Biryani By Kilo hopes to double revenue by 2020
3 min read 30 Sep 2019, 04:10 PM ISTIt plans to do so by exporting its famous ‘handi’ biryani to the UAE and the UKBiryani By Kilo is experimenting with healthier variants such as Quinoa biryani and Brown rice biryani
PremiumNEW DELHI : Vishal Jindal is hopeful of doubing revenue of his Rs.50 crore biryani-and-kebab chain, Biryani By Kilo (BBK), by next year. He plans to do so by exporting the famous ‘handi’ biryani to the United Arab Emirates and the UK, and experimenting with healthier variants such as quinoa biryani and brown rice biryani, according to Jindal, co-founder and director of BBK.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Startup Expo organized by TiE and Lufthansa in New Delhi last week, Jindal said “We are opening three outlets every month and are looking to expand our presence to 40-50 outlets in north India by next April-May. We are also getting massive franchise inquiries from the UAE and UK, so next year we will go international and hope to hit the ₹100 crore ."
The journey that began in 2015 with two outlets, has grown to about 25 outlets in 2019. Currently, BBK has 14 outlets in Delhi-NCR, five in Bombay, three in Punjab, one in Jaipur and one each opening in Lucknow and Dehradun next month.
BBK raised Series A funding of $5 million led by IvyCap Ventures in June and will be doing a Series B round next year to take the company on its journey from ₹100 crore upwards. But given the proliferation of biryani delivery outlets in the market, what is the secret sauce that drives BBK?
Jindal explains that BBK is the only Biryani Chain to make biryani afresh for every order, and deliver it in the same handi in which it was cooked, unlike many of its competitors who freeze the biryani and reheat it when a order comes through so that they are able to deliver it within 30 minutes. “We are not a reheating company," he emphasises.
It has taken Jindal, co-founder Kaushik Roy and the team, four years of practice and learning to reduce the delivery time from 3 hours to close to 60 minutes today. “Even then we need 35 to 40 minutes of dum in the handi so that the flavours are captured inside the handi and the taste remains fresh and authentic."
Ingredients are key to the taste and flavour of the biryani. Jindal claims that they use the ₹200 kg Dawat basmati rice specially aged for around two years to make the biryani, the spices are procured from Kerala, and all the butchery of the meat happens in-house so they know which cut of the meat is being used. According to the company, the stringent processes and systems ensure that quality, standardization and hygiene of the product is maintained.
“The quality of rice we use is used by five-star restaurants like Dumpukht or Bukhara, other chains use the ₹70-80 kg rice that has been aged in three months un-naturally," adds Jindal.
The team is constantly innovating around the product too. “We make three variants all the time - Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, and Kolkata biryani. But we have also done Malabar and Ambur biryani for a short time. So this means that the kind of experimentation and innovation we are doing, not many companies are doing."
BBK has also been innovating around the periphery by introducing a range of new kebabs last month and new desserts like double ka meetha.
The online food ordering market in India is likely to grow at over 16% annually to touch $17.02 billion by 2023, according to a report by Market Research Future.
Jindal is capitalizing on this opportunity and wants to make biryani the biggest food services and delivery category from India. "Moreover, biryani is a complete meal, recipes can be both authentic and versatile, and it caters itself to delivery very well, unlike a dosa or a burger, which gets cold and soggy, " says Jindal.
