How did restaurants/hotels like Adigas, Adyar Anandha Bhavan, Hotel Saravana Bhavan etc, succeed in maintaining their taste of all the items on the menu? How do they achieve this? What’s the secret to process driven menu? Share your views on this.
I had posted the same on Quora as well. https://www.quora.com/How-did-restaurants-hotels-like-Adigas-Adyar-Anandha-Bhavan-Hotel-Saravana-Bhavan-etc-succeed-in-maintaining-their-taste-of-all-the-items-on-the-menu-How-do-they-achieve-this-Whats-the-secret-to-process-driven-menu-Share-your-views-on-this.
Hope someone answers this question of mine. Also you are free to suggest any courses or things I need to look into before starting anything in foods.
Thanks,
Karthik
Aswin Natarajan
Hi Karthikeyan,
Here is an anecdote I heard about Saravana Bhavan when they started in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Initially, they did not get the same taste in the coconut chutney in because the coconuts were locally sourced in Malaysia. They got coconuts from India and had it shipped at a higher rate so the taste remains the same. So to maintain the quality, these companies either get everything from the same supplier or do backward integration and take over the supplier business. This way they have absolute control over the quality of raw material. In the US, a lot of beer companies likes Coors own water springs themselves because that plays an integral part in the beer taste.
Another thing I have observed is that the processes are uncomplicated. They are plain, simple and can be easily learned by a person with minimal qualifications. Rather than process-driven, its more about processes that work for everyone. I have observed in Saravana Bhavan entire vessels of sambhar rejected by the floor manager because the taste wasn’t right. Everyone knows how to measure results instantly and take corrective action rather than rely on some western educated management consultant to tell them what’s wrong using complicated statistical numbers.
Cheers,
Aswin
Chaman Raj
Before starting in food..you need to read – Behind the arches – Mcdonald’s book. It takes a lot of time and effort to make your kitchen process driven and not dependent on the cooks and staffs you have.
Karthikeyan
Thanks Chaman will try to get my hands on this book.
Karthikeyan
Thanks for sharing your views and experiences Aswin, I intend to do just one item like Goli Vada Pav where they specialize in vada pav. They have also grown only after perfecting the taste ie., processes. I tried doing a research on various platforms but haven’t got any material on the same.
Thanks,
Karthik
Natwar Maheshwari
I heard “Chai Point” co-founder at an Headstart event and he was talking about same things that people have already mentioned above.
They have to look into following to deliver same taste:
Burner type, size and heat below it (every small detail matters)
Water: Different taste in different parts of India (amount/type of impurity in water defines a lot of things)
Milk: Same thing as water, but their tea has a little more milk in northern states (as customers like it better)
Tea leaves: They have few vendors who they buy tea from. (On a different note: Starbucks have their own blend of beans which they engineered and are produces by GMCR exclusively for them) I do think soon Chai Point will be in that stage.
Reheat: How tea is reheated, for how long, on what amount of heat and in what container, is all pre defined.
These guys really spend time in training their staff & put a lot of checks & fail-safes in place, in order to get same taste.
Aswin Natarajan
Ultimately, it all boils down to the chef who makes the end product. If the Goli Vada Pav is unique in taste and only that chef can replicate that taste, then you have to work out a way to break-down the cooking process so it is not person dependent. Did you try talking to your grandmother / aunts? They generally have recipes that’s handed over generations. They must have a way to keep things simple and retain the same taste. 🙂