We Are Looking To Expand In Tier I, II Cities By End Of 2020: Sachin Awasthee, Ideal Hospitality
As Mumbai is an overloaded market with F&B brands, who all you consider as competition?
The market has become too competitive with upcoming new restaurants opening every other week. Every brand is trying to fit in by running various promotions and coming up with attractive offers to gain footfalls. At Aromas Café, we strongly believe that quality is the key to sustain the same, and keeps the brand shine through the competition. I see café/restaurants such as Suzette, Indigo Deli etc. as a healthy competition for Aromas Café. Considering the fact that they have been in the industry for a similar period of time and still have their loyal customers who come back for a great experience.
What is your strategy to compete in the market?
It is pivotal in this age to have a strong plan and strategy if one has to survive in the market for a long run. Gaining a competitive edge requires a detailed study of the targeted customers, surrounding area, nature of the competitors and the food and beverages trend in the country. Being in the F&B sector for almost a decade, we have learned that we cannot compromise on the quality, quantity or the variety of food we serve. Therefore, hiring an experienced Chef who helped us to make innovative but comforting dishes has proved to be the best strategy for us so far. We also believe that building a comforting and warm environment in the café makes customer want to visit regularly.
How much have you invested over the year?
We brought the brand Aromas Café to India in 2008. The first ever outlet was opened in the year 2009. As of now, we have seven outlets, of which, four are franchise owned. A total investment of about Rs 20 crore (approx.) has been made in the last ten years.
What are your expansion plans in any specific region?
We believe in taking one step at a time. Hence, once we launch an outlet, we make sure that the operations are running smoothly and if ensured about so, we move on to planning the next outlet. We are about to reach a total number of 10 outlets in Mumbai soon. We are looking at expanding to tier 1 and tier 2 cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Goa, Gujarat and a few more by the end of 2019. India is a country of coffee lovers and we hope to take the brand on a Pan-India level, serving the entire nation heartily.
Is sourcing fresh ingredients on a daily basis a challenge?
Definitely! Running a café and always serving the best is not an easy task. However, we are mastering it with our decade old experience. We have a dedicated team, which makes sure that all the outlets receive fresh ingredients daily and no compromise is made on the quality of the same. Any dish or beverage made out of fresh ingredient is always better at taste and good for the health. We make sure that we take care of the hygiene along with the rest.
What is your USP to attract more people?
Our coffee is loved by many. We have customers who have been visiting Aromas Café regularly for many years. They walk in, order for their regular and sip on the coffee sitting on their favorite spot. Over the years, we did our research and learned from trial and error. We have now curated a menu which offers comfort food. We noticed that people keep coming back for the food and drinks. At the same time we focus on our services. Our team at all outlets are thoroughly trained and are updated with the knowledge of all that is served. We make sure every employee is capable of taking care of any situation or any query raised by the customers.
What is your footfall on weekends?
Weekends and public holidays are the busiest days at Aromas Café. The café being a place for all including friends, families, colleagues, students and professionals, receive maximum footfall during weekends. We host around 3000 to 3500 customers on weekends across all seven outlets.
