.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Sambhar Mafia - Cooked To Kill!

Friday, January 13, 2006

Saravana Bhavan thinks big

......hotel and multiplex in the offing.

posted by Kaps at 12:51 AM

8 Comments:

  • They are the next Walmart!

    By Blogger Mousepad Marauder, at 2:42 AM  

  • Sadly they do not expand within other big cities in tamilnadu as much as they do within chennai.

    btw, has the company gone public yet ? coz i'm buying it :)

    this is one of the few food chain companies in india that has been extremely successful in the last 25 yrs.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:25 AM  

  • No, Kaps, they just haven't thought big enough. If they did, they would have opened their outlets all over Tamil Nadu and the South [for example, they are not here in Bangalore]. They would also have an outlet in every Indian town with a significant South Indian population. This multiplex thingy actually takes them in the direction of an un-needed diversification. And, I think that's sad.

    By Blogger Abi, at 11:48 AM  

  • Hi Kaps,

    I agree with abi view on Saravana Bhavan. They are the very conservative lot of businessmen who suddenly woke up and decided to grow their franchisee (probably, new generation effect!).


    We have 3 outlets in Dubai and Saravana Bhavan really sucks compared to say Sangeetha etc. who are here. Poor quality infrastructure, charging for everything like an extra chutney, Typical statements like "No Sharing!" etc etc.

    ashwin

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:47 PM  

  • Kaps

    Hotel Saravan Bhavan (HSB) is slowly but surely expanding.. very cautious approach..

    I don't like the idea of introducing non-veg under its roof.. even if it is through a different brand.. I think it will dilute is overall HSB brand..

    By Blogger Ram Viswanathan, at 5:34 PM  

  • i think somewhere down the line HSB lost its way..the food is hardly worth the money-quality & quantitywise..ppl in chennai used to flock there just bcos there wasn't any other alternative in the decent ambience/modest price sector..though the prices arent modest anymore..gimme a darshini or any of the *.Sagars in b'lore anyday..

    By Blogger Unknown, at 8:34 PM  

  • @Reincarnation,
    Walmart is seen as a low cost alternative whereas HSB is increasing being perceived as being a high price high quality alternative.

    @Prasad,
    Agree with the point that they have not expanded aggressively within TN. I think they have expanded only to Kanchipuram. I won't be surprised if they decied to open more outlets down south

    @Abi,
    Although I agree that they need to do more, the sad fact is that we don't have a single national food / restaurant brand in India. HSB is just trying to create that with selective expansion in India and aggresive expansion on the International front. I'm sure they would have considered Bangalore and decided against it bcoz of the presence of the Shree Sagars and the Shiv Sagars.

    @Ashwin,
    The service in the Singapore outlet also sucks big time. The mentality is still Indian (in terms of service) whereas their aspirations are international.

    @Ram Viswanathan,
    I also feel that the introduction of a Non-veg brand alongside HSB will not augur well for them. Guess they are reacting to market needs. (eg: Abirami Mega Mall)

    @Rakesh Kay,
    Agree with the point that their prices have skyrocketed and the quantities have reduced. Guess they are doing this since people continue to flock to their restaurants inspite of the price hikes.

    @Chennai Chatter,
    Hot Breads Mahadevan and Saravana Bhavan Shivakumar own 26% equity in all the overseas entities. in addition to this the HSB in Chennai gets 4% royalty from overseas outlets. Here is the link for that -
    http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2004052501841900.htm&date=2004/05/25/&prd=bl&

    @Mahadevan,
    Thanks for dropping by. I read that HSB that 3 outlets in Delhi. Haven't been to Mumbai and hence don't know much about the Udipi restaurants. I'm sure HSB is taking one step at a time and they might set up shop in Bangalore and Mumbai sometime in the near future.

    By Blogger Kaps, at 2:13 AM  

  • chheay!! search for bharatiya vidya bhavan singapore and get saravana bhavans, this is a big let down

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:52 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home