Melange of Italian biz and Indian profits

India is all set to experience the ‘ah!thentic’ Italian flavour, which America’s favourite pizza chain promises to deliver. DJ Patel, Area Representative, Marco’s Pizza- a Toledo based, robustly growing pizza franchise, in a conversation with Rashi Mathur, talks about their entry in the Indian market and how they plan to overcome the upcoming challenges.

What prompted you to enter the Indian market?

The consumer market in India is huge. The middle class population is close to 400 million. Despite the wide variety in choice for food, pizza industry is sure to grow. It is considered a luxury and status quo to have pizza for lunch or dinner. Since my roots are in India and my parents and grandparents have always been businessmen, I have a good understanding of how the business culture works here.

Enlighten us about your brand’s profile and USP.

Marco’s will be a perfect fit with Indian spices and exotic flavour. Indian culture is rich and people are very welcoming. Marco's brand will find a perfect place in India as people would be looking forward to embrace this brand from the USA. Marco’s Pizza Founder, Pasquale ‘Pat’ Giammarco moved to the U.S. from Italy when he was nine years old and grew up working in his family pizzeria. He later embarked on a mission to make high quality pizza on a larger scale using a secret sauce recipe that he developed and refined with his father.

What all strategies you plan to adopt to ensure profitable returns? Do they differ from country to country?

The plans do vary from country to country. Our plan is to follow the USA Marco's Pizza operation and key operating model.

What are your requirements in terms of area, investment, RoI and breakeven?

India's demography is very versatile and it varies from state to state. A detailed study will be performed based on the income level and the areas will be decided. A segment of team is on its way to collect necessary data and perform analysis to present at our company meeting which is held at the end of the year. One of the stakeholders from our company is visiting India soon.

Any success tips you wish to share?

Every business has challenges but the bottom line is to adopt new strategies to meet your goals. And focus on the quality of food, customer service and reasonable prices.