The spicy business menu

MEET YOUR ENTREPRENEUR

Sandeep G Dawer always loved good food and headed the catering department of his university when he was a student. Now he owns two successful restaurants and plans to open 20 outlets in the country over the next three years.

Dawer, son of an eye surgeon, did not have any business background when he started his Sugar N Spice restaurant in the city.

After completing MBA (finance) from Maharishi Institute of Management, Noida, Dawer had two options: Take up a job in a company or start own enterprise. He opted for the second.

"I was always very fond of food. I headed the catering department in the university and used to make arrangements for all parties when I was studying. It was due to this liking for food that I decided to make a career in restaurant business," said Dawer.

He started the restaurant from Dawer Chambers, a building situated at Ring Road and owned by his late grandfather.

Sugar N Spice was opened in November 1998 and the response was very encouraging. "Sugar N Spice was a major success. The restaurant was fully packed right from the initial months. It was a completely new concept. Good quality and variety vegetarian and non-vegetarian fast food at reasonable prices and an excellent ambience," Dawer said.

Dawer opened a vegetarian restaurant, Deewan E Khaas, in December 1999, just a year after the launch of Sugar N Spice, in the same building. Dawer also owns Utsav, a banquet hall, in Dawer Chambers and a pastry shop at Ghoddod Road. A third restaurant, Sugar N Spice Food Court, will be opened very soon.

Dawer plans to open at least two to three more outlets in the city by the year-end and aims to own around 20 Sugar N Spice outlets in the country over the next three years.

Dawer attributes the success of Sugar N Spice to "good food at reasonable prices and good ambience".

Many people, from places as far as Chennai, Chandigarh and Dehradun, have shown interest in starting the shop's franchises. Dawer also has plans to foray into spices exports soon.

"The demand for Indian spices in the West has increased tremendously over the past few years. This is a business which has a great potential and we plan to jump into it in the next few months," Dawer said.

"Fast Food is going to be the major trend in the coming years and we want to make the most of the opportunity," Dawer said.