Restaurant consultancy services might not be a new term in other cities but the concept of restaurant consultancy service is still new in Assam and the entire North East.
Concept-based restaurants and cafes have been opening regularly in the city but at the same time, many restaurants and cafes are also closing their doors. For those who couldn't keep afloat or entrepreneurs seeking guidance for a successful restaurant business, seeking help from Restaurant Consultancy is the key.
So what is restaurant consultancy?
As the name suggests, restaurant consultancy services provide consultation on running a restaurant business smoothly and in profit. They help in restaurant business consulting, beverage consulting, menu designing, concept designing, staff training and more.
Restaurant consultancy in the whole northeast is still a very new concept. Though there have been many restaurants that are opening in the city, hardly any of them take the help of restaurant consultancy services.
However, in many countries, opening a restaurant without consulting the experts is almost unimaginable.
Restaurant Consultancy in Guwahati
In Guwahati, Kensho Consultancy is the destination for anybody looking for guidance in running a successful restaurant.
Kensho consultancy was started this year by Malvika Bansal, who is a former Regional Business Analyst with Zomato.
An avid food lover, she knew she had to do something for the food and beverage industry even when she was pursuing her higher studies.
"I did my graduation in commerce and chooses a program that was very unique then and offered by only one university in the entire country. I did MBA with a specialisation in International Hotel and Restaurant Management from GD Goenka University. The programme was in collaboration with Le Cordon Bleu, Australia which is considered the largest network of culinary and hospitality schools in the world," Malvika recalls are choice of career with a proud smile while talking to Business Northeast.
Following her studies, she worked as a marketing strategist for several popular restaurant chains in Delhi and Mumbai.
"During my tenure in Zomato, I learnt how the Guwahati market interacted, how price sensitive the market is, the categories of customers and the all over insight of the functioning of food and beverage industry in the city. And that's how I started Kensho Consultancy," she said.
"Restaurant or eatery business is booming in the city but there is no one to guide in the conceptualization of a successful restaurant. Restaurant conceptualization takes care of interiors, menu designing, aesthetic feels and how the staff members will be dressed, which is working on every element and creating a cohesive concept," Malvika added.
Kensho aims to curate a growing, healthy restaurant business with apt ideation in brand building, marketing and strategy. It creates a demand-centric, sustainable growth strategy model which will help to create a community of food and beverage businesses and enthusiasts in Guwahati.
While asking about how big the restaurant consultancy market is in Guwahati, Malvika said, "The main problem is that the people of Guwahati have not been educated yet about these kinds of services. Presently, Guwahati is a growing market and is in its nascent stage about the whole idea of restaurant consultancy and most people don't feel the worth of paying so much for a consultant. Though the prices of restaurant consultations in Guwahati are five or six times less than compared to the metro cities, people still hesitate to pay and instead opt for ideas from the internet. That's why most of the cafes and restaurants in Guwahati have similar kinds of themes and menus."
The young consultant also said that if some restaurant owner is willing to spend on consultancy they often prefer someone from a big city like Delhi and Mumbai which explains that the market is huge in those cities.
The charges of the services offered by Kensho Consultancy differ on the type of services the client opts for.
As per Malvika, the restaurant consultancy service in Guwahati starts at as low as Rs.10,000 for menu development; branding around Rs.30,000- Rs. 50,000. The prices also vary depending on the size of the restaurant.
Overall the concept of restaurant consultancy service in Guwahati and the whole North East is in its nascent stage and it is expected to grow shortly just like how the Food and Beverage market is thriving in the city.
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