Talk to any sweet-mart or restaurant owner, and a prompt reply that comes common from
them, is that owning a food place is a good investment as their is no end to
the demand. The need for food is one that is so basic, that it is a
never-ending-process. Many people from outside the state who have made Goa
their home and business hub are happy about the decision they made to arrive
here. Many even want to expand their business by opening new outlets.
The store
manager of Mishra Pedha, Panjim, Rajkiran talks about how good the decision to
move to Goa was. “At the time of Diwali within a day we made business of 16
lakhs. Our turnover is in crores.” It was only last year that Mishra Pedha had
opened their first sweet shop in the heart of the capital city.
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These
establishments untertake proper research before venturing into the market. As
Rajkiran informs, “We conducted a thorough study for about one and half years,
before opening our brand in Goa. In that study we did, the analysis showed that
Goa is known for cashew nuts, wine and feni. So, we were doubtful initially
about starting the store. But to our surprise, on the first day since opening
we made sales worth a 5 lakh, which is very satisfactory in comparison to the
sweet marts running here.”
“Considering
this volume, we feel that store expansion is needed. Hence, we are earnestly
looking at this option. We deal with bakeries and confectioneries. Around 700
variety of items are sold here. We have got 4-5 units of production in Karnataka,
so the goods are brought from there,” adds Rajkiran.
“We love Goa so
much, that in 2016 we are coming up with 20 mobile canteens, which will be
operating from major food spots in state. We will be targeting fast food
services,” Rajkiran discloses.
Another outlet,
Basseraa in St Inez, is run by a family of Sindhi origin and is garnering good
response from the locals. Jaya Rajput, who runs the restaurant says, “It’s been
three years since our restaurant opened. Earlier, we would only see a few
customers walk in. Now we have grown
through word of mouth. We are known for our North Indian food. We get phone
calls to reserve seats during peak hours. We are happy to run a restaurant here
and wish to continue the same.”
A veg restaurant named ‘Sheetal’ gets their regular
customers patronising their establishment. As they are known for their Goan veg
food, people wait in queue for their turn to relish the same. Ashok Shetye, the
manager of Sheetal says, “We get huge response. Though we are not from Goa, we
are treated very well by the locals. It’s like a second home for us for the
last three years. We want to take it a step further and open one more outlet in
city.
