“India has become a land of international cuisines. These various cuisines are no longer limited to specific cities or five star category hotels. If you have a good product which offers consistent high quality then customer satisfaction and loyalty can be assured”

Mr. Naveen, CEO of Little Italy, international cuisine restaurant in India, talks about his brand and share ideas on the introduction and scope of International cuisines in India, with Franchise Mart

1) Tell us about the success and growth of your food chain LITTLE ITALY?
Little Italy started its journey from Pune in the year 1989 as ‘La Pizzeria’, at a time when the concept of Italian dining was not known in India. Officially, the brand was named ‘Little Italy’ in the year 1995 with the opening of the Little Italy – Juhu restaurant. This is when the real journey of Little Italy began. A lot of thought, hard work and attention to detail had to be done, to be where Little Italy is today. Italian Chefs were introduced to maintain the purity & authenticity of the cuisine. Ingredients are imported from Italy to get the taste and flavors right! The dishes, interiors, seating, ambience etc are all designed to give guests a glimpse into the Italian way of enjoying the meal. As far as the growth is concerned, we have 23 outlets existing in 14 cities in India and 1 in Dubai and 1 in Kathmandu, Nepal. 2 more restaurants in the pipeline and will open in next 2 months period.

2) Why franchise is a good way to expand your business?
To successfully build a company and a brand, one needs a systematic growth plan ensuring a presence in all the major cities as well as the 2 tier and 3 tier cities. One of the most beneficial factors in franchising is that the franchisee has a very strong association with the local market and the demographics. Knowing the local market enables us to work along with the franchise in each step and guide them to set up a successful outlet in the city. Our franchisees are our business partners with whom we are associated to set up a strong foundation which results in a lifelong business venture. So we thought franchising is a good way to expand our business.

3) When you founded your restaurant in India, what made you think that Italian cuisine will fascinate Indian foodies?
As I mentioned above, we have started our journey in Pune in 1989. The restaurant is very close to Rajneesh ashram in Pune. There were a lot of foreigners visiting Pune and they had problems finding international cuisine. So we started a small restaurant with the help of an Italian couple with a limited menu. We waited for 6 years before starting our 2nd outlet in Juhu, Mumbai In the year 1995. The response in Mumbai made us realize that people appreciate good food regardless of the cuisine. After receiving immense support & loyalty from our guests we decided to expand the brand further. At that point of time franchising was not a common concept in India, but in our case we were able to capitalize on this and start with various franchisees across the nation.

4) How the year 2012 treated you?
Since the company inception and creation we have had a consistent business over the years, therefore the year 2012 was as expected and meeting our business standards.

5) Tell us about the scope of international tastes in India?
India has become a land of international cuisines. These various cuisines are no longer limited to specific cities or five star category hotels. If you have a good product which offers consistent high quality then customer satisfaction and loyalty can be assured.

6) What kind of qualities are you seeking in your franchisees?
Most of our franchisees are our regular customers at little Italy. They like our food and like to own a franchise. They are all food critics and food lovers. We are not looking for any particular quality in a franchisee, but definitely they should have a passion for food and the hospitality business. All the technical aspects and know how is provided by us, but the passion has to come from within!

7) Why is it important to maintain harmonious relationship with franchisees? What’s your mantra for this?
They are our partners in the franchise business. They trust us and invest money on our brand with lot of respect to the brand. Other than the operational issues we discuss all the matters with the franchisee. Transparency in business is always maintained which enables both the franchise and the franchisor to focus their energy on the future growth plans. Personally and professionally we always try to keep a very harmonious relationship with them.

8) Where do you want to see LITTLE ITALY in next five years?
There is a lot of competition in the food business now. Our brand is strong and consistent all these years. So would like to maintain the same in the future. Hope to reach out in all the major cities in India and few abroad. Target is to open at least 100 outlets in total in the next 5 years.