An ardent foodie and an inveterate traveler, Dhaval Udeshi would always make it a point to visit a varied range of food and beverage establishments during his journeys. This exposure opened up his mind to the distinctive food cultures across the world, some of which he vowed to introduce in India.
“During most of my international trips, I would meet chefs and bartenders to understand their cooking style and the ingredients they used for their food and drinks,” Udeshi stated. “Once I had a better comprehension about it, I would return home and experiment on these cuisines to make it more agreeable to the Indian palate and expectations.”
STARTING SMALL, DREAMING BIG
Udeshi began prudently by launching an eatery in Ghatkopar, which later metamorphosed into a popular modern Indian food destination. He then decided to challenge the stereotype around Middle Eastern cuisine, which most people often equated with hummus, pita bread and shawarma. Very few knew about the breadth of this cuisine, which also includes kebabs, dolmas, tabbouleh, baklava, doner kebab, and mulukhiyah. He met Eli Zedaka and Guy Itzhaki in 2007 and together, they started the ‘Falafels’ chain of QSRs to Mumbai, which currently has over ten outlets in the city.
However, the young entrepreneur was just getting started. He realized that while good food is critical to any food and beverage business, what really elevates the entire dining experience is a vibrant ambience coupled with an upbeat vibe and reasonable prices. That is when he collaborated with Pawan Shahri and the duo went on to introduce restaurants and bars, including London Taxi, Butterfly High, Silly, Blah!, and the youngest baby, Donna Deli, which have a strong position in the city’s Food and beverage firmament.
Recalling this journey, Udeshi stated, “Before starting London Taxi, I was more interested in understanding the various models of cafés and casual dining restaurants. I had never previously worked with a commercial bar so getting an opportunity to partner at London Taxi was extremely new and exciting for me.”
Through this journey, he made several mistakes but quickly learned how to steer his way around them to come up top. And he believes it is time to share this learning with the next generation of restaurateurs because, like Warren Buffet said, “It’s good to learn from your mistakes, but it is better to learn from other people’s mistakes.”
LEARNING THE ROPES
When he started his entrepreneurial journey as a restaurateur, Udeshi lacked adequate knowledge about the alco-beverage aspect of the F&B business or how the nightlife sector operates. This ignorance resulted in several bumps along the way. Still, he was able to overcome these primarily because of the support of his partner, Sanjay Shetty, who he said gave him the opportunity to grow at London Taxi.
“In my initial days, I made lots of errors,” Udeshi candidly explained. “We believed that getting in large crowds would benefit the brand. So, we did a lot of events and activities just to pull in the crowd.”
However, he soon figured that it is vital to have an organic crowd and customers who believe in the brand and are loyal. After gaining this insight, he decided to focus more on the food, dining, and cocktails to create an unforgettable experience for diners, which will keep them coming back for more.
“My biggest learning was that one should not do any forced marketing, and people should not be forced to see your brand if they don’t want to. Everything should be done in an organic manner, so you should run your brand slowly and steadily and consistently. That is the only way you will always get positive results,” Udeshi claimed. In fact, he is proud that today, his restaurants operate with a marketing team of one person and still manage to have full 80% occupancy on weekdays and have a long waiting list on weekends.
THE DAWN OF ALL-DAY DINING
During the pandemic, Udeshi quickly grasped that nightlife in Mumbai is highly inconsistent as time restrictions and permits keep changing. “The timings were sometimes till 3 am, 12 am and 10 pm with no guarantee when and how this can change, going forward,” he explained. “We then changed our format from bars to all-day dining to maximize business opportunities.
This explains how brands like Silly, Blah! and Donna Deli came into being, which featured all-day menus and experiences. These outlets have soft-hued interiors, which are very ‘Instagramable’. People can spend longer hours here; sipping on coffees in the mornings and afternoons and drinking cocktails as the day progresses. This shift helped Udeshi create great guest relationships and boost customer loyalty.
GIVING BACK
There was no shortage of restaurants in Mumbai in the pre-pandemic, but the scenario changed after 2020. Restaurant kitchens were underused as footfalls topped while overheads remained static. Many were forced to shift from dine-in to delivery as cloud kitchens.
These rapid dynamics were bewildering for many restauranteurs who turned into first-time cloud kitchen entrepreneurs. They did not know how to create a sustainable business model or the rules of the game.
For instance, how should they choose the right location based on the cuisine they offer and also the radius of delivery. Moreover, how should they map the kitchen space given the high rentals? Most cloud kitchens are likely to shut in eight to 10 months without this understanding.
To help the peers to navigate these challenges and launch their restaurants successfully, Udeshi and his partner, Pawan Shahri, launched the Taxi Incubator Programme last June. This project aims to identify and collaborate with five entrepreneurs who want to run a successful food business.
Udeshi claimed that his company provides from its team and infrastructure at the London Taxi outlet in Kamala Mills to zealous entrepreneurs. The latter can utilize the establishment’s 650 sq. ft. kitchen space along with the restaurant’s existing resources like food and beverage heads, Research and Development strategy, marketing, advertising and vendor management teams.
Udeshi recalled that the team received more than 150 applications when this mentorship program was introduced. They have successfully launched three brands in the past six months – The Vegan Party by Rupa Mehta, Vanakkam by Chef Rahul Desai, and Farnaz Dandiwala’s Bawa Bao Co.
A passionate entrepreneur, Udeshi constantly seeks meaningful ways to motivate other business owners because he believes that the market is big enough for more players. He understands the struggle that other entrepreneurs often face when raising capital or managing operations, which is often why many shut down within a year of their launch. Having gone through this learning curve, he now wants to mentor resilient restaurateurs and get them market-ready. After all, troubles shared are troubles halved, and why make anyone go through the troubles he has been through?
