A surge in new restaurant openings is on the horizon for this quarter, encompassing not only metropolitan cities but also tier II-III towns, as the New Year approaches.
Restaurateurs have expressed their intentions to leverage the current unprecedented demand, which marks the highest they’ve witnessed since the onset of the pandemic.
MMG Group, the master franchisee responsible for operating the McDonald’s burgers-and-fries chain in the north and east regions, is gearing up to open nearly as many new Quick-Service Restaurants (QSRs) in the current quarter as they did throughout the entire previous year.
“We will be opening 18 outlets in this quarter across New Delhi, Kolkata, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (area),” said Sanjeev Agarwal, chairman of MMG Group and McDonald’s India North and East. The chain added 19 outlets in calendar year 2022.
Zorawar Kalra, the Founder of Massive Restaurants, which boasts brands like Farzi Cafe, Masala Library, and Bo Tai, anticipates concluding the year at an unprecedented peak. He plans to inaugurate 30 cloud kitchens in this quarter, alongside the introduction of new restaurants in Bhopal, Chennai, and Raipur.
“We are expecting our best-ever December this year as we foresee a major uptick in demand. Our growth will include a combination of cloud kitchens and company-owned and franchised dine-in outlets,” he said.
Pranav Rungta, the Co-Founder and director of Nksha restaurant and the Mumbai chapter head of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), has projected the emergence of approximately 150 new restaurants within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region over the next three months.
Sandeep Anand Goyle, the director of Essex Farms and the head of the Delhi chapter of NRAI, has indicated that Delhi-NCR is poised to welcome approximately 100 new restaurants in the coming three months.
Riyaaz Amlani, the Founder and managing director of Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality, has noted a robust reception not only in metropolitan areas but also in tier II-III cities like Indore, Dehradun, and Chandigarh.
“We intend to penetrate deeper in markets where we already exist, and enter cities that we are not currently in,” said Amlani. “Our immediate focus for expansion remains on Kolkata, Goa, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Faridabad by the end of this year. We are launching Park Street Social in Kolkata soon.” Dine-in at the Russel Street address begins after the launch party on November 2, but the kitchen is already open for online delivery, according to an Instagram post.
The expansion initiatives are driving an increase in budgets. Prasuk Jain, a restaurateur and the founder of Snow World Entertainment, is set to open cocktail bars Emily and Speak Easy at Waterfield Road in Mumbai, along with additional restaurants in Pune and New Delhi. Jain expressed intentions to invest INR 80 crore in this quarter and plans to onboard over 500 new staff members across various outlets.
Food delivery platforms are experiencing a surge in new restaurant partnerships, in line with the bustling outlook for dining out during the final quarter of the calendar year 2023.
A spokesperson from Zomato highlighted a year-over-year rise in the number of new business listings.
Sidharth Bhakoo, the Vice President and National Business Head at rival company Swiggy, mentioned the platform’s extensive collaborations with numerous restaurants and food entrepreneurs to meet the escalating demand during this festive season.
“We’ve seen a consistent increase in new restaurant onboarding, both in the metros and in smaller cities,” he added.
“Despite a sluggish period in Bengaluru during September and October due to increased travel on long weekends, restaurateurs are now aiming to capitalize on the year-end, leading to a surge in launches,” stated Chethan Hegde, the founder of the 1522 chain of pubs. Hegde further mentioned the upcoming launch of two pubs in Bengaluru and one in Mumbai.
“About 20-25 outlets in the city are in different stages of completion. People wanted to be sure there was not another Covid wave before opening,” said Hegde.