After a momentous achievement with its expansions in Delhi and Milan last year, Foodlink F&B Holdings India Pvt. Ltd., India's largest luxury catering enterprise, has announced its entry into Hyderabad, one of India's fastest-emerging cities.
Foodlink, a two-decade-old F&B service enterprise, has established global dominance in the luxury catering segment. Founded in 2003 in Mumbai, it has gradually expanded its presence to Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Delhi, and now Hyderabad within India, and internationally to Antalya (Turkey), Dubai (UAE), and Milan (Italy).
The company has executed premium catering projects in over 25 countries across the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The firm now has ambitious plans to expand further in South India, starting with Hyderabad as its initial target city. It aims to set up a comprehensive back-end infrastructure and production facility to strengthen its position in the market.
Sanjay Vazirani, CEO of Foodlink F&B Holdings India Pvt. Ltd., stated, "Hyderabad is renowned for its Biryani, Badminton, and Bahubali, and I have always been an avid admirer of its rich cultural heritage and cuisine.
We chose Hyderabad because it is a hub of trade and commerce, leading to a lot of inbound and outbound MICE and grand weddings. With this launch, we aim to transform the luxury catering landscape in South India. Over the next few months, we plan to invest close to 70 to 100 crores across our luxury catering, banquets, and restaurant verticals to establish an indomitable presence here."
Professional catering is a rapidly growing industry in India, currently estimated at Rs 20,000 crore, with an annual growth rate of approximately 25 to 30%. Catering has become a critical factor for the success of social gatherings, corporate events, and weddings. India witnesses around 10 million weddings each year, and Hyderabad, with its grand and royal culture, cuisine, lifestyle, and weddings, holds significant potential. The city hosts around 2000 to 2500 big and extravagant weddings annually, with an average budget of INR 5 crore, resulting in an estimated wedding market worth around INR 12,000 crore.
The expansion into Hyderabad holds strategic importance for Foodlink, as the city represents a region with growing aspirations. The company is establishing a sprawling 15,000 sq ft well-equipped facility of international standards in Hyderabad, including a 6000 sq ft warehouse and a 9000 sq ft state-of-the-art kitchen. This facility will serve as the heart of the F&B services, equipped with bulk food processing facilities, cold kitchens, a bakery, cuisine-specific food production areas, walk-in cold rooms, a vegetable processing centre, a staff training facility, and well-equipped conference rooms and offices.
Foodlink aims to surpass a revenue of Rs 450 crore in this financial year, with a target of Rs 800 to 1000 crore in the next 3 to 4 years. Sanjay confidently states, "We see significant opportunities in Hyderabad, and we are optimistic that Foodlink will hold a solid market position with its sharp, well-curated, and thoughtful approach. Hyderabad will play a pivotal role in Foodlink's growth story as we gear up for an IPO in the next 2-3 years."
With prestigious clientele, including business families, UHNIs, and large corporate entities of India, Foodlink has curated and executed the F&B experience for some of the most iconic and high-profile events, such as the Ambani-Piramal Wedding, the Deepika-Ranveer Wedding, and recently, the K L Rahul-Athiya Shetty Wedding, in addition to notable corporate and government events like the Mumbai International Airport Terminal 2 Launch, Jio Brand Launch, Vibrant Gujarat, and Gulf Food.
Foodlink is already well-established in the Hyderabad market, having executed exceptional events such as weddings for the GVK family, Apollo Hospital family, NTV family, and Reddy Labs in the last 6 to 7 years. The company has been known for bringing the best of Pan Indian and Global Cuisine to Hyderabad while incorporating local flavors and culture.
With a combined capacity of over 10 Lakhs meals per day, Foodlink has served 75% of Forbes India's top 100 businesses and families. It stands as the only Indian caterer with a global footprint, having organized events in over 25 countries for clients from ten different countries. The company has catered to high volumes of guests ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 per event.
Having expanded to become the largest pan-India brand with a growing global presence throughout Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Foodlink has revolutionized the Indian catering industry. Founded by Mr. Sanjay Vazirani, who is recognized for transforming the hospitality industry over the past 20 years, the company today is a multifaceted hospitality company that oversees restaurants, cloud kitchens, indoor banquets, and ultra-luxury catering. It currently owns and operates over 35 restaurants and cloud kitchen outlets across the brands India Bistro, China Bistro, Glocal Junction, and 'Art of Dum,' specializing in North Indian, Pan-Asian, world fusion cuisine, and Awadhi Dum Pukht cuisine, respectively, across India and UAE. The company aims to increase this number to 100 in the next 3 to 4 years.