5 key learnings for restaurateurs from Owner of celebrated restaurant Burma Burma

Ankit Gupta opened his first Burma Burma Restaurant in 2011 in Mumbai and has been ruling the sector for almost 12 years now and running Burma Burma for 8 years, but it's still a learning curve for him. Here are few key learnings that he wants to share with fellow restaurateurs in the business:

Always be transparent and genuine with your guests: We have been hearing this word for ages whenever we talk about any relation. Be it a customer relation, a guest relation or relation between employee and employer, transparency has been the key for all. Same in restaurant business being transparent mean being real. According to Gupta, all the guests are so well-travelled and well informed these days about what's authentic and what's not, so always be genuine with your servings is very important.

Location is the key: Location plays a significant role in creating brand preference and brand equity. Usually restaurateurs focus more on their food and ambience while coming up with their own venture. But they shouldn’t forget that location should be the most important thing when they open a restaurant. One should put location at the top before thinking of any other factors. As per Gupta, the location matters the most. It truly helps the business kickstart, which is required in the initial months, so we can say that location is of utmost importance when opening a restaurant.

Team is the backbone of any business: “Thirdly, it's definitely the team. Evaluating their experience and setting transparent HR policies because that's how it will work,” pointed Gupta whose restaurant Burma Burma is one of the top celebrated restaurant in the country. A teamwork helps to build morale in the workplace environment making work more productive and help increase profits. For restaurants that have excellent team, problem-solving is easier — since people with different skills and knowledge will work together to produce a creative solution.

A good ‘story’ always gets heard: Today, when there is a new restaurant opening every other day, having a story, emotion that connects well with the customer is very important. According to Gupta, when there are so many restaurants around, the customers would want to go someplace where they make a connection and where there is some effort taken by the founders, the chef, and the team to serve them an experience. The wow experience can only be translated when there is proper backend research and a story to connect.

In the end, I would sum up by saying that one shouldn't open a restaurant for the money that will flow in but passion drives the success and eventually shows in the work. Lastly, collaborate and work with the greats or specialists to ensure the final outcome is a great product.