Bucking the Trend

Gaurav Marya, President of Franchise India Group, one of Asia's largest integrated franchise solutions outfit, spotted the trend towards QSRs in 2004. But despite being a franchise guru, Marya had to digest some new lessons when it came to food, as Sonya Chowdhry Grover, Director, Franchise India Brands, Marya's holding company owning Club City and and other franchises, points out.

"We realised that Indians want choice...and there's a huge demand for traditional Indian options," she says. So Club City has bet on the good old Indian meal. Dosa Plaza dishes out a mind-boggling combination of dosas, while Masala Country has an array of north Indian cuisine. Club City is more aggressive with Dosa Plaza. "We really want to grow this offering as it has responded really well," says Grover.

According to her, most malls are disaster zones for food-related ventures as they tend to pull in huge crowds during weekends, creating a lumpy business flow that is hardly conducive to something as perishable as food.

DOSA PLAZA

• COMPANY: Club City
• OUTLETS NOW: 28 of Dosa Plaza, six of Masala Country across India
• GROWTH PLANS: Open 30 more outlets
• BUSINESS MODEL: Franchise
• FUNDING: Gaurav Marya
• HOT ITEMS AT DOSA PLAZA: Salad Roast Dosa