CATEGORIES

The Chili From Tex-Mex

Recently, Food & Beverage Business Review had an interaction with Ashish Saxena, CEO — Chili's India (South & West). Chili’s India is within the ambit of Chili’s American Grill & Bar, which is a leading American casual dining restaurant chain, with presence across more than 1600 restaurants in 33 countries worldwide including Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Egypt, Kuwait, Russia, UAE, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea amongst several others.Tex-Mex Cuisine, a private limited company headquartered in Chennai and having its corporate office in Mumbai, holds development rights for Chili’s American Grill & Bar in West & South India. The southern & western markets for Chili's in the country are spread across Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The interaction with the corporate honcho provided useful perspective about the evolution of the Chili’s brand in India. The excerpts of the interview follow:

Service Charge Is Voluntary

After the Union Government approved guidelines on service charge, the Food and Consumer Affairs Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan has declared in the recent past that the service charge on hotel and restaurant bills was absolutely voluntary and not mandatory.

FHA 2018 Becomes Bigger Than Ever

The event saw 81,896 attendees from more than 105 countries/ regions, an increase of 14 percent from 2016

Tangy Candies Can Mean Sweet Business

According to the data and analytics company GlobalData, growing demand for exciting flavours is prompting companies in the Indian hard boiled sweets market to explore new flavour combinations in a single candy and offer a unique consumption experience.

Packaged Opportunities

With the rising demand for bakery products in India, the packaging of bakery products offers attractive opportunities for enterprising entrepreneurs to venture in to. Ashok Malkani analyses the business prospects that this segment promises while talking about options or solutions being used for packaging of bakery products in India

Driven By The Passion To Bake

Dreaming with your eyes wide open is something only a few people do. Deeksha Shetty, the Pastry Chef and Proprietor at Cocoamaya, Mumbai is one of them. Coming from a family of hospitality professionals who have been in the industry for over twenty-five years, Deeksha first showed an interest in baking and pastry at the tender age of fourteen.  Dreaming with your eyes wide open is something only a few people do. Deeksha Shetty, the Pastry Chef and Proprietor at Cocoamaya, Mumbai is one of them. Coming from a family of hospitality professionals who have been in the industry for over twenty-five years, Deeksha first showed an interest in baking and pastry at the tender age of fourteen.

Trafs 2017: One Stop Shop For Hotel /Food Service Solutions

Thailand’s biggest international hospitality/food service show is set to bring in to one platform 150 exhibitors and more than 20,000 target buyers from 50+ countries.

Pizza Has Potential

One of the fast food products which have great market potential among the urban Indian consumers is the pizza. Especially in post-modern urban India with its huge number of nuclear families with busy working couples, where room for cooking time is not much, pizza can be a nutritious and filling option, which can be had without much hassle, in fact sometimes even through a telephone call or through a click of the mouse.

Rocking Rolls

A decade back when one talked of rolls, the normal visualisation was of a sweet bread in the shape of a roll. But times have changed. Rolls now comprise of vegetarian or non-vegetarian food wrapped in hand made Indian bread, known as rotis and parathas. The simplicity and convenience of making and consuming wraps and rolls has perhaps contributed towards their popularity in this age, when people have less time at their disposal than they had two decades before. Wraps and rolls have evolved internationally over the years, with delectable fillings such as leafy salads, roasted chicken/meat, and grilled vegetables. In the Indian market these elements have coalesced into delicacies like kathi rolls, Frankies, kebab rolls, etc. Ashok Malkani talks about some of rolls which are enjoying huge popularity in the Indian QSR segment.

Enriched Breads

Bread is one of the oldest man made food products, whose usage by humankind dates much beyond the recorded history. There is indication that humankind used to have bread even 30,000 years ago, in fact much before they became civilised. One can find clear evidence of bread making during the beginning of Neolithic age that is around 10,000 BC.

Super Fruit For Bakeries

Guava is a delicious, highly nutritious and tropical fruit whose cultivation is done across several tropical and subtropical regions, up to 1500 m above mean sea level. However, its growth is rare in temperate climates. The fruit is the product of Psidium guajava tree, belonging to the Myrtle family. Psidium guajava is also the botanical name of the guava fruit.

Pop-Up Culinary Show Packs A Punch

With a view to keep the pleasure of cooking alive, and sharing their secrets to create sumptuous delicacies, the founders of Troublesome Duo — Chef Neha Lakhani and Chef Ashay Dhopatkar — recently organised a popup show in Mumbai.

The Growing Role Of Bakery Ingredients

The Indian bakery industry is going through impressive growth rate. The reasons are probably the huge number of nuclear families in urban India and the fast-paced lifestyles of a sizeable section of urban Indians in post-modern urban Indian society, the steady increase in disposable incomes in select but sizeable pockets of urban India since the last decade-and-a-half, and the changing lifestyles and eating habits of a great many Indian consumers due to the effect of globalisation. As the bakery sector progresses, the demand for bakery ingredients also increases, providing opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs to enter this field. Ashok Malkani examines the needs of the Indian bakery industry, with respect to the ingredients.

Business Opportunities In QSR's

Food industry has been booming in recent times. One of the factors responsible for this is the rising disposable income of the middle class which, according to NRAI, is expected to rise to Rs 51,000 crore in 2021, from Rs. 20,400 crore in 2016. Quick Service Restaurants’ business has been growing exponentially and is expected to touch Rs. 25,000 crore by 2020. The increasing demand has not only prompted international chains from expanding their business in India but has also tempted several Indian entrepreneurs to jump into the fray. Several new ones are eyeing the market with interest. Ashok Malkani presents a kaleidoscopic image of the QSR industry to enable newcomers make a success of their proposed project.

Challenges Facing India's Bakery Industry

Even as the multi-billion dollar bakery industry in India is slated to record a healthy growth rate over the next five years, the industry is facing challenges of getting skilled workforce that can help meet the new-age demands and increasing the hygiene standards in food production facilities among others

Home Baked Goods

Bakery businesses have grown tremendously over the last few years, though it has been around for a while.

Bakery Ingredients Market Growth

The Indian bakery industry has been growing at a rapid pace due to the busy lifestyles, changing eating habits and western influence, particularly among the millennial. The rising health consciousness, not only of the millennial but of consumers of all ages, has encouraged manufacturers to focus on healthier products like brown, multi-grain and whole wheat breads. Environmental concerns are also increasing sales of organic bakery products. The rapid growth of the bakery industry and the quick changes that are taking place provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to venture in the bakery ingredients market which is in a fast-growth mode. Ashok Malkani looks at the changing scenario in the bakery industry and the ingredients commonly used by the bakery industry, to help entrepreneurs planning to enter the bakery ingredients’ arena.

Designing Your Cake

Nowadays cake is not only a tasty confectionery item, which is savoured by all age groups.

Sugar & Spice, And Success

With her disarming smile, Mini Yadav comes across as a savvy businesswoman.

Breads Spruced With Health

Bread is one of the oldest man-made food products, whose usage by humankind dates much beyond the recorded history.

Tackling Mould And Bacterial Infestation In Bakeries

Mould in baked products is one of the facets in which food safety is being compromised.

Pushing Her Creative Boundaries

In the recent past, Bakery Review had an interesting interaction with Rehana Parveen, the Pastry Chef, The St.Regis Mumbai. In her present tenure, she is handling a team of 22 in the hotel’s pastry and bakery sections, which she is heading.