and custom-built wood-fired ovens), partnered with Reelo to build a loyalty program that matched their premium product.

Their approach focused on:

• Simple phone-based enrollment requiring just a phone number
• WhatsApp-powered engagement with instant loyalty updates
• Smart customer segmentation identifying preferences and patterns
• Targeted campaigns including “We Miss You” offers and “Pizza Explorer” rewards

The 12-month results:

• Generated over ₹1 Crore in loyalty revenue
• Achieved a 16.43% redemption rate
• Averaged ₹1,011 per redemption
• Built a thriving community of pizza enthusiasts

Building Relationships That Last

Once you’ve collected customer data, the next step is transforming these insights into personalized experiences that keep diners coming back.

By leveraging platforms like WhatsApp for direct marketing, restaurants can create personalized communications based on actual customer behaviors, sending a dessert lover information about new sweet treats, or notifying a family about meal deals perfect for their group.

The Path Forward: A New Restaurant Business Model

The message from industry leaders is clear: restaurants must reclaim ownership of their customer data to thrive. By implementing direct ordering systems, building loyalty programs, and leveraging platforms like Reelo to manage customer relationships, restaurants can break free from dependency on aggregators.

In an industry with tight margins, owning customer data isn’t just nice to have; it’s essential. The Reelo approach shows that restaurants don’t need endless discounts to attract customers. What they need is data to understand customers, tools to engage them, and strategies to keep them coming back.

As Daryani concluded, “For marketing costs to go down, we need to get a database, which we feel is our democratic right.”

The restaurants that embrace this data-driven, discount-free approach will be the ones writing success stories in the years ahead.

1. Authenticity in Brand Identity Builds Long-Term Success

For Yash, a strong and authentic brand identity isn’t just about logos and colors but the entire experience.

At Hunger Inc. every brand has a distinct personality. The branding, from visual identity to menu curation, reflects a unique story that resonates with people.

For instance, The Bombay Canteen was designed to evoke nostalgia, reimagining classic Indian flavours in a contemporary setting. On the other hand, Veronica’s, their legendary sandwich shop, brings a fresh and playful energy with bold flavours and a community-driven approach. These stories aren’t just marketing tactics, they’re embedded in the very DNA of the brands.

Takeaway: Your restaurant’s identity should be more than just aesthetics. Define what makes you different and let it guide every decision.

2. Translating Concepts into Visual Identity

Yash emphasizes that the process of branding isn’t just about creating a logo or picking a color palette; it’s about translating a restaurant’s philosophy into something tangible.

For The Bombay Canteen, the branding represents a mix of nostalgia and contemporary India, ensuring that customers feel an emotional connection the moment they walk in.

Takeaway: Your restaurant’s branding should be a true extension of its philosophy, not just a surface-level exercise.

3. Customer Experience Goes Beyond Food: Storytelling Matters

For Yash, hospitality isn’t just about great food or efficient service. It’s about creating an experience that makes customers feel something.

“People may forget what they ate, but they will never forget how you made them feel,” he emphasizes.

At The Bombay Canteen, every detail is meticulously designed to offer warmth, nostalgia, and delight, from the regional ingredients to the homely yet quirky interiors. The idea is to create a space that tells a story, making every visit memorable.

Takeaway: Focus on emotions, not just transactions. Your restaurant should be a place people want to return to, not just for the food but for the overall vibe and experience.

4. Structuring Teams Across Multiple Brands

With multiple brands under Hunger Inc., managing teams efficiently is crucial. Yash explains that structuring teams well ensures operational smoothness.

“We hire people not just for their skills, but for their alignment with our culture. Skill can be taught, but passion and values are non-negotiable.”

He believes in empowering employees and giving them ownership, which results in better service and creativity.

Takeaway: Hire for cultural fit first, then train for skills. A strong team structure enables sustainable growth.

Watch the full episode here: 

5. Adaptability is Key in the Ever-Evolving F&B Industry

The restaurant business is unpredictable. Whether it’s changing food trends, economic slowdowns, or a global pandemic, those who don’t adapt get left behind.

Yash and his team had to pivot during the pandemic, launching DIY meal kits and taking The Bombay Canteen experience to people’s homes. This ability to innovate kept them relevant when many restaurants struggled to survive.

Takeaway: Change is inevitable. The question is: how fast can you adapt? Keep experimenting, take calculated risks, and always be ready to evolve.

6. Evolving from Nostalgia to ‘India of Today’

The Bombay Canteen started as a tribute to nostalgia, bringing back lost recipes and flavors. But as India evolves, so does the restaurant.

The menu has evolved to reflect modern Indian dining while keeping its essence intact.

Takeaway: Keep your brand’s core intact but allow it to evolve with time and consumer preferences.

7. Balancing Innovation and Cultural Sensitivity in Menu Design

Innovation in food is exciting, but it must be done with respect to its cultural roots. Yash stresses the importance of keeping authenticity alive while experimenting with flavors.

“If you innovate just for the sake of it, you lose credibility. It has to make sense to your brand and audience.”

Takeaway: Respect tradition while pushing boundaries. Customers love innovation, but not at the cost of cultural authenticity.

8. Navigating Trends Without Losing Brand Identity

Trends come and go, but strong brands remain timeless. Yash talks about how he approaches trends cautiously.

“We don’t jump on every new fad. Instead, we ask: Does this align with our brand? If not, we skip it.”

This approach has helped The Bombay Canteen maintain its distinct identity.

Takeaway: Be selective with trends. Stay true to what your brand represents, and don’t chase every passing wave.

9. Entrepreneurship Requires Both Passion and Business Acumen

Passion fuels creativity, but business sense keeps the engine running. Yash stresses that running a restaurant isn’t just about a love for food, it’s about understanding numbers, structuring teams, and making strategic decisions.

From structuring teams across multiple brands to developing scalable systems for restaurant operations, Yash believes in setting up strong foundations to ensure long-term success.

Takeaway: Dream big, but back it up with solid business planning and team management.

10. Developing Scalable Systems for Restaurant Operations

Sustaining multiple brands requires strong backend systems. Yash highlights the importance of building processes that scale efficiently without losing quality.

“If you want to expand, you need systems that allow you to do so without compromising the guest experience.”

This means investing in training, technology, and operational efficiency.

Takeaway: Scale smartly. Build systems early to ensure smooth growth without operational hiccups.

You must read about Inventory Turnover

Final Thoughts

Yash Bhanage’s journey is proof that success in the restaurant business isn’t just about great food. It’s about emotions, storytelling, adaptability, team culture, and community.

Whether you’re running a small cafe or dreaming of opening a chain, his insights serve as a powerful guide to building something meaningful and long-lasting.

So, the next time you step into The Bombay Canteen or O Pedro or any other brand that falls under the umbrella of Hunger Inc., know that you’re not just experiencing a meal, you’re experiencing a vision brought to life. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll walk away with ideas to transform your restaurant journey, too.

The Zomato & Swiggy effect

Few things have transformed restaurant operations like – third-party aggregator apps. When Chef Ajay started exploring how Zomato and Swiggy were changing the game, he discovered something surprising: preparation speed could make or break a restaurant’s success on these platforms.

“Here’s what most people don’t know,” Chef Ajay explained, “If your order takes less than 9 minutes to prepare, the algorithm favours you. You’ll find yourself at the top of the listings—without spending an extra rupee on advertising.“

This revelation forced him to completely reimagine his menu. The challenge was clear: how do you maintain quality while meeting the demands of quick service? Chef Ajay found himself grappling with tough decisions, particularly when it came to traditional dishes.

“Take biryani, for instance,” he said, shaking his head with a knowing smile. “It’s traditionally a 30-minute cook from scratch, but it remains one of the most ordered items on these platforms. The successful restaurants? They’ve adapted. They keep their biryani ready in pots, making it a simple matter of serving and sending it out.”

He shared the golden rule of modern restaurant management: 

It’s a simple principle, that becomes more relevant than ever in the age of digital delivery.

How to talk to Zomato & Swiggy representatives

Many restaurant owners get frustrated when their sales don’t take off despite being listed on Zomato and Swiggy. But Chef Ajay stresses that asking the right questions is key.

“Don’t just call and ask why your sales are low—ask specific questions like ‘What’s stopping my restaurant from ranking higher?’ or ‘Which dishes are performing well in my area?’”

These platforms collect vast amounts of customer data, from ordering habits to peak hours. Instead of fighting the system, smart restaurateurs can work with representatives to gain insights and tailor their strategies accordingly. 

Chef Ajay recommends investing in visibility ads in the first few months to gain traction. “If you’re a new restaurant, people won’t find you unless you’re seen. These platforms reward engagement, so you have to play the game right.”

Mastering food costs & Restaurant efficiency

With years of experience managing multiple restaurants, Chef Ajay knows that balancing food costs is key to success. “When I was an executive chef, I managed seven restaurants under me. Each had different food costs—speciality restaurants ran at 34-35%, but banquet catering gave me a buffer at 16-18%.”

One of his biggest hacks? Keeping chefs accountable. “If a chef came to me with a store list worth ₹46,000, my first question was, ‘How much did we sell yesterday?’ If they said ₹1 lakh, I’d say, ‘Then you get a store budget of ₹23,000.’ It’s all about control.”

He also stressed the importance of tracking daily sales, adjusting production based on demand, and training staff to minimize waste. “Many restaurants lose money just because they prep the same quantity every day without checking if it’s needed. A Monday is different from a Friday, and your kitchen must reflect that.”

Why data matters more than ever

For Chef Ajay, the biggest game-changer in the restaurant business has been data. “I used to think success was all about great food. But if you don’t understand data, you’re basically flying blind.”

He shared how restaurant owners often wonder why they aren’t getting enough orders despite spending money on promotions. The answer? Look at your numbers first. “Before you call Zomato or Swiggy to complain, ask yourself—did I set the right sales target? If I aimed for 15 lakhs but made only 5, what went wrong?”

Watch the full episode here:

The power of data in restaurants

Data has become a critical tool in the restaurant business, influencing everything from customer interactions to inventory management. Those who harness it effectively gain a competitive edge.

The human touch in fine dining with data

Data should complement, not overshadow, hospitality. Chef Ajay emphasizes that while insights can guide decisions, the heart of fine dining lies in personal connections.

“For example, when a regular guest celebrates a birthday, having a cake ready creates a memorable moment. But that’s the magic of human interaction—it’s not something data can replace.”

The best restaurants know that customers value personal touches, and they use data as a tool to make guests feel even more special, not as a mere statistic.

Using customer data for targeted marketing

Many restaurants fail to utilize their customer databases effectively. “If you have a list of customers with birthdays in a given month, a simple call or message with a special offer can bring them back.”

Restaurants that take a proactive approach to engaging customers are the ones that build long-term loyalty. (Reelo helps you with exactly that, sign up to know how!)

Launching new dishes based on data insights

Instead of randomly adding new dishes, Chef Ajay suggests using data to guide decisions. 

This insight highlights how data can help restaurants avoid unnecessary costs and focus on what actually drives sales.

Importance of data in inventory management

“Keeping track of what sells and what doesn’t helps minimize waste. Restaurants often lose money by over-prepping for slow days like Mondays. Data can prevent that.”

Restaurants that fail to monitor inventory accurately often deal with wastage and unnecessary expenses. Smart inventory management saves money and improves overall efficiency.

Fine Dining vs. QSR: Data usage differences

Fine dining restaurants and Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) use data in drastically different ways.

“At fine dining places, knowing a guest’s preferred wine or favourite dish can make a big difference. QSRs, on the other hand, focus on order trends and peak sales hours.”

The goal of a fine dining restaurant is to create an experience that makes guests return, while QSRs prioritize speed and efficiency. Understanding this distinction helps restaurant owners choose the right approach for their business model.

For more insights into the latest restaurant trends shaping the industry, check out our free resource—Next Course: Restaurant Trends Report 2025. 

The human touch still wins

Despite all the tech and data, Chef Ajay believes that the heart of hospitality is still human connection. He recalled an incident where a customer called him at midnight, furious about a late Zomato order. Instead of brushing it off, he personally called the restaurant, fixed the issue, and even invited the customer over for a free meal the next day. The result? “That guy told at least 15 people about how we handled his complaint.”

Final Takeaway

For restaurants navigating the modern food business, Chef Ajay’s advice is clear: “Understand your customers, make data your best friend, and never lose the personal touch.”

Whether you’re a restaurant owner or just someone who loves food, one thing’s for sure—there’s more to a great dining experience than what’s on your plate!