India’s first publicly listed restaurant company, Speciality Restaurants, which owns brands like Mainland China, Asia Kitchen by Mainland China, and Oh! Calcutta, aims to open 40-50 restaurants over the next three years. Chairman Anjan Chatterjee stated͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ expansion͏͏ will͏͏ take͏͏ place͏͏ both͏͏ in͏͏ India͏͏ and͏͏ internationally.
“Based͏͏ on͏͏ asset͏͏ delivery͏͏ and͏͏ our͏͏ real͏͏ estate͏͏ arrangements,͏͏ we͏͏ plan͏͏ to͏͏ add͏͏ at͏͏ least͏͏ 40-50͏͏ restaurants͏͏ over͏͏ the͏͏ next͏͏ three͏͏ years.͏͏ The͏͏ expansion͏͏ will͏͏ primarily͏͏ focus͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ Asian͏͏ segment͏͏ through͏͏ our͏͏ Mainland͏͏ China͏͏ brand,͏͏ followed͏͏ by͏͏ Oh!͏͏ Calcutta,”͏͏ Chatterjee͏͏ stated.͏͏ Currently,͏͏ Speciality͏͏ Restaurants͏͏ operates͏͏ 97͏͏ restaurant͏͏ outlets͏͏ across͏͏ various͏͏ brands͏͏ and͏͏ 32͏͏ confectionery͏͏ outlets.
Exploring͏͏ International͏͏ Markets:
“We͏͏ are͏͏ set͏͏ to͏͏ expand͏͏ our͏͏ Oh!͏͏ Calcutta͏͏ brand,͏͏ which͏͏ has͏͏ recently͏͏ celebrated͏͏ its͏͏ 25th͏͏ anniversary,͏͏ by͏͏ opening͏͏ four͏͏ additional͏͏ outlets.͏͏ Following͏͏ our͏͏ London͏͏ launch,͏͏ we͏͏ will͏͏ introduce͏͏ our͏͏ Chourangi͏͏ brand,͏͏ the͏͏ 2.0͏͏ version͏͏ of͏͏ Oh!͏͏ Calcutta,͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ US.͏͏ Additionally,͏͏ we͏͏ are͏͏ in͏͏ discussions͏͏ for͏͏ Mainland͏͏ China͏͏ in͏͏ London͏͏ and͏͏ the͏͏ US,͏͏ aiming͏͏ to͏͏ establish͏͏ it͏͏ in͏͏ areas͏͏ with͏͏ significant͏͏ Indian͏͏ diaspora͏͏ populations,”͏͏ he͏͏ added.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Speciality Restaurants sees͏͏ 7.47%͏͏ revenue͏͏ growth͏͏ to͏͏ INR͏͏ 111.52͏͏ Cr͏͏ in͏͏ Q1FY25
Chatterjee͏͏ has͏͏ specially͏͏ crafted͏͏ a͏͏ new͏͏ celebration͏͏ menu͏͏ to͏͏ mark͏͏ the͏͏ silver͏͏ jubilee͏͏ of͏͏ Oh!͏͏ Calcutta.
“Considering͏͏ the͏͏ competitiveness͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ restaurant͏͏ industry,͏͏ very͏͏ few͏͏ brands͏͏ survive͏͏ beyond͏͏ the͏͏ five-year͏͏ mark,͏͏ yet͏͏ we͏͏ have͏͏ been͏͏ in͏͏ this͏͏ business͏͏ for͏͏ 30͏͏ years.͏͏ When͏͏ we͏͏ started,͏͏ the͏͏ space͏͏ was͏͏ relatively͏͏ small,͏͏ but͏͏ now͏͏ it’s͏͏ become͏͏ highly͏͏ disruptive,”͏͏ he͏͏ stated.
“However,͏͏ we͏͏ believe͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ power͏͏ of͏͏ robust,͏͏ honest,͏͏ and͏͏ authentic͏͏ food.͏͏ Restaurants͏͏ need͏͏ to͏͏ look͏͏ beyond͏͏ just͏͏ Instagrammable͏͏ dishes,͏͏ with͏͏ consistency͏͏ being͏͏ essential.͏͏ Given͏͏ the͏͏ popularity͏͏ of͏͏ Chinese͏͏ cuisine,͏͏ we͏͏ plan͏͏ to͏͏ expand͏͏ through͏͏ our͏͏ Mainland͏͏ China͏͏ and͏͏ Asia͏͏ Kitchen͏͏ by͏͏ Mainland͏͏ China͏͏ brands͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ next͏͏ 18-24͏͏ months.͏͏ Mainland͏͏ China͏͏ is͏͏ the͏͏ largest͏͏ Chinese͏͏ brand͏͏ to͏͏ emerge͏͏ from͏͏ India.͏͏ We͏͏ have͏͏ already͏͏ established͏͏ a͏͏ presence͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ Gulf͏͏ and͏͏ aim͏͏ to͏͏ be͏͏ where͏͏ the͏͏ Indian͏͏ diaspora͏͏ is,͏͏ as͏͏ they͏͏ long͏͏ for͏͏ Mainland͏͏ China’s͏͏ cuisine,”͏͏ he͏͏ added.
Targeting͏͏ Key͏͏ Markets͏͏ for͏͏ Expansion:
For͏͏ Oh!͏͏ Calcutta,͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ aims͏͏ to͏͏ strengthen͏͏ its͏͏ presence͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ major͏͏ cities͏͏ where͏͏ it͏͏ currently͏͏ operates,͏͏ Chatterjee͏͏ stated.
“For͏͏ example,͏͏ we͏͏ have͏͏ two͏͏ outlets͏͏ in͏͏ Mumbai͏͏ and͏͏ two͏͏ in͏͏ Kolkata.͏͏ Delhi͏͏ can͏͏ accommodate͏͏ two͏͏ outlets,͏͏ as͏͏ can͏͏ Hyderabad͏͏ and͏͏ other͏͏ cities,”͏͏ he͏͏ added.
