Startup story: How Burger Singh is competing with international food giants?

Bored with eating the same burgers every day while working part-time at a burger joint during his university days in the United Kingdom,  Kabir Jeet Singh who is now the CEO and founder of India's popular burger chain “Burger Singh” experimented with the patties by adding Indian spices to it which became an instant hit among his friends. 

Sharing the success story with Livemint, Kabir Jeet Singh said, "The monotony of eating the same burgers every day made me experiment by adding Indian spices to the patties, which became an instant hit with my friends who gave me the moniker “Burger Singh”. This was also my Eureka moment which gave birth to the concept of a burger chain that catered to the Indian palate."

After returning to India, he conducted extensive research, analyzed consumer preferences, and brought together a team that shared my vision of creating India's largest homegrown QSR chain.

Burger Singh's focus was on delivering great flavors, offering vegetarian options, and keeping the prices affordable - three things that Indians love when it comes to food.

“Hence, we fused India's favorite flavors with the world's favorite fast food product, the burger. Burger Singh also bridges a gap in the market, where foreign brands catered to an Indian audience with flavors unfamiliar to them,” Singh said. 

The biggest challenge faced by Burger Singh's CEO was to establish a brand that could create a lasting impression on the consumers and trigger repeat purchases.

However, accomplishing this task with a limited budget proved to be quite daunting, which the homegrown food outlet overcame with quirky and out-of-the-box branding and marketing strategies, he added. 

The Indian burger chain is also competing with international fast-food giants by offering burgers with an Indian twist that caters to the Indian palate.

Citing an example, Kabir Jeet Singh stated, “We have introduced a range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian burgers with Indian flavors over the years, such as Chicken United States of Punjab which incorporates a chicken tikka patty, Amritsari Murgh Makhani, with a delectable makhani sauce paired alongside a cheesy spread and Udta Punjab 2.0, having a cheesy-filled patty.”

The food outlet also customizes its menu offerings to suit local tastes and preferences across different regions in India, he said, adding that they were able to launch a pure veg outlet in Gujarat, catering to local audiences in a way that the other chains have not been able to do.

“This level of flexibility and consumer-centric service is something unique to Burger Singh when you compare our menu offerings to other international players in the industry.”

“We offer more value for money than our competitors, with one of our premium burgers starting at a nominal cost of ₹39. It gives direct competition to the existing entry-level burgers of the international giants, which are nothing but a bun, a patty, and 1 sauce," Singh told Livemint. 

It has already established an international presence with three outlets and a food truck in London making it one of the very first homegrown QSR chains to venture outside India.

After a successful stint in tier 1 cities, Burger Singh is expanding its reach to tier 2 and tier 3 cities as part of its national growth strategy. Recently, they have expanded rapidly in these cities to establish the food chain's presence in 14 states and 56 cities.

“We have also established two new warehouses in strategic locations in the eastern and western parts of the country, to cater to new and existing outlets in the region. Our goal is to establish ourselves as a go-to quick-service restaurant chain, that serves delicious and innovative burgers with an Indian twist,” Burger Singh's CEO said. 

Burger Singh started with an investment of around INR 40 lakh and further raised funding from several investors, including private equity firms and angel investors. 

“The company’s revenue has seen steady growth, going from 29.1 crores in FY 22 to 57.92 crores in FY 23. After the recent series A funding in July 2022, the company is valued at 200 crores,” he added.