"With no quality, expect no repeat customers"

In an exclusive chat with Franchise India, Mr. Sachin Dhoka, Owner, Firangi Tadka, talks on how he started his restaurant business and how he is counted among the popular restaurants in Pune.

  1. How did you formulate a business plan for your restaurant?

I did a detailed study of the market before making the business plan – how much revenue is required, from where would I get the supplier, how much manpower would be required in my restaurant, what should be the location from where I could get the customer and many other requirements that goes into the planning of my restaurant.

 

  1. What marketing strategy did you employ to make it popular among people?

Print media and word-of-mouth were the two tools I used mostly to advertise my restaurant. We have done lots of advertisements through print media. Talking to people, making them aware about our restaurant, distributing leaflets and pamphlets among the localities helped in gaining the customer’s attention.

Apart from this, we provided quality food and warm service every time a customer comes to our restaurant. We also offer coupons and discounts for the customer, organise parties, especially the birthday parties.

 

  1. How has been the response of people towards Firangi Tadka?

When I started my restaurant, I did not look out for any investor; in fact I invested my savings in the restaurant. We are currently running into the third year of our restaurant, having completed two successful years. Three-and-a-half year time is enough to get back the investment and it is coming in. I think the response of the people can be judged from this fact.

What menu tweaks made you stand out in this food-driven society?

We are a multi-cuisine restaurant focusing on serving north Indian, Chinese and Continental foods on the palate. We have worked a lot to bring the taste of the world at our restaurant. To stand out among the competitors, we have made a wide variety of north Indian menu – ‘paneer tikka labadar’, ‘diwani handi’ and ‘bhindi achari’ focusing on ‘hindustani handi’. ‘Shanto mein’ and ‘hakka mein’ are some of our noodle varieties. Our continental menu has ‘Bangkok Red curry’, ‘manchurian vegetable’ and many more.

  1. Team effort contributes to a restaurant’s growth. Please elaborate.

It is the team effort that contributes to the growth of a restaurant. We have a marvellous team working together. From the kitchen personnel to the managers to the owners, all work together to run the restaurant smoothly.

  1. How much hand does quality have in a restaurant’s success?

Quality is the first and foremost requirement of a restaurant; it is the pillar of success for a restaurant. When I opened my restaurant, the first thing which I focused on was the quality of food and the quality of service extended to each customer. I sincerely believe that if you want a regular crowd at your restaurant, you need to emphasise on the quality aspect. If you don’t have quality food, you won’t be able to gain repeat customers.

 

  1. How can a restaurateur find and employ a good chef?

Chef is ‘the’ person behind the innovative menu design in a restaurant; he is the backbone of a restaurant. A good chef is one who has enough knowledge, experience and milestone in the industry. Word of mouth definitely helps a lot in getting a good chef for a restaurant.

 

Has technology been a boon or bane for your restaurant?

Technology has been a boon, obviously. We have always got positive comments on the social media sites. Facebook, Twitter or any other networking site, works as a platform in advertising about the restaurant. The media, especially the print media, has helped us a lot in attaining success.

 

Do you encourage corporates to hold business meetings at your restaurant?

Ours is a small multi-cuisine restaurant. We only emphasise on dining; we don’t invite people for business meetings at our restaurant.

 

How are you planning to expand in the near future?

We don’t have a branch right now. However, we are planning to expand it in and across Pune. We are also trying to open a branch at Hyderabad.

 
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