Bangs, an Indian QSR chain was established in 2009 with an idea of doing something out of the box. Since its inception the brand has tempted people with its western food with Indian flavour. In an interview Asvin Simon, CEO, Bangs India shares the brands’ success journey via franchising.
Neha Gohil (NG): Shed some light on your entrepreneurial journey. How did you conceptualise this business idea?
Asvin Simon (AS): We wanted to start something new and thus decided to open a kiosk format fried chicken and burger outlet. We started our first kiosk model in Chennai followed by nine more kiosk in Chennai. After Chennai we wanted to expand across India and franchising is the best expansion model. So we were planning to franchise it. Now we have more than 24 outlets as kiosk, express and restaurant models.
NG: What is the USP of your brand? How does Bangs Chicken differ from other QSR brands?
AS: Our USP is crispy fried chicken and our burgers with low cost. We are serving the products in Indian flavour and with plenty of varieties which include fried chicken, burgers, wraps, pasta, French fries and beverages.
NG: Has the brand faced any competition from other international chains? What strategies have you developed to deal with it?
AS: We have never faced any competition as our business model and strategies are different. We have three different models as Kiosk, Express and Restaurant. We are opening our major outlets in Tier II cities where no one has their presence. In metro cities also we are doing good business since people are trying to have different varieties with different brand.
NG: How has franchising helped the brand so far in achieving its target?
AS: Franchising model is the best model to expand. These days’ people want to invest money in different concepts and especially in food and beverages. Our business model is accepted in almost every city. So it has become very easy to achieve the targets. We have opened 20 outlets in the first two months.
NG: Presently how many franchise outlets do you have? What are your further expansion plans via franchising?
AS: Presently, we have 15 franchise outlets and we will be adding 50 more in 2012.
NG: How much investment in money and area is required from the franchisee for opening an outlet?
AS: Minimum investment for a kiosk is Rs13 lakh and this model is only for metro cities. Express outlet model will cost about Rs 20-25 lakh and restaurant model will cost about Rs 35 lakh and more which includes franchisee fee, equipment and interiors.
NG: Where do you see your company in the next five years?
AS: We are planning to open 500 outlets in next five years. This year we are planning to open an outlet in Qatar.
NG: What are the challenges faced by a franchisee?
AS: Our franchisees will not face any challenges since we are giving enough support to everyone. We are providing all the supports starting from supply chain, marketing and training.
