Fine-dine and food hospitality company Massive Restaurants has charted a longer gastronomical route, with plans to operate over 15 restaurants across India and Dubai, in the next 6-8 months.
The company — a brainchild of Zorawar Kalra, son of noted restaurateur Jiggs Kalra — currently operates nine restaurants across five brands — Farzi Cafe (Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Dubai), PaPaYa (Mumbai), Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra (Mumbai), Made in Punjab (Mumbai and Delhi), and Masala Bar (Mumbai).
“We are planning two outlets of fine casual dining chain Farzi Cafe within a month. Two outlets of pan-Asian bistro PaPaYa are opening in Mumbai and Delhi each, in 3-4 months, while an outlet each of authentic Punjabi restaurant Made in Punjab is opening in Noida and Bengaluru. We are planning outlets of Masala Bar in Delhi, while a branch of Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra is opening in Delhi shortly,” Zorawar, who is the MD of the company, told Deccan Herald. The company is also planning to introduce a new brand altogether, which Zorawar said is still at an infancy stage, and more of its details be announced only around six months later.
“We will have around 15 restaurants in the next six months, with us owning a majority of them. We have already invested upwards of Rs 65 crore in the last one-and-half years, and will be investing another Rs 30 crore in next 6-8 months towards growing these brands, and their expansion in new geographies,” he said.
Referring to the restaurant business in India, Zorawar said, “The restaurant industry is burgeoing in India, since Indians love eating out. The industry is growing at a CAGR of 20%, with huge potential. A middle-class population of 350 million means a large market with spending capacity and a tendency to eat out, hence, the importance given to food quality and safety, especially in metros. We restaurateurs see this as a unique opportunity for growth.”
The Indian restaurant business is a $46-billion industry, slated to touch $75 billion by the end of the next one year, and is considered the largest employer of people in the country after agriculture.
Massive Restaurants has a run rate of Rs 70 crore a year, and has almost reached the Rs 100-crore mark. Within 2-3 months, it expects to achieve a sales target of Rs 10 crore a month.