Alumni Pankaj Gupta PGDM-RM 2009-2011 Batch Industry Food Name of the Venture Oye Kake Location of the

the Venture Cawasji Patel Street, Mumbai-1 Type of Entrepreneur Hustle Family Background: Born in a Punjabi family, Pankaj Gupta is the elder of the two sons. His father is a business man and has his own retail supermarket. The family is settled in Mumbai. Educational Background: Pankaj completed his BMS from Lala Lajpat Rai College of Commerce and Economics and then joined K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research for pursuing Post Graduation Diploma in Management in the field of Retail Management (RM). He is a student of 2009-2011 batch. About the Venture:

When Mr. Pankaj Gupta completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Management in the field of Retail Management in 2011 from K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai, he left with an aim to open his own restaurant. After months of research and hard work he started with his restaurant in fort area of Mumbai by the name OYE KAKE. As the name suggests, the restaurant serves authentic Amritsari Restaurant serving delicious food that make customers feel the taste of Amritsar in Mumbai. It is strategically located at fort as it is one of the busiest corporate hub and also the financial hub of Mumbai to target corporate, offices and also because of availability of large space for fine dining. It is a pure vegetarian restaurant serving authentic Punjabi dishes like Kulchas, Paranthas, chole, makke di roti,

sarson da saag, vegetables curries, lassi etc. The USP of OYE Kake is that all the food is prepared in the water outsourced straight from Amritsar. This was done mainly to get the exact and authentic taste of Punjab as water makes a lot of difference in the taste of the food. In a short span after its opening it has got a good response from the customers. Also it has got great user review on food review websites like burrp, zomato, timeout, evening flavours etc. After the success of Oye Kake in Fort area, Pankaj Gupta aims to build the brand of Oye Kake restaurant. He wants to branch out and make a chain of restaurants under the name Oye Kake not only in Mumbai but also in other cities of the country.

Business Idea Generation: Pankaj has been a foodie right from his childhood trying out all kinds of foods in various restaurants across the city. His keen interest in food led to the generation of the idea to set up his own food stall in the city. Right from the beginning he was sure that he would become an entrepreneur. He did not want to get into his fathers business but start something of his own. Startup Strategies: Once it was decided he would enter the food business, Pankaj started wondering what segment to cater to and what food to serve. Being born and raised in a Punjabi family, he wanted to open up something which served Punjabi food. To get the actual taste of Punjabi food and how they are prepared, he went to Punjab and tried food in various restaurants of cities like Amritsar, Jalandhar, etc. Initially he thought of setting up a Kulcha (round Indian flatbread stuffed with vegetables or meat) stall only but somehow the number of dishes that were been included in the restaurant kept on increasing and finally thei9u menu was ready which had all the items of a Punjabi Restaurant. Location Selection: The next question that came after deciding the venture in which to step into was where to setup the restaurant. The restaurant is located in South Mumbai, the southern-most precinct of the city; it comprises the city's main business localities and its adjoining areas. It is the richest urban precinct in India, and houses most of the city's elite. South Mumbai is home to the Reserve Bank of India and the Bombay Stock Exchange. Its primary business districts are the Fort, Nariman Point, Ballard Estate and more recently Lower Parel. Probably all the consulates, museums and old theatres are located in South Mumbai. Many leading Indian and multi-national companies are headquartered here. A few of the city's prestigious schools and colleges are also located here. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and Churchgate serve as headquarters and starting point for country's Central and Western Railway lines respectively. As a ratio to average per capita income, real estate prices in this area remain one the most expensive in the world. To start a restaurant in such a location is praise worthy and is still considered inconceivable by many of the established food players. Pankaj identified that although there were many restaurants in the area, there was no pure Punjabi Restaurant providing authentic Punjabi food in the whole locality and this also supplemented the decision to set-up the restaurant there.

Target Customers: Being located in the Biggest Corporate Hub of the metropolis, the target customers are the people with white collared jobs. It also caters to families which visit the restaurants in the evenings. Pankaj realised that most of the customers are either Marwari or Gujarati, and most of them are vegetarian. Hence, he decided to go with a pure Punjabi but vegetarian menu to cater to the increasingly growing vegetarian population. He named the restaurant Oye Kake (which means calling out your brother in Punjabi) to make a more authentic Punjabi impression on the customers. Financing: Pankaj was certain that he wanted to get into a partnership as setting up a restaurant in Mumbai required huge investment. Keeping his future goals in mind, Pankaj went into a partnership with a friend, Abhir Dhawan. The initial investment required was 32 lakhs in total which was partly served by bank loans and was partly home financed. Operations:

Water: The USP of Oye Kake is that it uses water which is shipped from Amritsar to the restaurant for preparation of food, especially the Kulchas to give the authentic taste, as they say. Pankaj observed that the taste of Kulchas in Amritsar and Mumbai were quite different. He thought that the way in which it was made the difference. He brought in cooks from Amritsar and found that indeed the hands which made the food made little difference to difference in taste between Kulchas of Amritsar and Mumbai. It was then realised that the water of Punjab is sweet as compared to that of Mumbai and hence the Kulchas made were strikingly different in taste. To get the authentic taste of Punjab, Pankaj decided that water from Amritsar would be transported to Mumbai. Hence, every 9-10 days, 200-300 litres of water are shipped from Amritsar via Tankers or via Rail. Staff: Mr Gupta knew that without getting chefs from Punjab he would never be able to kick of his venture. Being as Quality conscious as he is, he could not compromise on the taste that only Punjabi chefs could provide. He also knew that it would be very difficult to convince these people to leave their hometown and come to Mumbai. He tried every trick in the book including talking to the saints of these chefs who in turn convinced them that Mumbai is their destiny. He treats his staff with utmost respect specially his chefs because he knows that there would be no business without them. He has a staff of around 25 people who are adequately compensated and given special bonuses on days the business does well. He has some backup staff too in case such situation arises. He himself does not hesitate in acting like one as he frequently takes orders and feedback from customers.

Operating Expenses: The restaurant is taken on rent at Rs. 1.5 lakh per month. In addition to it, the electricity, the salary, the raw materials for preparation of food and the sourcing of water are the major heads under which expenses take place. The good thing about the restaurant, as Pankaj puts it is that it is being able to finance its own working capital, that too just within 6 month of its inception.

Marketing: When Pankaj was studying in K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, he underwent his summer internship in Zeist Marketing Solutions. It is a marketing company which helps in providing strategic consulting and tactical assistance to organisations marketing needs. When Pankaj set out on a new venture, it is the same organisation which he used to his full advantage. The initial social network was done by ZMS; it designed the logos and designed the menu too. In South Bombay, the fastest and the most effective means of communication is Word of Mouth (WOM). As Pankaj puts it, he wants to build a brand and not just a restaurant. Hence, the quality of food must be at the highest level so as to retain customers and get new customers. The mission of Oye Kake is customer satisfaction through continuous improvement. And Pankaj says around 80% are repeat customers which includes families which proves that the quality is good. A Facebook page has also been created. Pankaj is also in talks with PR firms for advertising and spreading the know-how about the restaurant. A cartoon GOD KAKE has been created and patented which appears on the walls of the restaurant. The main positive point of Oye Kake from the customers point of view, as Pankaj puts it is that the owner himself asks for the feedback most of the times which creates a positive impression among the customers. Networking: Being born and brought up in Mumbai Mr. Gupta relied on his local connections to draw initial customers to his restaurant. He dint join hands with PR firms or use social media like facebook, twitter to promote his restaurant because he thought these were already overcrowded with advertisements. Besides his younger brother through his contacts in various colleges in Mumbai also helped along to draw customers to his restaurant. Many of his college friends from Somaiya were his initial customers and continue to remain so. Competition: Though Oye Kake is one of a kind restaurant with its USP being the amritsar water made kulcha which is not offered by another restaurant in the city and its pricing (which is on the lower side considering its prime location), it still faces competition. Its major competitor is Only Paranthas which is now known as ANSAA. The place serves the best Chole Bature and Parantas in town. It is in the centre of a busy commercial area. So the pricing is equally high. Its delivery service is very efficient; delivery time is 15-20 minutes for nariman point area. A Gobi Muli Paratha is for about Rs 125 all inclusive and is served with dal, chana masala, raita and pickle.

Contribution Mr. Pankaj Gupta has set new ground rules in this field, and has come up with and implemented many new ways to differentiate his business and stand ahead of people already in this league with years of experience. Listed below are few of prominent steps that he has taken so far. He recognized the need of having same taste and special affection to Punjabs food. The reason he discovered for the taste difference was the difference in water. He utilized this opportunity by transporting and using water for cooking from Punjab. That is the USP of the restaurant. The menu gets revised in every 6 months and this maintains interest amongst customers. The menu is quite simple and understandable not stuffed with too much dishes. To exemplify perfection to quality of food and taste, he has the whole team of chefs from Punjab. He identified and tapped the market which had a need of pure veg dedicated Punjabi restaurant as the location he chose is a corporate hub with majorly vegetarian customers. He uses of reward and penalty system to keep employees motivated. Challenges faced since inception The major challenge what Pankaj has faced till now, as he himself puts it not operations or capital but the shortage of manpower. The regular staff like cleaners, waiters are very inconsistent. The absenteeism is generally on the higher side and excuses are many. Initially it was very difficult for Pankaj to keep the restaurant going at full swing with low number of people, especially during the rush hours. Threatening them or rebuking them was of no use either. Pankaj has realised that the feasible solution to it is to have a buffer stock of personnel who can pitch in if someone is absent. He also maintains a rotation policy of the staff to reduce absenteeism. The next big challenge has been to keep the chefs motivated. All the chefs of Oye Kake are from Punjab. As Pankaj says, it is not money but it is the passion for their profession of cooking and working in a pure Punjabi restaurant that makes them do their work at a place so far from their homes. It is very important to keep the chefs happy and motivated and never argue with them, says Pankaj. Whatever they say is needed is generally heeded to. The third biggest challenge that has been faced so far is wastage. Pankaj realised in a couple of months that the food that was going through the drains and the gutters was actually the profit he was forgoing. It was hence, of utmost necessity to control the wastage of food. Also the electricity bill was skyrocketing at around Rs. 40000-50000 for the first few months. Curbing all these unnecessary costs was very important. What Pankaj did in order to combat the challenge was install a Reward and Penalty system in his restaurant. The system motivates people by providing the staff with monetary and non-monetary benefits for their good performance over the month. For example, he gives a monetary reward of Rs 1000 to the manager each time the electricity bill is less than Rs. 25000 and cuts a sum of Rs. 500 if it

exceeds Rs. 40000. The electricity bill is now generally around 25000-30000 which proves the effectiveness of the system. Also he gives rewards to waiters and the support staff if they are consistently praised by customers or on days where the restaurant does brilliant business. This system has acted as brilliant reinforcement technique so far. Another issue that Pankaj says he faced and is still facing is the rush hour timings. When he opened the restaurant, he did it for the corporate people expecting that rush hours would be in the meal timings in the afternoon. As it turns out in the last 6 months, the rush hours are always in the evenings and youth and families generally turn up for the same during those hours. Pankaj says that although it is doing well for the restaurant, but if something is not according to plan, there must be some loophole, and he is trying to plug it. Future Plans Pankaj has set up high and aggressive future plans. He aims to build the brand of Oye Kake by consistently thriving on high quality food and service, keeping the menu simple yet attractive. Short term future plans include organising the kitchen with standard operating procedures. He wishes to bring in celebrity endorsement by inviting them over to the restaurant, hence doing marketing and promotion of the restaurant. He wants to branch out and make a chain of restaurants under the name Oye Kake. The first branch that will chain out will be in Mumbai and hopefully in this year, says Pankaj. He then wishes to expand them to cities like Pune, Gujarat and Delhi. He wishes new branches to cater to nonvegetarian customers too. Pankaj does not want to remain only in the food industry but wants to get into food and entertainment industry. In the long run, he wishes to have a lounge and a sports bar to cater to the youth. He wishes to woo investors for the financing of his future investments and is currently in talks with a few of them.

Annexure Review of Oye Kake in Mid DAY

Parathas from the Pind

Melt-in-the-mouth kulchas, dry fruit lassis and other divine recipes from the Pind are now available in the city. Oye Kake's food may be seriously rich, fairly oily and heavy on the stomach, but it's also indisputably delicious
Remember that catchy song from the Sunny Deol flick Gadar (2001), in which he crooned about leaving his heart behind at the corner of a street? Well, in your enthusiasm for Oye Kake's Punjabi food at Fort's trafficridden commercial area, you're likely to leave behind your door, bumper or side-view mirror. Pausing in this narrow lane could cost you your hearing, because vehicles lined up behind yours will not stop honking. In alleys like this one, the polite thing to do is to roll your window down and slide out.

The buttery Kadai Paneer with cheese kulchas is sheer bliss (bottom); The interiors give a pop art version of a village with colourful pots Fortunately, the good old-fashioned Punjabi hospitality at the eatery instantly soothed our strained nerves. As soon as we were seated at a small table at the rear end of the room, a turbaned supervisor offered us a glass of "Amritsari paani". This is used in all their preparations, he tells us, and points out that a slight sweetness (thanks to the water) defines the taste of the dishes. We skim over the menu and are especially intrigued by the variety of lassis (priced between Rs 35 and Rs 55). Peda Lassi sounds a bit too rich even for us, so we decided to sample a Banana Lassi and a Kesar Lassi (Rs 55 each), the latter because the server insists it's one of their specialties. We were disappointed to hear that the Sarson da Saag and Makki di Roti weren't presently available, but the server assured us that the Kadai Paneer (Rs 89) and a Cheese Kulcha (Rs 79) should lift our spirits. We order a Pindd Samosa (Rs 25), too, just in case. The Lassis were beautifully thick and just the right blend of sweet and sour. By the time our Cheese Kulcha and Kadai Paneer were placed before us, we were already sated, having gulped our beverage down rather shamelessly. The bread looked soft and buttery and the paneer dish, positively sinful. Both delivered sheer bliss with each bite. The Pindd Samosa -- a serving of twin Punjabi samosas with jeera-paani and tamarind chutney -- were good but predictable. The desserts were scrumptious. We loved the smooth and creamy Kesar Phirni (Rs 55) and the "Fruit Cream" (Rs 60), a dhaba-style frozen dessert delicately laced with freshly-grated coconut. To summarise the experience, the food here isn't for the calorie conscious. If you suffer from heart disease, you'd best salivate from a distance. But should you ever crave a slice of heaven, this is where you'll find it, served with a complimentary bowl of lip-smacking Chhole and cost under Rs 130. At: 13 Cawasji Patel Street, near Mahesh Lunch Home, Fort. Call: 22871882 / 40027788 Paratha Mantra didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.

People Speak: This has been taken from the following link:
http://www.zomato.com/mumbai/restaurants/south/fort/oye-kake-39030/reviews#tabtop

Rekha: Oye-kake took me back to Amritsar!!! Born in Amritsar and spent my early years there, i guess the taste is embeeded in my subconscious. I thought Oye Kake would be just another Punjabi food joint boasting authentic Amritsari food but I was wrong! The food was delicious. I loved the Kulchas paneer, chesse and aloo in particular. The chana was yumm as was channa bhatura ordered by my friend. Lassi is not something I look forward to at these places but at the insistence of the waiter we called for one glass... and landed up drinking 2 glasses each! It was out of this world.... I recommend Oye Kake to everyone. Great food. Willing to serve staff and value for money!!! Its Oye Kake all the way... :)

BEST PANJABI FOOD!

Hello, so i had heard so so much about this place and bring a Panjabi born and brought up in Amritsar i was dying to try out the food!! The food exceeded my expectations, the kulchas (esp cheese) , paneer kadhai (like my moms), lassi (as good as Ahuja! in asr) and rabdi were to DIE FOR! I have literally been here every sunday and reminiscing about food back home. I even tried the water - and its actually similar to the amritsar water. I have been to so many places that claim to make "authentic" panjabi food - but this one has come closest and would recommend it to EVERYONE!! Its also reasonably priced and the owner seemed very sweet kudos and GREAT WORK !!!!!!!!!!! Source: http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/oye-kake_fort_mumbai_restaurants/16122451148

Present Menu of Oye Kake (The Menu is revised every 6 months)

Interiors of Oye Kake

With Mr. Pankaj Gupta