Sanjiv Jain had been a part of the corporate world since 1997, having worked in different sectors. His son, Aditya Jain’s vision of running their own food business was something that made them enter the F&B space. Aditya Jain came from the United States after finishing his higher studies with the goal of opening a brand new Cruise theme pub in Gurugram. This led to the beginning of TakaMaka, and the father-son duo has been diligently working towards the growth of the brand ever since.
The world of TakaMaka is a world of grandness and sophistication. Known for its culinary excellence and innovative spirit, the TakaMaka luxury cruise offers a choice of various seating options including a top deck, atrium, bar, hanging deck, lounge, and the terrace. The place claims itself to be the only place in Delhi NCR where one can enjoy the most exquisite cuisine, German craft beer and the best of the music.
In Conversation With Sanjiv and Aditya Jain Of TakaMaka
TakaMaka is a microbrewery coupled with a resto-bar with a chilled out ambiance. Their food menu is filled with delectable dishes that will complement the drink correctly. In an exclusive conversation with The Restaurant Times Sanjiv and Aditya Jain talk all about the story of Taka Maka and what it takes to run a successful microbrewery business.
Story Behind The Cruise Like Setup
The father and son duo started with an idea of coming up with a beach setup, but introducing a water body was difficult. TakaMaka is inspired by one of the famous beaches in the world, that is in Seychelles, and they devised the story from there. The TakaMaka bar aims to bring to life the feels of the Cruise at the TakaMaka Beach
From providing a well-trained steward service for every guest to delivering a holistic experience, TakaMaka offers one of its kind cruise experience on land. The entire idea has been well accepted by the customers, as this is something out of the box, giving them a unique experience.
Microbrewery As A Setup
To thrive in today’s craft alcoholic beverage business, one needs to bring their brain and heart into the venture. The enterprising dynamism may trend one way or the other; what matters is how you take those small elements in your own setup and make them work in your favor.
According to the father-son duo, in Gurgaon, breweries, and pubs have emerged as a necessity for both the restaurant industry and the customers. Having beer is no more a luxury but a part of people’s lives now.
‘With TakaMaka we wanted to set standards for a sophisticated nightlife culture. Restaurant owners in Gurgaon who started their brand without a brewery are now adding it in the setup, and so we decided to choose microbrewery first as a setup to provide customers with everything under the same roof.’
“TakaMaka gets its supply for making beer from Germany. The brewing time for a beer should be 21 days ideally. However, most of the breweries tend to serve the beer within ten days itself. At TakaMaka, beer is brewed for 20 days at least before it is served.
Importance of Location
For the success of a restaurant business, location is the key, and feasibility analysis is essential. The feasibility analysis includes how the industry is doing, determining the market, and analyzing whether it will still be there when you open. Breweries are compound business models, especially the ones with a taproom.
Since most new breweries these days are brewing and serving beer to the public at an on-site taproom, the challenge is to find a space that suits wholesale beverage assembling, emphasize circulation center, and retail bar.
According to the father-son duo, for a microbrewery, along with the higher occupancy space of a taproom, comes higher parking requirements. Parking requirements differ depending on how your establishment is classified. Even if the local code doesn’t require much committed off-street parking, consider how your location will impact customers driving to visit the taproom. If there’s not enough parking and most people drive in your area, customers may begin to avoid visiting.
‘When we talk about the Golf course road, it is seen as the most important and expensive venue in the market. TakaMaka is located in the heart of Golf Course road. Our main target audience is the niche corporate crowd, and so the location is appropriate for the crowd’, says the father-son duo.
Importance Of Menu Engineering
According to the Sanjiv and Aditya Jain, the menu is the primary means of brand representation. It depicts precisely who you are and what you hope to convey personality-wise. It also creates an impression that stays with the client long after the waiter or waitress walks off with it.
The menu must convey the restaurant’s brand image in a manner that makes diners excited to be there, want to come back and recommend it to family and friends. The arrangement of the menu items should be sequential, with appetizers, salads, and soups first, then entrees, then desserts.
Always place the star items on pages that contain more visual flair than others, and set markers or photographs around featured items to draw complete attention.
‘TakaMaka is a multi-cuisine brand, and we have six different kinds of cuisines. Every cuisine has a different team who maintain the authenticity of the cuisine. We have twenty-two people in our kitchen. We are the only restaurant where a dal makhani is more expensive than a shahi paneer because the number of ingredients added is precise. It is also one of the highest selling product. Everything we mention on our menu is prepared in the kitchen with the assigned chefs in the most authentic manner’, says the father-son duo.
Technological Bedding
Technology has been fast expanding its presence in the restaurant space. Touch screen cash registers and card scanners at the table have become increasingly common. Mobile devices have also altered the way people do different things, including the way they eat.
According to the father-son duo, accepting the very idea of “the customer is king” philosophy, and having a stable POS system ensures that the customers have a positive experience when visiting a brand. Due to the fast-paced nature of our society, people place emphasis on efficiency. While customers might not notice if paying their bill is easy, they will see if their restaurant experience suffers due to a cumbersome, delayed transaction.
The father-son duo concludes by sharing their future plans. ‘We have our own land with an area of 15000 sq ft. We will open a microbrewery there, and it will be the largest microbrewery set up in Gurgaon till date. This new location is where we will fulfill our dream of introducing a beach themed cafe. We are also coming up with the TakaMaka Express, which will be a choice-based service. We will alter food on the basis of what the customers choose.’
