His professional career began in commercial real estate finance but his personal interests in food and hospitality led him to focus on the hospitality sector. In 2009, he co-founded Azure Hospitality. Focussing on importance of simplifying food, Kabir Suri, Co-Founder & Director, Azure Hospitality, shares his insights.
Please take us through your journey. Tell us about your restaurants.
I started my career in commercial real estate finance in New York and always took a special interest in investment strategy and finance research in banking and hospitality segments. This interest led me to focus to hospitality and I spent three years with internationally acclaimed restaurants Zuma and Roka in London. Shortly, I found myself moving from operations to brand strategy and business development and in charge of spearheading their global expansion. Azure happened by chance as I moved to India to explore the hospitality industry here. And given the limited dining options back in 2009 and along with the increasing demand and an ever-evolving customer segment, my partner Rahul and I saw a tremendous potential and started Mamagoto to make Asian dining fun. In eight years, we grew to 14 outlets, launched QSR brands Roll Maal and Speedy Chow, and acquired Dhaba Estd 1986 Delhi from the Claridges for retail expansion. Our focus at Azure now will be boutique restaurant chains after launching the new brand Sly Storys that started in Bangalore last year. We have gone in for an extension of Mamagoto with Mr Mamagoto serving posh hawker cuisine, and the April 2018 launch of ‘Foxtrot’ under Sly, which is a subculture brand catering to a varied segment by stressing on the underground music scene in India. We have introduced an organic café with a movement studio within, a book exchange library and a restaurant in the student/ corporate hub ‘Koramangala’ in Bangalore. And, of course, we are going for further expansion in the cities of Pune, Delhi and more!
What are your growth and expansion plans? Are you planning to expand overseas?
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Esta historia es de la edición May-June 2018 de foodService India.
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