QSR chain Fisheteria plans to strengthen its presence in India through the franchise model. It launched its first Sea-food outlet in Mumbai in October, 2012
"We plan to open at least 10 outlets this fiscal with Bangalore and Pune as the immediate cities being targeted," said Shivam Gupta, Director, WestCoast Fine Foods.
Sharing details about the franchising route, he further added: "We offer three models in franchising; kiosk, food- court shop, and restaurant format. Kiosk model is operated in outdoor places such as the Mahalaxmi Race Course during race season. It requires the least investment and spreads over 100 sq.ft. The food- court- shop model covers 300 sq.ft. to 500 sq.ft. and is popular in malls. Our restaurant format ranges anywhere between 800 and 2,000 sq.ft. and is the most capital intensive, but offers greater brand visibility and higher returns."
According to Gupta, a 10 x10 sq.mt. kiosk draws an investment of approximately Rs 2 lakh while the food court model, depending upon size, requires an investment of Rs 3 lakh approximately.
Speaking about the location preferences of the chain, he stated that the locations chosen so far for its QSRs have been in malls which attract footfalls and offer good conversion rate.
Fisheterias' menu comprises fish and prawn products such as wraps, salads, burgers, rolls, curries, sandwiches, and parathas priced between Rs 60 and Rs 150. Its average ticket size is Rs 200. "The menu is designed primarily by Chef Vikas Seth (Dish Hospitality), with inputs from Prahlad Kakkar, the foodie. As we serve fast food, highly trained chefs are not required at the outlet level," informed Gupta.
Commenting on the the initial challenges faced while setting up Fisheteria, he stated that they were mostly related to misconceptions about seafood. He added: "Prawns and fish have a reputation, even within the food industry, as products that smell.
We had to go quite hands on and take our products with us to leasing managers of malls to show them that the quality of the raw material was such that the smell would actually be enticing! even for vegetarian customers. Today we have got past our teething problems but there is a whole new set of challenges mostly pertaining to logistics and operations."
To tackle the odour and hygiene issues associated with seafood based cuisines, Fisheteria raises its own shrimps which are sold under the brand name Cambay Tiger (served in restaurants in over 40 countries). They are sushi certified, which means their quality is such that they can be eaten raw, Gupta claimed.
WestCoast Group is an integrated acquaculture company involved at each step of the value chain. It has its own hatcheries, farms, and freezing plants in Gujarat and a distribution network that caters to over 100 cities pan India.