Globally palatable prospects

Quiznos, a US-based sandwich restaurant brand has signed Sanjay Valluri, Owner, Surya Ray Elixir Pvt. Ltd, a Hyderabad-based company, as the master franchisee for expansion in India. In an interview he shares the growth plans of the company.

Namita Bhagat (NB): Quiznos has made its debut in India. The chain has joined hands with your company. Kindly elaborate on the kind of agreement?

Sanjay Valluri (SV): Quiznos has given us ‘the master franchise’ rights for southern India including cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi and Chennai. We will open our first location in May this year. That is the nature of the agreement.

NB: Where does the country stand in Quiznos’s Global operations? How do you think the partnership will help the company to strengthen its foothold in India?

SV: Quiznos is an internationally known brand and we have young upcoming population which has growing likeness for international brands and varied demography. As we have experience and know-how of the local market therefore our partnership will help Quiznos to spread footprints in India.

NB:  What are the factors responsible for brands’ entry in to India? How many franchise outlets Quiznos plans to open and what is the strategy regarding the brands’ expansion via franchise model across India?

SV: India has a growing economy and upcoming population. These factors are responsible for brands’ entry in the country. We plan to open five outlets by the end of this year. Our strategy is to add 20 more within next three years and rapidly grow to forty locations in India in coming years.

NB: What is the initial investment needed to open company’s franchise in India?

SV: I can not reveal the exact amount but to open Quiznos franchise one would require couple of crores towards initial investment.

NB:  How will you support a franchisee? What kind of training model you have for them?

SV: We have put our CEO’s training in place as well as placed detailed training procedures for our franchisees.

NB: Which segment of consumer are you targeting in India? How will it adapt itself to Indian conditions in context of both palate and pocket of Indian people?

SV:  We will target returned NRIs, IT offices in the Hyderabad to begin with and cater to campuses of IT firms. Indians have strong preference towards hot food. We will offer store menu of Quiznos' signature offerings and we will also adapt according to local tastes.

NB: So many players are already in this space, how do you expect to tackle the issue of competition?

SV: Well there are players in F&B space but not that many players in this sub-category where they are serving hot food. So, we have an edge in this segment and have no initial challenges and competition to tackle.