Gurnaaz Kaur
This city has been the breeding ground for some of the best franchise models from the world of food. Swagath, Garam Dharam, Chilis, Karim’s, Farzi, TGIF, Sagar Ratna, Social, Flyp, Molecule, Haagen-Dazs, Starbucks, Kylin, Barbeque Nation, Biryani By Kilo, Mainland China... the list is long.
These names that reflect fine dining, casual restaurants, bars, bistros, cafes, coffee houses, provide all possible avenues to satiate our palates. While some of these established brands from other cities and countries have made a mark in Chandigarh, some have also lost the ground. So, is there some special strategy that works for franchises? Are people fond of only some brands or selective cuisines? We find out.
Brand value
“Chandigarh is a haven for food lovers. The failure and success of an outlet has a lot to do with how true it has been to its brand. A lot of working is involved to bring a franchise up and running in a new market,” says Angad Singh, a restaurant consultant who runs The Right Knife. If a person is approaching a franchiser only because he has money to invest and wants a fancy eating place, that’s not enough. One has to do enough research to know what will work in which area. “Chandigarh people are ready to experiment, which is a big plus. But they are as much aware and will not settle for anything substandard.”
Attention to detail
While the love for food is universal, when a person goes to eat out, it’s a complete experience. No wonder Manish Goyal understands this psychology as he has the longest-running franchise called Swagath in the city. He is also a franchisee of Sagar Ratna, Karim’s and has a partnership in Social—all the names that have no dearth of patronage. His mantra is attention to detail. “By taking a franchise, what you get is a support structure. It still has to be looked after as a business. The moment a customer walks in till he walks out — food is not the only activity. That freshness and energy has to be there,” he says.
Why failure?
There have been rumours that TGIF, Farzi and FLYP aren’t doing that well. “TGIF launched around the time of the liquor ban. Now, it is a brand that plays on its cocktails. Since it couldn’t start with much fanfare, it did not create that buzz. Everywhere else, TGIF is doing very well,” explains Manish.
Ruby Tuesday came much before its time and was at a place that led to its failure. “There was a point when whoever visited Fun Republic, went there. But with more multiplexes, the mall was deserted and so was Ruby Tuesday.”
Devinder Sehgal, who is a partner at Farzi, feels clueless why the bistro hasn’t picked up. He tells, “There is no sale. Hardly people come. We’ve done whatever it takes to run this place but for some reason, it hasn’t been doing well.”
Minimise risk
Sonia Mahindra, director Under One Roof, from her 25 years of experience in the industry as a consultant, believes, “A franchise works because of three things. Ideation is already done, risk is minimised; there is a set system for operations. But it fails when either the franchiser or franchisee doesn’t do his home work, which includes evaluating the merits and demerits vis-a-vis the brand, adding the local or cultural aspect.”
With new brands launching every other day and perhaps some even closing down, it’s paramount to catch the pulse and not make the same mistake. Starbucks and Barbeque Nation reinvented themselves and also repositioned. Likewise, Molecule partner Akhil Gupta says, “We first did all the R & D, studied other models and then brought Molecule here. The marketing and branding plan for the coming future is also charted.”
There is a code; one just needs to crack it.
gurnaaz@tribunemail.com
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2VGwx3e
via Today’s News Headlines
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