Blue Foods Private Limited: Delivering desired delicacies

By Satrajit Sen

A thorough scan through two different menu charts of two different food joints would make you notice the difference in design, layout and, of course, the brand name. But hey! We are not here to experience the varieties of printing techniques available in the country. The average consumer simply looks for varieties in tastes. but, where is it?

Indian restaurants, over the years, have not been able to cater to the changing trends of an Indian foodie. One can hardly find a restaurant whose menu chart changes according to the consumer's eating trends.

This grumble from consumers was the inspiration for two restaurateurs from Mumbai to set out on a mission - to deliver delicacies according to the consumer's desire.

Sunil Kapur and Sanjay Chona, in 2000, joined hands to form Blue Foods Private Limited, to run and operate a chain of eatery brands throughout the country. Kapur and Chona had operational restaurants in Mumbai with the names Cafe Cino and Dream Center, respectively.

The Company

Incorporated in September 2000, Blue Foods commenced its operations in Mumbai and speedily expanded its scope covering 15 cities across India. Clearly aiming to be the frontrunner in the organised food business in India, Blue Foods currently operates more than 250,000 square feet of food and beverage operations.

Since its inception, the company has been trying to tie up with corporate retail giants to book retail spaces in malls and shopping centres. With Future Group as their investors, till now, Blue Foods has inked successful alliances with leading retail and real estate conglomerates including Shoppers' Stop, Indivision, DLF, and Emaar MGF.

With retail presence in almost every metro in India, Blue Foods also operates its eatery brands across numerous malls in tier I cities. The company's eatery brands are present in three malls in Delhi, two in Bengaluru, and one each in Mumbai, Kolkata, Vadodara (Baroda), and Pune. It now also wants to extend its reach into tier II and III cities as the retail revolution becomes more inclusive.

With numerous domestic eatery brands including Bombay Blue, Copper Chimney, Spaghetti Kitchen, Noodle Bar, Cream Centre, Yatra, Penne, Coffee Blues, Café Brio, and Desi Café already running successfully, the company is working on plans to introduce international brands in the Indian markets as well. Global café brand Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf will soon be a part of the company's kitty. The company, till now, has been operating through its own outlets; however, it plans to take the franchisee route very soon. Today, after some eight years in the food retail business, the company is experiencing a growth rate of 25 per cent per month. With the customer count increasing day by the day, the company has been successfully adding on more number of foodies as its loyal customers.

The Master-minds

Sunil Kapur, chief executive officer-cum-managing director, is the driving force behind the rapid growth and expansion of Blue Foods. He has been working hard to fetch in more joint ventures with retail and real estate giants. With a vision to tie up with international brands and identify secured and potent sites for Blue Foods in India and abroad, Kapur has so far strived to stay true to the mission to cater to the varied culinary cultures of the nation. His vision, passion and drive to dominate food retailing across India has earned him a position that pronounces him as a leading and well-respected individual in the Indian restaurant industry.

Kapur has been ably supported by Sanjay Chona, who currently holds the position of the group director of Blue Foods. These two visionary businessmen have been responsible for steering the company through its growth curve.

The Platform Providers

The company has been implementing changes in its menus according to the reports and findings of their comprehensive research team. The team operates in three zones that, according to the company's lingo, stand for three 'central kitchens' (main bases of their research and development) based in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Besides, the company has research teams deputed in Pune and Kolkata who keep an eagle's eye on various zones.

The company, for this purpose, has hired trained and seasoned professionals to keep a close watch on the market. The researchers are dedicated to monitoring the changing trends in consumers’ eating habits. They help the company to keep up with, and operate according to, the changing trends of eating in India.

Besides, the researchers keep a close track of the changing psyche of the consumers – it is found that particularly during seasonal changes, consumers tend to change their eating habits. This is where the research team gets into action and provides valuable feedbacks to the company.

Finally, with the huge diversity in eating habits across the country, the company also has to take care of the particular eating trend that is followed in the locality where its outlets are situated. This aspect is attended to by the in-house research team.