Australia's pizza chain Eagle Boys seeks India expansion

Australian pizza chain Eagle Boys is rapidly expanding its base in India and  has targeted 50 outlets in India by end of 2015.  Their current outlet base of 14 outlets is spread out across six outlets in Mumbai, four in Pune, one in Chennai and three in Hyderabad. Recently, the company has opened its sixth outlet in Pune.  So far, the company has invested over Rs 50 crore in India.

Rakesh Nanda, director, Eagle Boys Pizza said, "In the coming year, keeping in line with our aggressive growth targets, the business vision is to achieve more than 100 outlets across the length and breadth of the country. We are moving into this space, with plenty of its franchisees beginning to offer in-store dining services.  We are investing in the range of Rs 50- 60 crore whilst the minimum target being looked at in terms of volumes is 50 new outlets per year. Eagle Boys looks to expand to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Chhattisgarh and beyond."

According to Nanda, pizza is moving into new territories, taking on a role in casual family dining.   Eagle Boys selling seven-inch pizzas price ranging from Rs 49 to Rs 100, catering to all consumer segments and price points, ranging from corporates to students.

Nanda added, "Apart from the 2000 employees who will be directly on rolls with Eagle Boys, there are another 500 who will get indirect -unemployment by dint of being food suppliers and manufacturers partnering with us."

Apart from Pizza Hut and Domino's many international pizza brands are now expanding their footprint in India.Few names are  Debonairs Pizza from South Africa,  Sbarro of the US.   

Eagle Boys has 200 outlets in Australia with a  22 per cent share of the pizza market with the annual turnover of USD one billion. Apart from India, it is rapidly growing presence in Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Taco bell rings its bell in Mumbai

America’s Mexican fast food restaurant chain, Taco Bell recently opened two more outlets in Mumbai. The outlets are located in Ghatkopar and Thane. Taco Bell is a part of Yum! Restaurants India which is a subsidiary of ‘Yum! Brands’. Internationally, Taco Bell has over 6000 stores in 16 countries including India. In India, Taco Bell has four outlets in Bangalore and now three in Mumbai. ‘Yum! Brands’ owns three of the leading restaurant brands worldwide – Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell.

Launched in India in 2010, Taco Bell serves Mexican fast food that is both craveable and packed with flavours. With absolutely new food formats and bold flavours, Taco Bell is a delight for consumers who want to experience some ‘food adventure’.

Unnat Varma, General Manager, Taco Bell & Pizza Hut, India said: “At Taco Bell, we serve fast food that is crunchy, cheesy and extremely flavourful. Our experience both in Bangalore and Mumbai has been fantastic with consumers thoroughly enjoying new food formats like Tacos, Chalupas and Quesadillas. Though our food has familiar ingredients but they are done very differently.”

Taco Bell menu boasts of items that are hot and cold, soft and crunchy, all at the same time - a true multi-sensorial food experience. 

New York Pizza and Fried Chicken opens in Vijayawada

New York Pizza and Fried Chicken (NYPFC) has launched its first outlet in Vijayawada and its fourth franchise in Andhra Pradesh. 

Announcing the launch of the new restaurant, NYPFC manager Yada Srimannarayana Murthy said that the franchise will provide American dishes with an Indian touch for the customers. “The restaurant was launched after observing the tastes and studying the project in different countries,” said Murthy. 

Meanwhile, Pizza Hut also made its foray into the city with the launch of its first restaurant in the LEPL Icon Mall on Friday. With a seating capacity of 110 the restaurant is decorated in trademark Pizza Hut style with warm lighting and mood graphics on the walls. The welcoming waiters are more than willing to make the city people aware of wide ranging menu from signature pan pizzas and pastas to appetizers and beverages. 

Speaking on this occasion Pizza Hut India Brand general manager Sandeep Kataria said that they were proud of this new launch and positive that it will offer a great dining experience and much more to the people of Vijayawada. 

UK's PizzaExpress to debut in India soon; hires CEO

The UK-based casual dining restaurant chain PizzaExpress has kicked off the process of starting its India operation, almost eight months after signing a 50-50 joint venture partnership with Bharti Family Office. As a first step, a chief executive officer (CEO) has been hired for the India business, and the company is learnt to be looking at a year-end launch of the chain. The first few outlets of the PizzaExpress chain are expected to open in metros like Mumbai and Delhi, reports Business Standard.

Ramit Mittal, son of Rakesh Mittal, vice-chairman and managing director of Bharti Enterprises and elder brother of Bharti Group chairman Sunil Mittal, is spearheading the PizzaExpress project from the Bharti Family Office side. Bharti Family Office is an initiative of the promoters of the Bharti group through their personal investments. The Bharti group’s business interest ranges from telecom to media to retail. 

Since Ramit Mittal, 33, is already based in Mumbai as co-founder and joint managing director of Bulldog Media and Entertainment, PizzaExpress is likely to have its India headquarters in the same city, people close to the development say. 

An official representing the joint venture confirmed that Vivek Mathur, who’s coming from the Godrej group, has been appointed CEO for PizzaExpress India. Over the next two to three months, many more senior and middle-level appointments are slated to take place. 

Mathur was executive director and president (marketing, sales and innovation) at Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. Prior to that, he was managing director at Godrej Hershey Ltd and chief operating officer (marketing, sales) at Godrej Sara Lee. He has also worked with Tata Global Beverages Ltd and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. 

“The joint venture is making progress as per our plans. We continue to work on developing the brand, business and team in India. However, at this stage, we don’t have anything specific to share,” a company spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report.