Variety as a spice for growth

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Variety is the spice that Spice Republic, a cuisine mall in Hyderabad, uses to attract Hyderabadis.

Food does not have to be rich to taste good is the underlying philosophy of this cuisine mall, which is part of the Spice Hospitality Management Private Limited that is promoted by 44-year-old Aijaz Ali, its chief executive officer.

According to Ali, the unique feature of Spice Republic is the variety that it offers. "Across our three food courts, Big Chef, Blue Nile and Ice Berg, we have around 400 varieties of vegetarian and non-vegetarian items, which no other place in the city offers," Ali said.

The idea of opening a place with such variety was to cater to the needs of the changing palates of the people of Hyderabad, says Ali. "If each member of a family wants to have different cuisines, then he will find this place very apt as we offer cuisines from China, Europe, Italy and Mexico, apart from Indian varieties," he said.

According to Ali, the concept of casual dining is on the rise in the city and that is exactly what the food court offers. "I got the inspiration to do such a project after I visited some South-east Asian countries where there are many restaurants with the same concept as Spice Republic," he said.

The total cost of the project according to Ali was Rs 2 crore and the funds were raised through internal funding. "We are targeting Rs 3.6 crore during the first year of operations, which means at an average we do business worth Rs 1 lakh a day," Ali said.

"We expect the youth and the middle-age segment apart from the large number of software professionals who work in the nearby offices to come to Big Chef, and for those who like a quiet meal there is Blue Nile," Ali said

He said that Big Chef, which opened only a couple of months back, was drawing good crowds. "On an average, we have around 470 people visiting Big Chef daily and we expect to have around 300 people at the Blue Nile on a daily basis," he said.

As part of the short-term plan, the company plans to have two more units in the city in the next one year and also proposes to have a multi-product facility, which apart from having food courts, would also have a banquet hall.

The group is planning to open similar food courts in Bangalore and Chennai. "We have also received offers to open Indian restaurants in the US and the UK," Ali said.

Apart from Ali, Spice Republic is also managed by S Vishwanathan, director chef. "Between the both of us, we have around 50 years of experience in the hospitality industry, which is an added advantage," he says.

Ali, who has done his masters in business administration, was previously with the Banjara and the Sheraton group. Ali was also conferred the All India Best General Manager Award by the H&FS for his work at the Viceroy Hotel.

He says he is a cricket freak and does not miss catching up on the action whenever he is free. "Besides cricket, I like to spend time with my three children by taking them out or being with them at home and playing," he says.

Ali also offers consultancy for those who wish to do up their kitchens or set up restaurants.