Classical cuisines will take on a modern avatar

Hitesh Keswani, Director of Silver Beach Hospitality & Entertainment Pvt Ltd., which runs six successful restaurants – Nom Nom, Silver Beach Café, Copa, Jantar Mantar, The Treesome Café and Radio Bar – sees classical Indian cuisines and Greek and Mediterranean food growing in popularity and the trend of full food menus at bars becoming more pronounced in the days ahead
Business-wise, how was the year 2015 for you?
2015 has been a great year and sales have gone up by 15 per cent. My greatest achievement this year was catering to over 1,00,000 new customers through all the brands put together. I want to thank every one of them.
What are your expectations from 2016?
The year 2016 will see a lot of young entrepreneurs and start-ups take over the market and create new jobs and new earnings. So it will be great for us to get lots of new people to serve and have as new customers. As the food markets keep evolving and palates go diverse, I see classical cuisines undergoing a modern avatar such as modern Greek/ progressive Mediterranean food, etc. Last year we saw a warm welcome to food in bars. I do foresee that trend continuing as well.
How do you plan to achieve your goals this year?
We plan to open five new outlets in 2016. Most of them are already underway. I will reveal more details in the coming months.
What will be the key challenges in the months ahead?
The hospitality industry is evolving rapidly with changing consumer needs and behaviours. The consumers are not only expecting good service but they are also increasingly drawn to products derived from ethical, safe and clean manufacturing. The biggest challenge in this sector is cost control – making math make sense and balancing the books!
What will be the trends to look out for?
Evolution of concepts, modern Indian food, full food menus at bars, locally sourced meat and seafood, new cuts of meat, house made artisan ice creams and healthy kids meal will be some of the trends to look out for in 2016.
Which format according to you will thrive in 2016 (casual, fast casual, QSR, fine dine, etc) and why?
Fast casual will thrive but a lot depends on the location.