Ranbir Nagpal belongs from a family who has been in the foodservice sector for the past 40 years. His inclination towards the food industry made him determined to open a restaurant with an offbeat concept to stand out from the existing competition. Nagpal started Yazu, a Pan Asia fine-dine restaurant and supper club in Andheri. It has multiple seating options spread over an expansive area and the vibe is unmistakably friendly! The classy bar with a wooden bar-top is undoubtedly a highlight.
In Conversation With Ranbir Nagpal of Yazu
In an exclusive conversation with The Restaurant Times, Ranbir Nagpal talks of his journey in the industry, the story behind Yazu, choosing a location, menu engineering and a lot more.
Determining The Right Location
Choosing a good location for your business might be the single most effective thing you can do to succeed. Having a good menu and professional staff is important for the success of a restaurant but having a great location can give your business an altogether different push.
According to Nagpal, “Andheri is a hub of restaurants”. Although Andheri is populated with restaurants, there is a vacuum of a quality product. Nagpal wanted to create the feeling of a neighbourhood restaurant by opening Yazu.
“As restaurateurs, we can do the right marketing, choose the right location, give offers, etc but the customer will come back only when the quality of food is high and the service is world-class These two are the backbone of any restaurant,” says Nagpal.
The whole experience at a particular location needs to be phenomenal. It should have a positive vibe, affordable rental costs and the restaurateurs should also keep a check on the availability of parking spaces. It makes your location accessible and makes it easy for the general public to reach your restaurant.
Gaining Popularity of Pan Asian Cuisine
According to Nagpal, he wanted to provide consumers with something authentic. The idea of the Pan Asian concept came in his mind because the Indian crowd has accepted it phenomenally.
Pan Asian cuisine is gaining ground in India with more people becoming a frequent visitor to these restaurants. Having a similar taste to that of the Indian cuisine, this cuisine gives a wide variety of options to its customers. Starting from Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Singaporean, Korean, the cuisine has so much to share with Indians.
“It is light on the stomach and people usually spend 3-4 times on such food in a month,” says Nagpal.
Dealing With Competition
The food industry in India has been booming in recent times, owing to the rising disposable income of the middle class.
According to Nagpal, it is necessary to have healthy competition. Competition helps you to look at other’s products and compare yourself with it. It helps to keep a check on the product and analyze where the product is lacking and what new changes can be made.
In order to remain ahead of others, it is imperative to be unique. People are ready to pay if the quality and experience are better than others.
‘How am I better?’, ‘Why am I better?’, ‘What can I do to make it better?’, are some of the questions which you should constantly keep on asking yourself in order to grow. It is also important to follow the ongoing trend in the market and device new menu on a regular basis.
Secret Sauce For Beneficial Restaurant Management
Passion is the secret sauce in every successful culinary business. Whether you are starting a restaurant or a food truck, or you have been in the culinary game for years.
‘The team with their consistent hard work helps us to run our restaurant successfully,’ says Nagpal.
Nagpal also tells that they ensure that customers have an amazing experience at Yazu. If they are disappointed by anything, we make sure they do not walk out of the door disappointed. We give them offers or ensure that it would not happen again. It is important to ask for customer reviews as it makes your guests feel valued. However, it is even more essential to act on the reviews and take the right actions to improve your services.
