Kabir Jeet Singh is here to satisfy you with the most demanding product. Having studied through two master’s degrees, Kabir has expertise in determining places, managing supply chains and launching operations down to the last mile. Since studying, Kabir has been fascinated with flavours and making burgers. He brings the tastes from across India to Burger Singh and changes stoic Western staples to quintessentially Indian savours. In 2014 he founded Burger Singh and had been taking the brand through a 600% YoY growth trajectory. Kabir’s vision is to spread Indian flavours worldwide.
Tell us about your Eureka moment when you decided to launch Burger Singh
No one can choose when inspiration strikes, and more often than not, business ideas spawn during routine daily tasks in life, and the story of how Burger Singh came to be is no different. I worked part-time at a burger joint while studying in the UK. At the end of the shift, free burgers were one of the job's perks, but I got bored of eating the same burgers every day, which eventually led me to start experimenting by mixing some Indian spices with the patties. These modified Burgers with Indian flavours became an instant hit with my colleagues, and they started calling me 'Burger Singh'. That was my Eureka moment, and there was no looking back after that moment. After that, I came to India, did thorough R&D, understood consumer demands, and launched Burger Singh with a team that shared my vision of creating India's largest Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chain. There are three things Indians love in food: Great flavours, vegetarian options, and affordable prices. So we have taken India's favourite flavours and fused them with the world's favourite fast food product: the burger!
What's your next step for Burger Singh?
We've recently crossed the 60+ outlets milestones and witnessed a 193 % growth from last year. For Burger Singh, the next step would be to make the Burger Singh Experience available in tier 2 & 3 cities. There is immense potential in these cities, as outlined by an Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) report that found that the annual spending of middle-class households on fast-food restaurants in India's Tier-II and III cities has grown by 108% in the last two years (From Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,200). As a result, we plan to add 80 more outlets by the end of FY-2022, taking the total count to 130.
We would love to know about your most cherished memory of Burger Singh's journey
Spending months on end, they are coming up with the first menu. Standing outside the first outlet all day and working from a standing table because we couldn’t afford an office, delivering orders late in the night when delivery boys wouldn’t show up. The second outlet, the third outlet. The moments that define a journey are all as valuable as the other, and it would be impossible to pick one.
What innovations can customers expect out of Burger Singh shortly?
We're constantly searching for quirky ideas for our burgers and side dishes. In the QSR industry, it's all about food innovation and fusion. We have recently added Tandoori Paneer & Amritsari Murgh Makhani burgers to the menu and have received excellent reviews from our customers. We are in plans to develop:
- We plan on reaching a 100 outlet milestone by the end of this year
- We will be focusing on Food court and Dine-In formats
- We plan to expand across India, especially in Tier II and III cities.
How did you build your team?
I looked for people with specific skills that I didn't possess to build the team. Also, building a successful team isn't just about finding a group of people with the right mix of professional skills; it is also a question of who I trust! So, I have known my co-founder Nitin Rana since I was 13 years old. The same is the case with Rahul Seth (Co-founder) - I have known him for more than 15 years now. Being organised with an analytical mindset, he took over the responsibilities of anything data and everything marketing. Sanchit Mehta ( VP-finance) has been with me since working at a beer cafe in 2013. He heads our HR and finance teams. In addition, Ayush Kumar (Head of Supply chain and operations) has been with us since 2017. These four people comprise our core team and are supported by the rest of the Burger Singh team. From the very beginning, We all were very well aware of each other's strengths and specialisations. Like puzzle pieces falling into place, the core team took ownership of different verticals, and since then, we have worked together, amplifying each other's output.
3 learning that you want to share with fellow entrepreneurs in the QSR industry?
Entrepreneurship is all about learning. We learn lessons from different aspects of life, like failures, success, and competition. Three significant pieces of knowledge that I would share with my fellow entrepreneur partners are:
- Be ready to pivot if needed: One needs to be frugal in their approach and adapt to the new societal norms when one comes into existence.
- Be Agile and Prepared to adapt: How people eat has changed dramatically worldwide, and consumer expectations have changed with the advent of tech-enabled food delivery networks. People are more comfortable dining in their homes than venturing out for the same. Furthermore, lockdowns and social distancing norms have made this habit a permanent fixture in the dining landscape. Even before the pandemic began, we had foreseen this trend, and we had made online orders our priority as it is the preferred choice for most of our customers. At present, 75% of Burger Singh's business is through deliveries. Things will change all the time, so accept all the changes in your surroundings and shine.
- Keep an eye on the latest technology: Quick and effective adoption of new technology can turbocharge your growth!