Till 2013 Saad was a successful investment banker, but he couldn’t see himself doing this for long. This realization made him shift his path to the restaurant industry, and the Mughlai cuisine caught his fancy. He believes that there are a lot of restaurants in India serving Mughlai cuisine but there aren’t many who serve the authentic Mughlai food.
He wanted to change that outlook of all the food lovers towards Mughlai food. That is when Majeed’s was born, focusing on the quality and authenticity of Mughlai food, served with passion.
In Conversation With Saad Majeed Of Majeed’s
Saad currently runs five delivery outlets of Majeed’s all around Delhi and says that the customers can look forward to ten more outlets in the coming year. In an exclusive interview with The Restaurant Times, Saad spills the beans on his views on the growth of takeaway outlets in India, the importance of packaging and a lot more.
The Growing Trend Of Takeaway Restaurant Brands
Life as the owner of a takeaway business is hard. According to Majeed, one is up against all the big names in the industry as well as competing with all the other small and mid-sized restaurants in the area. This means that one needs to make the business as appealing and profitable as possible. Running a takeaway can be exhausting as it involves distant and unsociable hours depending on the business model, but it can be an acutely profitable investment if you get the basics right.
The demand for food delivery has steadily grown in the past few years and the trend will continue to be on the rise. Majeed feels that in the next 3-4 years, the entire takeaway format can go for a toss and a change in the format is indeed on the cards.
What It Takes To Run A Successful Food Delivery Business
Nowadays, almost everyone in the restaurant industry is now accepting delivery orders. Struck with high rentals and poor sales, many restaurants are now even making food delivery their primary business model. With such high competition, one needs to ensure that they are ahead of the race.
First impacts are very crucial. Poor service is often a deal breaker for customers. According to Majeed, the key to success for a restaurant brand especially a takeaway business is always based on how the food is delivered. The delivery boys should be well trained. They should be prompt with all they do and in the way they behave. Every contact the staff makes with customers must be pleasant, welcoming and accommodating.
These field agents fill the gap between ordering and receiving the order. They are the backbone of companies which offer delivery services.
“Lately, Majeed’s has started training delivery boys, and it is vital to make them realize the worth of the work they do. With no boss peering over their shoulder, they will have way more freedom to think and act. This will give them the opportunity to make decisions by themselves and take charge of the work. So it is essential to make sure that they realize and analyze how the entire process should happen,” says Majeed.
Importance Of Packaging
The growth of the restaurant business in India led to an increased demand for packaging, which was initially met by aluminum foil rolls and containers and newspaper bags. Today, food packaging is no longer just a means to accommodate leftovers. It’s a way for operators to exert a little more control over the out-of-store dining experience.
According to Majeed, proper packaging not only ensures the quality of the food but also reflects a little bit of the personality of the restaurant from which it came. Packaging is thus an opportunity for restaurant operators to reconnect with the customer after the delivery has been completed, providing an experience that is closer to what the diner might receive inside the outlet itself.
It is also important to ensure the authenticity of the food pictures online. Customers order food from a particular restaurant based on the images they see online, so it is essential to make sure that the photos are authentic and appealing at the same time.
Saad concludes by saying that the food industry is rapidly progressing. Every day a new brand comes up in the market. Always being aware of the competition around is essential, and one should keep thinking about ways of dealing with it. Customer communication and social media can serve as useful tools in further building the customer base.
