A very exciting and enticing part of food and beverage business for any restaurateur is creating a brand out of a simple act of serving food and beverage from one outlet or numerous chain outlets to its patrons.
henever I meet someone, and the conversation leads to “what do you do?” – to which the reply comes “I operate a chain of restaurants by the name of Kebabs & Curries Company”. And, if the reaction from my newly formed acquaintance is “oh yes! I know about your eateries – oh wow! You are a well-known F&B brand”.
Here a sense of massive pride rushes across me and simply spins me into an amazing feeling of satisfaction and pleasure. Probably, this is the biggest award an entrepreneur can receive when his or her business is identified by someone as a brand, especially in the world of food and beverage, wherein to craft a mark for yourself is a sought-after affair.
A very exciting and enticing part of food and beverage business for any restaurateur is creating a brand out of a simple act of serving food and beverage from one outlet or numerous chain outlets to its patrons.
Creating a food and beverage brand could entail many things to be mastered like serving finger-licking food, warm & smiling service, nice ambience, good location and many more things.
By the means of today’s column, we will look at the strategic and significant steps that a new or seasoned restaurateur would take to create a feeling of pride aka their own F&B Brand.
How to stand-out from the competition: there could be many ways to differentiate the brand from the competition. Recently I learnt that two colors in specific attract a lot of human attention – red & yellow. Why? Because our ancestors have roamed the earth for thousands of years looking for fruits and fruits have always had bright colors of red and yellow.
So, we have it in our genes to be attracted to these two colors. That is why we see all supermarket aisles stacked with red, yellow and bright colored packaging – to attract us by making use of our century old gene codes.
I thought of using this very idea for the design of our new outlet and we designed and painted our whole outlet yellow – bright & striking yellow. From packaging to furniture – it is all yellow and the name of this brand is “Baalti Bhar Ke”. The yellow color and the funny, inquisitive brand name have helped us make a positive impression on many of our guests already – giving us an edge over the competition.
Signature Dish: There are many food brands these days that are making one item very well and that is what is setting them apart and bringing in the moolah. Hence, it is paramount that the signature dish of the new brand is well-thought and made perfectly. This would help set up the new brand very well. In today’s post-pandemic world short and crisp menus focusing on signature dish or dishes are prevalent. Good food always wins, and great food steals the show.
Brilliant and striking packaging: For our new brand “Baalti Bhar Ke” we designed completely new food packaging in bright yellow color, smart and high-quality durable materials, keeping in mind guest’s convenience and ease of handling. Nice packaging simply adds onto the guest experience and with deliveries and take-away orders growing in numbers through online aggregators across all food-brands – packaging has taken center stage.
Buzz-Buzz: In today’s world of social media, online presence, loads of clutter and noise from so many businesses that try to mark their existence is very common. So, when we look at creating a F&B brand, a structured & consistent approach that is well-thought of makes all the difference. In other words, if we want our brand to buzz-buzz then just be at it. Consistency matters.
A stellar team: which creates memorable touches – the ones to remember by guests and patrons is vital. To find and train people who love serving customers, from the kitchen, in the restaurant or as a delivery boy may not be that easy to find. Though this is the most important aspect of the food and beverage business. Ensuring there is team in place that lives and breathes business will guarantee that a brand is on its path to be created and recognized by its guests.
As we achieve the above list of vital strides, our F&B business moves many steps closer in terms of becoming a brand and allowing us to be proud of our new-born baby. Each time someone works towards making their business a brand, please keep the theory of “Tipping point” in mind.
While we may push hard at all fronts to make our F&B business successful and at times it may feel that not much is moving, well trust me on this – there is a lot moving – wait for that tipping point (while you push relentlessly for excellence) and it will come.
As far as we follow the above vital steps, serve lip-smacking food with smiling service and have a heart to serve – our guests and customers will come back and also help us become into a well-known brand.
Varun Behl is a Jaipur based restaurateur operating a chain of restaurants and QSRs (Quick Service Restaurants). Varun is a seasoned food & beverage and hospitality management professional with experience spanning over 17 years; a decade of which is with Marriott International in India and its global operations. Food and beverage and entrepreneurship are his forte – which he lives every day and is keen to share his insights with peers and mentees alike.
