Rebel Foods, the operator of cloud kitchens for brands like Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, and Oven Story, plans to invest INR 200 crore to expand its food court format, EatSure, and to open additional cloud kitchens and brand stores.
100͏͏ Food͏͏ Courts͏͏ by͏͏ 2028:
“The͏͏ offline͏͏ use͏͏ case͏͏ is͏͏ here͏͏ to͏͏ stay.͏͏ Consumers͏͏ will͏͏ always͏͏ seek͏͏ reasons͏͏ and͏͏ opportunities͏͏ to͏͏ dine͏͏ out.͏͏ We͏͏ aim͏͏ to͏͏ open͏͏ 100͏͏ EatSure͏͏ food͏͏ courts͏͏ within͏͏ the͏͏ next͏͏ 2-3͏͏ years,”͏͏ said͏͏ Sagar͏͏ Kochhar,͏͏ Co-Founder͏͏ and͏͏ CEO͏͏ of͏͏ EatSure,͏͏ Rebel͏͏ Foods.͏͏ He͏͏ also͏͏ mentioned͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ plans͏͏ to͏͏ extend͏͏ its͏͏ presence͏͏ to͏͏ 150-200͏͏ cities͏͏ across͏͏ India͏͏ by͏͏ 2028.
“We’re͏͏ expanding͏͏ our͏͏ brands͏͏ into͏͏ tier͏͏ 2͏͏ and͏͏ tier͏͏ 3͏͏ cities͏͏ while͏͏ strengthening͏͏ our͏͏ presence͏͏ in͏͏ tier͏͏ 1͏͏ cities.͏͏ By͏͏ December͏͏ 2024,͏͏ we͏͏ aim͏͏ to͏͏ launch͏͏ a͏͏ few͏͏ dozen͏͏ new͏͏ restaurants,”͏͏ said͏͏ Kochhar.
Plans͏͏ to͏͏ Go͏͏ Public͏͏ Soon:
This͏͏ comes͏͏ as͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ anticipates͏͏ achieving͏͏ profitability͏͏ at͏͏ the͏͏ adjusted͏͏ EBITDA͏͏ level͏͏ by͏͏ the͏͏ end͏͏ of͏͏ FY25,͏͏ with͏͏ its͏͏ kitchens͏͏ already͏͏ profitable͏͏ on͏͏ a͏͏ unit͏͏ basis,͏͏ and͏͏ is͏͏ aiming͏͏ to͏͏ list͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ Indian͏͏ stock͏͏ market.
“We͏͏ intend͏͏ to͏͏ go͏͏ public͏͏ within͏͏ the͏͏ next͏͏ 18͏͏ to͏͏ 24͏͏ months,͏͏ and͏͏ discussions͏͏ with͏͏ leading͏͏ bankers͏͏ are͏͏ already͏͏ underway,”͏͏ he͏͏ added.
Rebel͏͏ operates͏͏ over͏͏ 450͏͏ cloud͏͏ kitchens͏͏ across͏͏ 75͏͏ cities͏͏ in͏͏ India,͏͏ as͏͏ well͏͏ as͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ Middle͏͏ East,͏͏ North͏͏ Africa,͏͏ Indonesia,͏͏ and͏͏ the͏͏ UK.
Last͏͏ year,͏͏ Rebel͏͏ Foods͏͏ partnered͏͏ with͏͏ quick͏͏ service͏͏ restaurant͏͏ (QSR)͏͏ chain͏͏ Wendy’s͏͏ to͏͏ launch͏͏ cloud͏͏ kitchens͏͏ and͏͏ offline͏͏ restaurants͏͏ in͏͏ India.͏͏ The͏͏ company͏͏ is͏͏ now͏͏ in͏͏ talks͏͏ with͏͏ several͏͏ other͏͏ global͏͏ brands.͏͏ It͏͏ oversees͏͏ 160͏͏ Wendy’s͏͏ fast-food͏͏ outlets͏͏ in͏͏ India,͏͏ and͏͏ its͏͏ food͏͏ court͏͏ format͏͏ currently͏͏ comprises͏͏ eight͏͏ locations.
“We͏͏ aim͏͏ to͏͏ expand͏͏ to͏͏ 350͏͏ locations͏͏ for͏͏ Wendy’s͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ next͏͏ few͏͏ years͏͏ through͏͏ our͏͏ cloud͏͏ kitchens͏͏ and͏͏ by͏͏ opening͏͏ new͏͏ outlets,”͏͏ he͏͏ noted.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Rebel Foods expands͏͏ Wendy’s͏͏ footprint͏͏ with͏͏ new͏͏ restaurant͏͏ in͏͏ Bengaluru
Rebel͏͏ Launcher͏͏ for͏͏ New͏͏ Brands:
Rebel͏͏ is͏͏ also͏͏ seeking͏͏ to͏͏ diversify͏͏ its͏͏ revenue͏͏ stream͏͏ by͏͏ adding͏͏ more͏͏ brands͏͏ to͏͏ its͏͏ launcher͏͏ platform,͏͏ which͏͏ enables͏͏ third-party͏͏ restaurants͏͏ to͏͏ utilise͏͏ its͏͏ cloud͏͏ kitchens.
The͏͏ company͏͏ is͏͏ engaging͏͏ with͏͏ new͏͏ brands͏͏ for͏͏ collaboration͏͏ under͏͏ its͏͏ Rebel͏͏ Launcher͏͏ vertical,͏͏ which͏͏ facilitates͏͏ rapid͏͏ scaling͏͏ by͏͏ providing͏͏ supply͏͏ chain͏͏ support͏͏ and͏͏ comprehensive͏͏ technology͏͏ solutions.͏͏ So͏͏ far,͏͏ it͏͏ has͏͏ partnered͏͏ with͏͏ more͏͏ than͏͏ 20͏͏ brands͏͏ through͏͏ this͏͏ initiative,͏͏ including͏͏ Naturals,͏͏ Bakingo,͏͏ Anand͏͏ Sweets,͏͏ Mad͏͏ Over͏͏ Donuts,͏͏ Narula’s,͏͏ Daryaganj,͏͏ Chaipoint,͏͏ Big͏͏ Wong,͏͏ and͏͏ MOPP.
The͏͏ company͏͏ is͏͏ also͏͏ aiming͏͏ to͏͏ develop͏͏ new͏͏ formats͏͏ and͏͏ categories.
“We͏͏ have͏͏ introduced͏͏ a͏͏ new͏͏ brand͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ fried͏͏ chicken͏͏ category͏͏ called͏͏ Fricken,͏͏ as͏͏ we͏͏ believe͏͏ there͏͏ are͏͏ only͏͏ one͏͏ or͏͏ two͏͏ competitors͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ market,͏͏ allowing͏͏ us͏͏ to͏͏ capture͏͏ a͏͏ significant͏͏ market͏͏ share.͏͏ Likewise,͏͏ Behrouz͏͏ Biryani͏͏ is͏͏ performing͏͏ well͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ UAE,͏͏ and͏͏ we͏͏ plan͏͏ to͏͏ expand͏͏ it͏͏ to͏͏ London,”͏͏ he͏͏ said.
Rebel͏͏ Foods͏͏ became͏͏ a͏͏ unicorn͏͏ after͏͏ raising͏͏ $175͏͏ million͏͏ in͏͏ 2021,͏͏ led͏͏ by͏͏ the͏͏ Qatar͏͏ Investment͏͏ Authority,͏͏ at͏͏ a͏͏ valuation͏͏ of͏͏ $1.4͏͏ billion.͏͏ In͏͏ April͏͏ of͏͏ last͏͏ year,͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ secured͏͏ $9.1͏͏ million͏͏ in͏͏ a͏͏ debt͏͏ funding͏͏ round͏͏ from͏͏ Northern͏͏ Arc͏͏ and͏͏ Stride͏͏ Ventures.
The͏͏ company͏͏ has͏͏ cut͏͏ its͏͏ losses͏͏ by͏͏ 42%͏͏ to͏͏ INR͏͏ 378͏͏ crore͏͏ in͏͏ FY24,͏͏ down͏͏ from͏͏ INR͏͏ 657͏͏ crore͏͏ in͏͏ FY23,͏͏ while͏͏ achieving͏͏ a͏͏ revenue͏͏ of͏͏ INR͏͏ 1,420͏͏ crore͏͏ in͏͏ FY24,͏͏ marking͏͏ a͏͏ 19%͏͏ increase͏͏ from͏͏ INR͏͏ 1,195͏͏ crore͏͏ in͏͏ FY23.
