MGM Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the master franchisee of the Malaysian restaurant brand Marrybrown in South India, plans to add 10 more Marrybrown outlets across major cities.
“We want our brand to get more visible across South Indian cities. Marrybrown will add 10 more restaurants during this fiscal in selected cities across South,” Vinod Manikkath, vice president, MGM Marrybrown, told Indiaretailing.
MGM Marrybrown, which opened its first outlet in Chennai in 1999, now has a chain of 16 restaurants – 12 in Chennai and one each in Coimbatore, Salem, Kochi and Bangalore.
“Our first restaurant in Hyderabad is set to open very soon and we are also in the process of identifying the location for one in Thiruvananthapuram and two more in Bangalore,” Manikkath added. Besides, the company is also in talks with mall developers for space. The company intends to open 4-5 restaurants in Hyderabad, 2-3 in Bangalore, and one each in Chennai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
It is learnt that MGM is also scouting for a master franchisee for the northern market. “Right now, the focus is on southern market, which is so big and heady for a brand like ours. But we may consider exploring the northern market in the future,” Manikkath informed.
Of its 16 outlets, the company owns 10 and the rest are sub-franchised. “The upcoming outlets will be a mixture of franchisee-operated and company-owned,” Manikkath said. The company plans to own 50 per cent of the proposed new outlets.
Asked about the business expectation, Manikkath revealed: “Each outlet, built at an investment of Rs 45-50 lakh, is doing business of Rs 15-20 lakh per month. We are expecting an exponential increase once we get more visible.” According to him, the best markets are Bangalore, Chennai and Kochi.
“The strength of the brand is the good amount of local flavour that it assimilates. Though fried chicken and burgers are its mainstay, keeping in mind the local tastes and the high percentage of vegetarians, the chain also serves Indian cuisine including rice meal and channa meal (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian), which are great hits at our restaurants.”
According to Manikkath, the see-through kitchen and the fun zone for kids are added attractions at the restaurants.
– Vishnu Rageev R, Bangalore Bureau
