The Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry in India has experienced significant growth and has attracted many brands in the last 10 years. Several new cloud kitchen brands in India are attracting billion-dollar valuations. Cloud kitchens cater only to online orders and run kitchens across various cities with the same branding.

Despite the recent slowdown, experts predict a bright future for the industry, as consumers are increasingly experimenting with new cuisines. This trend has been observed with the arrival of large foreign chains in India, according to Julius Dabre, the new MasterChef in town. Dabre, who has worked with international chains such as Marriott, believes that the industry will bounce back quickly as the economy picks up pace.

The QSR industry was impacted by rising prices, cuts in household expenses, and consumers’ down-trading behaviour since Diwali last year.

Dabre, who operates a cloud kitchen, says margins for most players have been adversely affected by the rising prices of raw materials such as cheese, which is a key ingredient in continental cuisine. Dabre intends to collaborate with top QSR companies and develop innovative solutions for the man in the street at an affordable price point to help revive the industry.

Dabre says his experience in five main ingredients like salt, sugar, sour, spice and umami is expected to help in bringing the cuisine to the common man. The chef recognized quite early that these ingredients play a central role in various styles and types of cuisine for creating fusion dishes along with nutritional values.

Although post-Covid demand has picked up, Dabre says various companies are interested in joining hands with him.

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