Karyna Bajaj, Executive Director, KA Hospitality
With the fastest growing economy in the developing world, India’s restaurant industry is seeing a shift and galloping at a fast pace. As the industry expands, this is a signal for restaurateurs today to develop outlets with individual personalities, where there is an opportunity to scale the business up and at the same time allowing each concept to constantly challenge your creative instincts to stay relevant and be thought leaders.
I have always looked at restaurants as my happy places. There is a magical sense of warmth and gratitude as you walk into a restaurant. The energy is palpable and the teams works with a common vision to deliver the best and unique experience to their guests.
The dining scene in India and the diners themselves have become extremely discerning and are looking for far more than just great food. Restaurant development is becoming a lot more specialised than it used to be, and as standalone restaurateurs we are witnessing an era of constantly changing trends where new and unique concepts are being introduced; from going back to the roots, to the health wave, to bringing in newer cuisines to India. All this today makes standalone restaurants focus more on guest engagement.
For a standalone restaurant to really shine, it is very important for the management and team to be extremely passionate about it, with a common vision, as that is the energy that gets passed on to the guests. It is extremely enjoyable when you work on something so closely together, whether it is a new dish or a new experience or a service sequence you have developed with your team members to make the experience of a guest more personal and enjoyable. It’s all very rewarding and motivating and spurs industry individuals to keep reinventing the wheel within the restaurant.
Guests today want to go to spaces that are fun, affordable and approachable, the world of media is so consuming currently and people really do eat with their eyes first. Going to a restaurant includes everything from the overall feel and sense of the space to the food and this has allowed restaurants to really explore and do exciting things with other lifestyle brands.
For us with Yauatcha, a contemporary dim sum tea house in its 7th year, we always celebrate traditional festivals like Chinese New Year. Last year, on a global level we collaborated with leading artists across London and India to recreate Chinese New Year lanterns. In India we collaborated with leading fashion and costume designer Nachiket Barve and designed customised paper-cut lanterns that lit up the restaurants in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, while our culinary team created a special menu focussing on the colour red for the festive season. It was a new step for a globally recognised brand to add a local and relatable spin to their festivities. Whereas with Hakkasan’s 7th anniversary, we decided to launch a sophisticated riff on the fortune cookie by collaborating with Bollywood director Karan Johar.
A hybrid between the traditional fortune cookie and a French macarons, our new “macartune” were cracked open to reveal Karan Johar’s musings on the topics most relevant to modern day life in Mumbai.
Social media is so integrated and connected that it gives all kinds of establishments, including restaurants a chance to really connect deeper with their guests and provide a unique exaperience to them. It’s a great time for the industry as the local market is ready and hungry and a lot of restauranteurs are ready to serve a complete journey on a plate.
