DineEquity, one of the US’ largest full-service restaurant company, on Thursday announced the opening of International House of Pancakes (IHOP), its first restaurant in India at the DLF Cyber Hub in Gurugram, Haryana. Launched under franchisee Kwal’s Catering Private, a multi-unit franchise organisation, the chain plans 19 more outlets in the next 10 years.
“With the ongoing growth of IHOP and introduction of this world-famous dining experience in India, this is a proud moment for us,” said Gary Moore, regional VP and GM at International DineEquity Inc, IHOP's parent company.
“The family-friendly atmosphere, warm hospitality and delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner options at IHOP translate to any country and culture all over the world, and we look forward to delighting guests in India as we have at our more than 1,700 restaurants spanning 12 countries.”
US-based IHOP has been a leader and expert in all things breakfast business for nearly 59 years. At present, there are over 1,700 IHOP restaurants around the world, including restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam as well as Canada, India, Mexico, Guatemala, and most of the Middle East countries.
Speaking about the group's expansion and operation plans, Sameer Lamba, MD of Kwal’s told Financial Chronicle that it is planning to invest Rs 100 crore through 20 restaurants but not under the sub-franchise model, since it isn't a workable model in India.
“We found an opportunity in a niche where there was no place serving American breakfasts and that's where we picked up from. We found a gap in the service standards, no great family restaurants," said Lamba.
Asked about the chain's cautious expansion plans, Lamba said, "It's better to be conservative with expansion. Seeing the market scenario, our biggest fear is about acceptability. A lot of brands have killed themselves by over-expanding and opening too many outlets in the same locality, just running after numbers. We want each of our restaurants to make money and be sustainable,"
neeraj.jha@mydigitalfc.com
