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Sudha Menon

"We plan to open the outlets in high-street locations and destination malls which is where there are huge footfalls and a captive audience."

Pune , Aug. 17

MOVE over KFC and other wannabe claimant to the wallets and palates of chicken lovers in India - Indage Hotels, part of the Chateau Indage group (known for its range of home-grown wines) has just bagged the master franchise for South Africa's fast food chicken chain, Nando's.

The company, which set up the Athena brand of restaurant and lounge bars, is all set to roll out over 200 Nando's outlets at an estimated Rs 150 crore over the next few years.

The company will initially invest around Rs 10 crore to set up outlets in major cities, beginning with Mumbai which is likely by the end of this month.

Indage Hotels bagged the franchise after stiff competition from over a thousand applications from India , Mr Vikrant Chougule, Managing Director, told Business Line.

The first Nando's outlet will open at Mumbai's high-profile Inorbit mall following which the company plans to open another couple at Bandra.Next stop will be Delhi and Bangalore, Mr Chougule said.

"We plan to open the outlets in high-street locations and destination malls which is where there are huge footfalls and a captive audience. The idea is to open one outlet every six months," he said.

The Nando's chain, with over a 1,000 outlets all over the world, is the brainchild of two African entrepreneurs who set it up in 1987. The chain has over 800 outlets in South Africa where it is a household name. "The USP of this chain is that the food offered on the menu is spicy and so guaranteed to grab the palates of Indian restaurant goers. We will not have to go through the learning curve of trying and adapting the menu to make it more appealing to the Indian consumer like other fast food chains have to do," Mr Chougule said. Indage Hotels, meanwhile, has just restructured its management and has brought in a new CEO, Mr Srinidhi Rao, who was with Taj Hotels and Barista, among others.

"The food business in India is extremely competitive just now and this is part of our strategy to professionalise business," Mr Chougule said.

The company is now also in the midst of plans to reopen its best-selling lounge bar, Athena, with a brand new look and menu in October this year. Also on the cards is an Athena bar in Pune next month, Mr Chougule said.

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