The man behind such successful restaurant brands as Mocha and Smoke House Deli, Riyaaz Amlani, was recently elected as president of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI). At 39, the founder, managing director and chief executive officer of Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality is the youngest person to lead NRAI in its 31-year-old history. His company, which runs 39 outlets across 13  cities, recorded a turnover of Rs 150 crore with a profit margin of 18 per cent. In an email interview with BW|Businessworld, Amlani speaks about his vision as NRAI president, the road ahead for Impresario and how to sustain the spoilt-for-choice customer’s interest while earning  profits in the restaurant business.

What are your priorities and plans as the new president of NRAI?
NRAI has completed 31 years and is gradually making its presence felt across the country. We represent 1,200 restaurants, including big chains like McDonalds, Dominos, Yum Restaurants, Olive and Indigo, a slew of standalone restaurants, suppliers and educational institutes. At present, our committee involves more than 25 restaurant CEOs/ owners representing various national and international brands from the F&B sector.

The hospitality industry is going through a very exciting phase wherein it is poised for a CAGR of 17 per cent. However, we face numerous  challenges such as licensing, real estate, supply chain etc. As the new president, I want the association to identify, address and resolve the problems and upcoming challenges in the food service industry. My aim is to make NRAI more approachable, cater to the interests of the standalone restaurants and also provide advocacy, training, research as well as access to industry events at grassroots levels.

As an association, our target is to have 5,000 members. We are aiming at acquiring more restaurants, standalone chains and even start-ups under our umbrella.

We have plans to widen our membership base to include more standalone restaurants from tier II and III cities and also bring in the small unorganised food service providers, who could really use our help. I hope to make NRAI more accessible and provide a strong shield for the small players. We are planning to add more value proposition services for our members by allowing them admission into the research and insights of NRAI.

On a personal note, this industry has given me so much and this is a great opportunity for me to give back to the industry, and strengthen it from the ground up.

What are your plans for Impresario?
Our plans remain expansion-oriented. We are looking at scaling up our presence nationwide, with about 100 outlets under the Smoke House Deli and Social brands. We are also focusing on the growth and development of Mocha in tier II cities while targeting the state capitals and other cities. We also have plans to expand internationally. ‘Handmade’ restaurants is our maxim and we won’t trade scale for soul.

Did you always want to be in the restaurant business? What drew you to it?
I am the kind of person who thrives on the unexpected. I believe in going by my instincts. When something feels right, I just know it. But  having said that,  good food has always been an integral part of my life and got my attention. It all began in Panchgani, when one evening Varun Sahni, Kiran Salaskar (friend and co-founder respectively) and I were sitting around drinking coffee and smoking sheesha. One of us randomly suggested that we could become millionaires if we bottled and sold that experience. The mere idea of it got us a high even without a drop of liquor. The feeling stuck on with me well into the future.

Months later, when I bolted my job, those were the friends I sought out to build my pool of Rs 15 lakh. What started out as a lark, soon turned into a business idea. I backed it up with a fair share of research, an approach that I have followed through the years. I found out that the coffee shop had its origins in Ethiopia with the Quahveh Khanneh (literally the back of people’s homes) where people gathered over hot coffee and sheesha. These places were popular as they developed into the centres for social entertainment, a place to keep track of important news, engage in stimulating conversation, listen to music and play games. We decided to take our inspiration from the same culture and start a coffee shop. The rest, as they say, is history!

Restaurants open with a lot of fanfare, but quite a few shut down within a short time. As someone who has seen his fair share of success and failure, what would you say are the golden rules of running a restaurant successfully?

In today’s fast changing times, it is very important for a restaurant to remain relevant in order to create an instant connect and make the  right kind of impact amongst the target audience. It’s about striking a fine balance between trying to build a brand and at the same time,  catering to the food
intelligence. Delivering an experience on the front and keeping fixed costs down at the back is crucial. It is equally important to reinvent and evolve with the changing consumer demands and industry trends.

Restaurants are like personalities. At Impresario, our one-word philosophy is handmade restaurants; where everything is hand-picked  and every detail handcrafted. No two restaurants look alike, even if they fall under the same brand. They are tailored to their location  and presumptive customer base. Our attention to detail, in terms of taste, ambience as well as service, is what allows us to flourish.

How do you see the restaurant business in India evolving in the near future? How do you see customers’ tastes evolving across the  metros and also smaller towns and cities?
As I said, the Indian restaurant business has undergone a lot of transformation over the last few years. Many new players have proliferated into the market and existing players have expanded operations to tap a wider consumer base. The future will witness  ‘value proposition’ gaining eminence. More emphasis will be laid on the quality of experience and value services provided. There will also be a shift of focus from the fine-dine habit to a more ‘casual’ dining-out culture — more relaxed and less uptight ambience. The  product portfolios of the restaurants will widen to include a range of offerings.

From the customer’s side, eating out will no longer be a luxury or occasional activity. It is likely to become a “no occasion”. At present, the Indian onsumer perceives eating out as an indulgence vis-a-vis their counterparts in Asian countries for whom eating out is a convenience. This attitude of Indian customers will gradually change.

Overall, the evolving consumer taste will remain accommodative and open to experiencing a wider range of cuisines. In tier II cities, customers are developing a palate for oriental flavours. There is a strong potential of increase in demand for European cuisine too. Also, the percolation of QSR in tier
II cities and state capitals will see an upward trend. Consequently, such trends as ordering-in, shifting towards healthier alternatives and higher brand engagement will be adopted over time.

Source: http://www.businessworld.in/