Taking the route of smaller QSR outlets for rapid growth

Time of India

29-07-2025

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ETHospitalityWorld
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Established in 2019, Kokum, a Malwani and Konkani coastal cuisine restaurant in Vasai was Acapella Hospitality 's maiden venture. However, Lil Gamby , a QSR delivery-only Pizza brand , which it started post-pandemic, became its flagship brand over a period of time, expanding into different formats in Mumbai and its suburbs.Speaking about Lil Gamby and the vision he had for the brand's growth, Shaan Gidwani , founder and managing director, Acapella Hospitality spoke to ET HospitalityWorld recently.It was during the second wave of the pandemic that restaurant operations in the city had come to a standstill and Gidwani took the decision to reuse their existing kitchen infrastructure at what was Cafe Panama, to launch a delivery-only pizza brand.'The most practical option for us (given that dining out was not allowed) was to use the same infrastructure, the same SKUs and the same manpower to launch a delivery-only pizza brand,' Gidwani remembered about the genesis of what is now his most successful restaurant Lil Gamby.'There was a solid response that we got from local audiences. So that instilled our confidence and conviction in pizza as a product category, and also the way we had executed the brand within that category. In 2023 we took the leap and started our first physical store under the Lil Gamby banner—a 1000 square foot, restobar in Bandra. We just felt in order to do justice to the Lil Gamby brand and unpack all the potential within that product, we needed a physical location,' he added about the brand's development.The new outlet also allowed them to bring new elements—a beer focussed offering, extended menu, burgers, pastas and decadent desserts as well as an ice cream truck concept—a lot of which came from Gidwani's own anecdotal experiences during his travels.The Bandra outlet was a bit of an experiment, Gidwani confessed, but the response they got helped cement their conviction in the brand.The path forward for Lil Gamby was to set up smaller format QSR stores, which would be the biggest driver for the brand's growth, he felt."We've already begun that process. We have seven outlets today, including our flagship store in Lower Parel which is now a larger than life flagship for the brand from where a lot of experimental marketing, a lot of engaging activities can be done," he said.With two restobars in Khar and Lower Parel, the brand's other outlets were all in the QSR format, he said, adding that they had stores coming up in Malad, Vashi and Kharghar."If I put everything together, include some of the other brands (the company also owns and operates Kokum and their pan Asian brand Hungry Buddha), we're at about 10 outlets today at a company level with around one to two new stores being added every month," he said about the current growth.The company will continue to focus on Mumbai till the end of the current financial year because Gidwani felt that there was enough ground left to cover.'Market research is something that is ongoing and we are looking at Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, Gujarat, Hyderabad as well,' he said.With his aim to ultimately be a $100 million company, the first milestone would be to grow to 20 stores, which he is confident of reaching by the end of this financial year.They were still uncomfortable to go for the franchise path while expanding their reach, though Gidwani confessed once his brands have been firmly established, the franchising model would be an option as well, but only post 100 company-owned, company-operated stores.And yes, next financial year was also when Gidwani planned to look for funding, a process that he has already begun but didn't want to speak about currently.