Exclusive Interview | Pulkit Arora, Director, CYK Hospitalities
/“We noticed there wasn’t anyone in the market providing end-to- end F&B consulting, like a mall where you can go and shop everything under one roof, and that’s when CYK was born and integrated every category from conceptualisation to execution.”
Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
We first started running our own food business. At that time, we couldn’t find a consultant to help us with business expansion, and that’s how we discovered this need for F&B consulting.
Then, in more recent years, we noticed there wasn’t anyone in the market providing end-to- end F&B consulting, like a mall where you can go and shop everything under one roof, and that’s when CYK was born and integrated every category from conceptualisation to execution.
Making a vision into a reality can be very daunting. We would love a deep dive into your process for all your initiatives.
Turning vision into reality is not a bed of roses; therefore, the process of turning F&B brand vision into reality is a thorough one. Every successful venture starts with a strong foundation and a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of the project.
The process begins with in-depth research and an understanding of the client’s vision, goals, and mission. It takes a certain amount of time to understand the target demographics, competition, and current industry trends. Thereafter, analyzing the market carefully and identifying areas where one can make a difference and set them apart from their competitors.
Later, creating a roadmap with detailed strategies that chart the course for success has always been the relevant step. From there, one should focus on creating a comprehensive and detailed execution plan that includes menu creation, design concepts, branding, and operations.
Understanding the importance of creating a memorable guest experience, and attention to detail is critical in achieving the objective.
CYK Hospitalities believes that the success of any F&B business is in the details, and it creates a one-of-a-kind customer experience that reflects your vision and exceeds your expectations. The process is designed to provide the appropriate and influential support one needs to create for F&B brand that is both profitable and sustainable.
Launching something new is both an exciting opportunity and a responsibility. Share with us a deep dive into your process for these new launches.
Launching something new can indeed be both exciting and challenging. Whether you are introducing a new product, service, or restaurant, it is important to have a solid plan in place to ensure that the launch is successful. Turning a dream project into reality takes tremendous effort from our team, from managing, macro to micro details. Here is a deep dive into the process for new launches:
1. Identify the goal and project concept: The first step in initiating something new is to clearly define the goals and the concept one wants to achieve. This includes identifying the menu, location, target audience, ambiance, tableware, glassware and major food presentation, and taste, and showcasing the USP elements from the menu.
2. Conduct market research: Once we have identified our goals, the next step is to conduct thorough market research and competition analysis. This will help you understand your competition, market trends, and customer needs. It will also help you identify any potential roadblocks that could impact the success of your launch & its long-term viability.
3. Planning framework of the project: With a clear understanding of your goals and market research, the next step is to develop comprehensive step-by-step detailed project plans with the allocation of resources and aligning points of contact for a faster process in a uniform direction. This framework and timelines motivate the team to comply with the plan and work towards its execution.
4. Create a launch plan: Once we are in the last stage of defining the menu and restaurant, it is time to create a launch plan. This should include a timeline of events, milestones, and specific tasks that need to be completed to ensure a successful launch.
5. Test and refine: Before launching the restaurant or service to the public, it is important to test it with a soft launch among family and friends. This will help us to identify any potential issues and refine the product or service based on feedback.
6. Launch and promote: Once we have tested and refined the challenges, it is time to launch it to the public. This should include a comprehensive promotional campaign across multiple channels, including social media, PR, blogger meetups, and paid marketing.
7. Monitor and adjust: After the launch, it is important to monitor the success of the restaurant or service and adjust the marketing strategy as needed. This will help one maximize ROI and ensure continued success.
Launching something new can be a complex process, but with a solid plan in place, you can increase your chances of success. By identifying your goals, conducting market research, developing a marketing strategy, creating a launch plan, testing, and refining, launching and promoting, and monitoring and adjusting, you can ensure that your new launch is a success.
Has the “non-hotelier” or “non-HM” tag ever bothered you?
This is quite an intriguing statement, but to be honest, we never really faced difficulties with a non-hotelier background client, as most of our clients are food enthusiasts and are keen to know all the ifs and buts to successfully plan and launch the project.
A couple of times it becomes tough to get a parallel understanding of our work process, but in that case, we prepare the module of client training in his nodes, understanding for better synergy backing the thought process for maximising efforts & graciously savouring the opportunity. After all, it feels like an immense pleasure to add stars to our hospitality stardom.
How do you think AI will impact our industry? Specific jobs, processes, etc.?
The new age of technology is advanced, and the general public is still comprehending its usage & viability, but if we talk about creating flavours, recipes, and giving soul to the food, AI has a long way to go. AI will be crucial in managing front-of-the-house staff as it will be an opportunity for hoteliers to have a hassle-free order system with no errors but still lack personal touch and creating an experience with a presence in the dining area will be a long way to cultivate AI technology.
Some jobs would be replaced eventually in hospitality when the technology becomes price sensitive insecure jobs may be concierge, order taker, nutritional calculation, strategy building in hospitality, security personnel, and depending on FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) segments, and maybe more in the ever-developing techno savvy era.
What is the one app/tech solution you would love to see?
The major problem statement in today’s hospitality industry to find a good recruiting platform, especially for chefs who is not very well versed in theory but still have worked with conviction and learned the art over the years, a pool of such chefs would be a blessing to the hospitality sector, and the same goes with the service department as well.
A good training module in HR for every owner out there would be another gem, as most of the employees are not able to express their problems to the owners and hesitate to express. Such an HR platform may add stability to the job and decrease the employee churn ratio in the hospitality market.
What does the future look like? For the industry, CYK Hospitalities?
The hospitality industry is a very enriched market, it’s still in the recovery phase after the Covid 19 aftermath. We, as hospitality pioneers, look for those loose ends and work on those problems or convert those projects into reality with a success story of their own.
Talking about CYK Hospitalities, the future has always been bright because of its team members, each individual has something to add to the process of never-ending client satisfaction in lieu of the sheer endurance of the task owners.
The market in hospitality is ever-growing and CYK Hospitality is sailing on high tide. The company has been levelling up the game with the passing of time and trying to provide better solutions. For eventually becoming one of the prime establishments in the industry.
What does an owner need to do if they want a restaurant to work?
The restaurant is a small ecosystem, where all the tasks and processes from start to end are interrelated. The owner becomes the brain of this ecosystem, they work as a super visionary person, overseeing the employees, guests, and process flow to form a directed path towards success, by motivating the staff, creating personal touches, and getting involved in all stages of operation from time to time to understand the real gist of how every nerve ending works and what possible problems they face. Eventually, this becomes a crucial job for the owner and elevates the working atmosphere of the restaurant, which in turn has a positive environment with happy and satisfied customers.
