The Menu Gets Bigger

After their success in metros, several well-recognised restaurants are serving the next course in new markets within India and beyond

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Lucknow, and Dehradun are among several destinations the F&B sector is waiting to tap.

Players like Theobroma, Burma Burma, Café Delhi Heights, Farzi Café, and Harajuku Tokyo Café are among those extending their footprint to non-metros — and even going global, marking their presence in Southeast Asia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and so on.

While Harajuku Tokyo Café, a Japan-inspired quick service restaurant (QSR) brand, launched in New Delhi in 2021, has expanded into cities such as Pune and Chandigarh, besides metros like Bengaluru and Hyderabad, others are following suit.

For Anant Kataria, cofounder, Big Fat Hospitality, besides Goa, places such as Pune, Jaipur, and Indore are among those under consideration for the company's expansion.

Some are tapping into tourist-heavy destinations.

Café Delhi Heights, which plans to open 10 new outlets annually and reach 120 outlets by 2028, recently expanded to Goa and Srinagar (besides Hyderabad), while maintaining a presence in Ludhiana, Lucknow, Chandigarh, and Dehradun.

Lessons from the trenches Despite having multiple brands, many restaurateurs are choosing to focus their expansion efforts around one marquee name.

Researching markets for up to 2.5 years before launch, they aim for sustainable growth over quick rollouts.

Going with one brand helps build loyalty, says Ankit Gupta, co-founder of Burma Burma, while running too many brands can dilute focus.