How Swiggy helped a successful restaurant unleash their full potential.
While most restaurants succeed by focusing on ‘aata’ (flour), Namaste Foods succeed by focusing on data!
Siddharth Gandhi’s journey from being a data scientist to a restaurateur is a remarkable one. Fueled by his passion for creating healthy and delicious food, he indulged in a bit of culinary alchemy, turning data-driven insights into delightful dining experiences.
This is the story of a restaurant that was born out of a vision to redefine everyday dining, with a particular emphasis on offering an exquisite range of South Indian delicacies. During this journey, they also found an invaluable ally in Swiggy.
Shaping of a Vision
While working as a data scientist on multiple projects in the food and beverage industry, Siddharth Gandhi discovered three key insights that led him to start his own restaurant.
“Leaving the corporate realm to venture into the food industry with Namaste Foods was prompted by a desire for more than just weekend indulgence. We wanted to offer safe and convenient dining options, and our journey began with a simple question: Why don’t we do something that seamlessly integrates into our daily routine?”, says Siddharth, looking back to where it all started.
First, he noticed that people viewed eating at restaurants as a deviation from their health and fitness routine. Second, he noted that people limited restaurant dining to weekends, while on weekdays, they sought out pocket-friendly meals. He also noticed that not many restaurants were offering a combination of tasty, nutritious, and affordable everyday meals.
This strong urge led Siddharth to establish a health-focused restaurant in Bangalore, which was dedicated to serving healthy, and nutritious everyday food at reasonable prices.
And thus, Namaste Foods was born.
The Journey
Drawing on their background in data, Siddharth and his co-founders, Aditi and Pawan, naturally applied their expertise to the restaurant as well. At first, they launched with food predominantly comprising ingredients they could measure easily, like rice and pulses, then slowly incorporated dishes with more complex ingredients.
“Our goal was to remove all worries about having food outside, and we wanted to build that level of trust with our customers. We strived to deliver quality food and maintain consistency in every bite. Ultimately, we wanted our brand name to be synonymous with the words ‘taste’ and ‘trust’, reflecting our commitment to culinary excellence and customer confidence,” Siddharth affirms.
Soon, their process involved tracking every gram of food, with operations focusing on quality, freshness, and safety. People took notice of Namaste Foods (NF) and fell in love at first bite. The business did so well that it expanded to six outlets in Bangalore.
“We wanted to be part of every customer’s daily routine, with a name that travels regions and resonates across India. Our goal was to continually expand by adding more cuisines to our repertoire. Coming from a data-centric background, we perceive the world differently,” Siddharth adds further, recalling the original vision he had in mind.
However, this pursuit of growth came with its own challenges. Namaste Foods was running out of physical space to host their growing number of customers. This situation, along with the pressure of going digital, made the founders consider entering the digital realm.
Partnering with Swiggy
In the beginning, Namaste Foods was sceptical about taking their business online, because making food for online deliveries differs from the offline process. But with Swiggy’s support, they decided to take the leap.
Speaking of their collaboration and strategic approach, Satyajit says, “We analysed NF against its competitors on factors like market penetration, market share, offerings, demands they were and weren’t catering to well, along with aspects like food quality, delivery time, and customer reviews. Based on the data, we set the goal of doubling the number of online orders for Namaste Foods. Siddharth was all in for experimenting, and together, we decided to amplify our advertising spends, engage in impactful campaigns, and introduce innovative programs like the popular breakfast option priced at just INR49. We also launched strategic coupons, addressed menu gaps with diverse offerings, including single-serving dishes and North Indian cuisine. Concurrently, we prioritised showcasing Namaste Foods’ unique selling proposition – a commitment to no-colour, no-additives, and providing safe, healthy food for daily consumption. Every time data showed a slip or an opportunity, we would act on it immediately.”
“Siddharth has been a pleasure to work with because he understands that the only way to find out is by doing. He experiments and learns from it. This is something that I admire in him and also try to imbibe in me,” he adds.
The Delightful Outcome
Satyajit and Siddharth shot for the moon and went beyond what they had imagined, doubling their orders quickly. To address the increased demand and strain on NF’s business operations, they collaborated with Swiggy to establish separate operations for online and offline orders. Swiggy also assisted the restaurant in expanding its delivery range from a three-kilometre radius to fourteen kilometres.
“Siddharth’s prowess in data analysis, his strong vision, and his experimental attitude, combined with Swiggy’s reach and expertise in the food space, has generated admirable growth for NF,” says Satyajit, emphasising the transformative experience.
The impact of this partnership ultimately exceeded Siddharth’s expectations. “Partnering with Swiggy has increased our efficiency in managing space, operations, and volume. We are now enjoying the best of both online and offline worlds, catering to more than twice the number of customers without additional physical space” Siddharth expresses, reflecting on their substantial growth.
Siddharth and Satyajit’s collaborative powerhouse efforts brought Namaste Foods and Swiggy closer together, turning Namaste Foods into a customer favourite in the process.
