A FOODIE'S JOY knows no bounds, especially if his job involves savouring a range of delicacies on a daily basis to decide what would suit the palate of a wide spectrum of consumers, from Gen-Zs to millennials. Thirty nine-year-old Ankush Grover, co-founder and CEO, India, Rebel Foods — which owns popular brands Behrouz Biryani, Faasos, and Oven story etc, operates master franchises of Wendy’s burgers, and partners brands such as Natural Ice Creams — is candid enough to accept he is a foodie and occasionally ventures into the kitchen to try his hands at new recipes. The chicken bhuna wrap of Faasos, from which Rebel Foods’ journey as a single brand began almost a decade back, is his personal favourite.
Over the last 10 years, Rebel Foods has evolved as the largest Internet restaurant chain with over 45 brands under its fold including franchises, a D2C channel EatSure, and is developing more brands in the fried chicken and health categories. Revenue rose 24.6%, from ₹1,400 crore in December 2022 to ₹1,750 crore in December 2023. Measures to improve margins and optimise costs led to a 23% improvement in operating EBITDA margins.
Brand-specific innovations to get closer to customers have been key, says Grover. “We are at 350 kitchens and our vision is to go to 700 in the next three years and 1,000 plus by 2030. Today we are in 60-plus cities and the idea is to be in 150-200 cities in the next five years. A lot of expansion will take place going ahead,” says Grover. — Ashutosh Kumar