{"id":22141,"date":"2019-12-28T11:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-12-28T11:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.posist.com\/restaurant-times\/?p=22141"},"modified":"2023-08-24T17:18:58","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T11:48:58","slug":"himanshu-gupta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.posist.com\/restaurant-times\/foodpreneurs\/himanshu-gupta.html","title":{"rendered":"Raise the Bar Higher: An Interview With Himanshu Gupta, Founder of Clique, Delhi."},"content":{"rendered":"

Himanshu Gupta, a young hospitality entrepreneur, entered the restaurant industry in 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n

He started his first outlet in Connaught Place called, Cafe Dalal Street. It was a casual dining cum bar with a unique concept of stock market pricing. The prices of the drinks would fluctuate according to the customer demand for that drink.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gradually, he came up with an exclusive bar in 2018, called Clique in Ansal Plaza. Himanshu and his partners were inspired by the concept of Toyroom in London. Clique with its mood-lit ceilings has a lot of quirky stuff inside. They have <\/span>exotic dancers, a pop-up candy bar, spiderman performing tricks, insta-worthy bars with edgy pop art and really cool neon signs!<\/span><\/p>\n

In Conversation With Himanshu Gupta of Clique<\/b><\/h2>\n

In an exclusive conversation with The Restaurant Times,<\/a> Himanshu Gupta talks of his journey in the industry, keeping a check on costs, crowd management at Clique and many more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Keeping A Check On The Costs\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

In the restaurant business, it is essential to work out your costs and overheads so that you can arrive at pricing as close to \u2018perfect\u2019 as possible, so that both you as well as your customers are happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a report by the National Restaurant Association of India, the Indian foodservice industry is estimated to be worth Rs.5.99 trillion by 2022-23.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The cost per square foot is dictated by the location, size, the material used and type of restaurant you run. According to Gupta, the<\/span> rent <\/b>of your restaurant should <\/span>not be more than 10%<\/b> of your revenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The staff at your outlet<\/a> helps you run it smoothly and it\u2019s only fair that you remunerate them well for their job. Gupta tells that <\/span>staff cost<\/b> should <\/span>not be more than 12-13%<\/b> of the total revenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is vital to buy quality products for one\u2019s restaurant. Food costs<\/a> reflect an operation’s food quality, the value provided to the customer, and management skill level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The <\/span>food cost<\/b> should <\/span>not be more than 30%<\/b> of the total revenue,\u2019 says Gupta.<\/span><\/p>\n

For liquor, a variance of more than 2% should be considered a liability. Keeping a check on the opening and closing inventory of liquor is a multi-step inventory process that occurs within a set period of time and gives better insight into the purchasing and usage rates for your liquor inventory. This will help in tracking any misappropriations that might be happening in the bar inventory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gupta mentions that Posist\u2019s integrated stock and inventory management feature<\/a> has helped them to analyze the cost and revenue generated from each and every product. For every alcohol brand, the consumption pattern, revenue generated and the average profit margin is analyzed. <\/span>Profit is what\u2019s leftover after subtracting the expenses from the gross revenue. <\/span>\u00a0This helps in taking a lot of crucial decisions regarding the various items available. The variance between the actual and physical cost helps in cutting down unnecessary wastages<\/a> and promotes optimal utilisation of resources.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Crowd Management\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

The bar industry is an extremely competitive one, with new competitors seeming to pop up nearly every week. According to Gupta, crowd control at a bar<\/a> is a major challenge. At a bar like Clique, the crowd pattern<\/a> varies on weekends and weekdays. Gupta shares that on a Saturday, there might be 500 people walking in but on a weekday like Monday, the total strength might only be 50.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It becomes imperative to ensure that the service delivered to the customers is top-notch.\u00a0 <\/span>Customer service is the capability to satisfy the customers\u2019 needs and wants. Good customer service<\/a> includes how employees interact with customers when things are going well, as well as how employees handle difficult situations. The best employees develop customer service relationships with bar guests. The customers feel at home and they feel welcomed while visiting the bar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without successful crowd management techniques, your restaurant could witness scenes ranging from unpleasant to dangerous. At Clique, in order to avoid overcrowding, they take care while profiling the customers as they enter. Only a couple of entries or a group of people are generally allowed to enter in order to maintain decorum. A staff member continuously counts the number of male and female customers entering the bar, to maintain a ratio between the two genders.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Strategies For Running A Successful\u00a0 Bar<\/b><\/h3>\n