Changing face of India's hospitality industry

Born and brought up in Kolkata and a post graduate from IIMC, Delhi, Mamta Sharma, executive director, 32nd Milestone Group is the one to have launched this ever popular entertainment hub in Gurgaon. Talking about how she came up with the idea of launching this unique venture, Sharma shares, "We had this fairly large stretch of land on the National Highway No. 8 lying completely unutilised. We had a few other options, but decided to come up with a stand-alone restaurant called 'The Caravan Sarai' in 1990."

Though the venture is a success story today, it did have to go through its share of roadblocks and challenges. "When we started in 1990, there was absolutely nothing in the area. It was a huge exercise for us to initially attract even the average passing car. Since standalone restaurants at that time were not allowed to serve liquor, we built a 20 room property in three months to keep it going. Likewise, we had to shut down our night club 'Fireball', at the height of its popularity, because of the Haryana government's ban on liquor. A few years later, when our Go Kart track was all the rage, we had to truncate our karting track and give out that stretch of land to the National Highways for the expansion of NH 08. But I strongly believe that 'fortune favours the brave'. It is our passionate determination and persistent hard work that have stood us in good stead all these years and helped us come up on tops, against all odds," she asserts.

Riyaaz Amlani, managing director & CEO, Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (IEHPL) started his career as an outsider to the restaurant business, running a shoe shop in Mumbai and is today the face behind the popular joint Mocha and many other successful ventures in hospitality. "After five years of frustrating hard work, I realised I wanted to do something more; so, I headed to the University of California, Los Angeles to obtain an entertainment management degree. Upon my return to Mumbai in 1998, I worked as a consultant and also headed operations for a prominent media production house. But a few months later, I quit on a hunch. Soon enough, with a shoestring budget and two of my close friends, I conceptualised and opened the first Mocha. Thus was born Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., which has gone on to build 28 restaurants over nine years including Salt Water Grill, Salt Water Cafe, Smoke House Grill, DelItalia and Mocha ArtHouse to name a few," expresses Amlani.

So, what makes this venture stand out from the rest? "The most unique feature of IEHPL is creating 'handmade restaurants' wherein each has its own unique traits. With each new venture, Impresario tries to create a special food trend in the market. Mocha transforms the concept of age old Moroccan and Turkish 'Quahveh Khannehs' as a contemporary haven for handpicked gourmet coffees, café style food and indulgent desserts," asserts Amlani.



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