A Project Report on Comparative Study of Restaurants of Ahmedabad

Submitted By: Sparsh Kapoor Mudit Sood Ajit Baid Gagandeep Shukla Ashish Patel Nikul Kothari Bharat Prajapati Suryaprakash Surana Parth Shah Kaushal Khambhaliya
Amit Chotai

Submitted To: LJ Institute Of Business Administration

LJ INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, AHMEDABAD

This is to certify that the Project Report on the Comparative Study of Restaurants of Ahmedabad is submitted by __________________ to LJ Institute of Business Administration affiliated to the Gujarat University in fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of practical studies at the Third Year B.B.A Programme (2010-2011)

Director

Project in Charge

External Evaluator

Date: - 09th February 2011

Acknowledgement

The successful completion of this project report wouldnt have been possible without the co-operation and support of our teachers, friends & the institute. Were heartily thankful to the management for providing us the opportunity to make a study of different aspects of their restaurants. Were really obliged to the restaurants and all those managers, Chief Executives and staff of the restaurants who heartily gave us the information about the restaurant by answering our questions. Were thankful to our college friends and all those who have helped us directly or indirectly in the preparation of the report.

With thanks. Yours Sincerely Place: Ahmedabad Date: - 09th February 2011

Preface

This comparative study and surveys helped the students to practically visit the businesses and study the real environments of the businesses.

The practical training at B.B.A programme develops a feeling about the difficulties and challenges in the business world. Only theory knowledge does not impart complete education, practical experience must accompany theoretical knowledge to add meaning to the education. To fulfill these objectives surveys and the resulting studies is a part of B.B.A programme.

In this direction, weve tried our level best to present a project report on this comparative study.

Table of Content

Sr. No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Problem Statements Objectives of the study Macro Section Micro Section

Particulars

Page No.
1 4 7 26 46 52 73 76 79 82 86 90 93 95

Format of the questionnaire Analysis Research Methodology Limitations of the Study Observations Findings Suggestions Conclusion Bibliography Declarations

Problem Statement

Every project faces some sort of problems while working on it. Here is a list of problems we faced in our work:

1. Some people surveyed didnt fill up the questionnaire properly. They filled it up randomly without any proper knowledge. This lead to collection of ambiguous data which needed to be sorted carefully causing a lot of waste of time.

2. Many people hide their real income by mentioning wrong figure of their incomes. This again gives disparity in the survey as analysis of income group wise comparison becomes ambiguous.

3. Many people turned us away when we approached them for interviews thinking us to be some salesmen selling items.

4. Restaurant managers were not available to us or ignored us for a long time. This wasted our precious time. Some manager were particularly
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rude while responding to our answers but obliged after further insistence.

5. Difficult to categorize data based on age of person as many people hide their ages by mentioning their incorrect ages.

6. There were some people who voted Swati restaurant as best for Punjabi cuisine despite the fact that it serves only Gujarati cuisine. We have included their answer in our survey.

7. Doing the project along with our studies was a big challenge for us.

Objectives of Study

Every study has certain objectives. Our study has the following objectives which we were able to accomplish at the end of it

1. To determine which restaurant out of the given set of four restaurants as frequented by the middle to upper middle class population of the city Ahmedabad is preferred by the people under the following parameters: ambience, food quality, price, variety of food, quality of service, location, Punjabi cuisine, Gujarati cuisine, first preference of the respondents and finally the overall best restaurant. The set of four restaurants were Bawarchi, Madhuli, Swati & Patang.

2. To determine the different tastes and preferences of different people by studying the habits and preferences of different genders, people belonging to different income groups, people having different occupations, different types of food, different serving patterns, people from different regions of the city, frequency of restaurant visits, different ways of their locating a particular restaurant, whether people recommend their favorite restaurants to their friends and family, suitability of restaurant timings etc.
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3. To get an idea of what kind of changes people want in their restaurants. The changes can be in the form of improvement in food pricing, ambience, variety of food, quality of food, service provided by waiters etc.

4. To find out the history of the given set of restaurants by interacting with their management to determine how they evolved over the period of time, how they expanded their businesses in the city or in the country, how they maintain the quality of their food, how the waiters and chefs are trained, how they set the prices of different dishes, how they cope up with the festival rush, how they compensate the customers given wrong dishes etc.

Macro Section

The history of Indian food in Britain is now almost four hundred years old and not only has the cuisine undergone a great change in the United Kingdom but also in its native land. Apart from the reports of occasional explorers, the story really starts with the arrival in Surat of the English merchants of the East India Company in 1608 and then again and more successfully in 1612. Soon lascars - seamen, mainly from Bengal - were helping to man British ships and despite The Navigation Act of 1660 stating that 75% of the crew of a British ship had to be British, a number began appearing in London throughout the century. The first recorded case of an Indian being christened here was bound up with British commercial adventures in South Asia. The baptism-on 22 December 1616 at St Dionis Backchurch in the City of London-took place in the presence of governors of the East India Company. Many of the first Asian arrivals in Britain came as servants to returning East India Company agents. By 1804 the number of lascars in London was quoted as 471 and yet by 1810 it had risen to over 1400, around 130 of which would die each year such was the poor condition of their circumstances. Concern about their plight led to the creation of The Society for the Protection of Asiatic Sailors in 1814 and in 1869 complaint was made to the India Office in London that there were upwards of 400 destitute Asians on the streets. As the influence of the British in India grew, so did the interest in

Indian food back in Britain, leading to the publishing of recipes and the commercial creation of curry powder in 1780. The first appearance of curry on a menu was at the Coffee House in Norris Street, Haymarket, London in 1773 but the first establishment dedicated to Indian cuisine was the Hindostanee Coffee House at 34 George Street, Portman Square, London in 1809 as recorded in The Epicures Almanack. It was opened by Dean Mahomet (or Mohamed/Mahomed) (See article) from Patna, Bihar, India, via Cork in Ireland. He appreciated the interest in all things Indian and offered a house "for the Nobility and Gentry where they might enjoy the Hookha with real Chilm tobacco and Indian dishes of the highest perfection". Decor was very Colonial, with bamboo chairs and picture-bedecked walls, and it proved to be well received. As with many 'coffee houses', however, it did not serve coffee, but was simply cashing in on a popular name of the time. Unfortunately, outgoings were greater than incomings and Mahomet had to file for bankruptcy in 1812, although the restaurant did carry on without him in some form until 1833. Lascar desertion continued to be a big problem with many ending up on the streets whilst others became entertainers or sold herbs and spices as did the famous Dr Bokanby who sold herbs in Londons Petticoat Lane in 1861. As the nineteenth century dawned, the only eating establishments offering Indian cuisine were community meeting places for those who had jumped ship in London looking for a new life or, more often, been put ashore without any means of support. Some of these were Vandary

(Indian chefs) who jumped ship to seek work in Londons growing restaurant community but not enough to provide any real impetus for the cuisine. The first recorded Indian restaurant of the twentieth century was the Salut e Hind in Holborn in 1911 but the first to have any real influence was The Shafi opened by Mohammed Wayseem and Mohammed Rahim in 1920. Coming from North India they opened their cafe in Londons Gerard Street (now the centre of Londons Chinatown) and employed four or five ex seamen. It soon became a kind of community and Indian Student Centre. Indian students in the UK rose from 100 in 1880 to 1800 by 1931. Soon The Shafi was taken over by Dharam Lal Bodua and run by an English manager with employees such as Israil Miah and Gofur Miah who were later to run their own establishments. One of Dharams great friends was Bir Bahadur from Delhi who opened The Kohinoor in Roper Street (pulled down in 1978) and was to have a major influence on the industry. Ayub Ali Master opened a Curry cafe in Commercial Road, London in 1920s. He also later, started the Indian Seaman's Welfare league in 1943. These restaurants were, not surprisingly, mainly for Asians but in 1927 the first fashionable Indian restaurant opened when Edward Palmer opened Veeraswamys Indian Restaurant in Londons Regent Street

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where it still thrives today owned by Ranjit Mathrani and Namita Panjabi. Edward Palmer had been greatly encouraged by friends and acquaintances after his successful running of the Mughal Palace in The Empire Exhibition at Wembley a few years before and he brought staff from India and created a traditional atmosphere such that it became called The ex-Indian higher servicemans curry club. Many of the people from all over India who were later to become the backbone of the new curry restaurant industry, learned their trade at The Veeraswamy. In 1935 Veeraswamy's was sold to Sir William Steward, M.P., who ran the restaurant for 40 years. He travelled the world in order to source produce and was dubbed 'the curry king' by The Times. His other claim to fame is the introduction of curry in a can. It was at Veeraswamy that lager is first said to have been introduced into Indian restaurants during a visit by the Prince of Denmark. Queen Victoria, shortly after the Prince Consort's death, arranged for her son to marry Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the beautiful eldest daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. The couple wed at St. George's Chapel, Windsor on 10 March 1863. The Princess became Queen of England until her death in 1925. Prince Axel of Denmark first met Edward Palmer when visiting the Empire Exhibition at Wembley on May 2nd 1924. Palmer ran the fantastic Mughal Pavilion at this early 'Disneyland' venture and the King and Queen of Denmark also visited on 24th and 27th June. Having heard of the opening of Veeraswamy's, the Prince visited and was enchanted so much that he made a present of a case of the royal beer, Carlsberg and gave orders

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for a case to be delivered each year. Many staff learned their trade at Veeraswamy's at that time so Carlsberg became the beer of choice as they moved around Britain opening their own establishments. The name of the restaurant was later changed to The Veeraswamy during ownership by Sarova Hotels and to Veeraswamy under the present ownership. Meanwhile Sordar and Shomsor Bahadur had come from India to join their brother and opened The Taj Mahal, Brighton; Taj Mahal, Oxford; Taj Mahal Northampton; Kohinoor, Cambridge; Kohinoor, Manchester all before the outbreak of the Second World War and mainly staffed by ex-seamen. Other establishments for the seamen, usually from the province of Sylhet, opened throughout the years between the wars, such as Abdul Rashim and Koni Khans coffee shop serving curry and rice on Victoria Dock Road around 1920. Gradually the development of Indian restaurants spread outwards from London between the two Great Wars and many of the restaurants that have influenced those established today were created. Amongst those in London pre 1939 were The Durbar on Percy Street owned by Asuk Mukerjee from Calcutta, and his compatriot from the same city Nogandro Goush who owned The Dilkush in Windmill Street. Asif Khan from Punjab had The Shalimar on Wardour Street and Jobbul Haque of Urrishi owned The Bengal India on Percy Street.

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Abdul Gofur opened a cafe shop at 120 Brick Lane as well as others in New Road and Commercial Road and Ayub Ali Master came back from America in 1938 and opened Shah Jalal at 76 Commercial Street London. Shirrefs in Great Castle Street opened in 1935 and Halal, which still thrives today, opened in St Marks Street E1 in 1939. Such was the influence of the Bahadur family that it was estimated that nearly all first generation East Pakistani, or what was to become Bangladeshi, restaurateurs learned their trade from the Bahadur brothers. Many cafes opened up around the seaports of Britain by ex seamen but they had great difficulty in obtaining the necessary rice and spices. During the Second World War the social focus shifted to The Gathor, a basement cafe at 36 Percy Street, London but soon after Sanu Miah opened The Green Mask on Brompton Road, which became a centre for prominent East Pakistanis and their politicians. Also in 1942-3 Mosrof Ali and Israil Miah opened The Anglo Asian at 146 Brompton Road, London and by 1957 Mosrof Ali also had The Durbar in Hareford Road. His last business was The Curry Garden Indian in 1975 before retiring in 1979. The 1950s saw a great influx of Punjabis in the Southall area due to the specialised employment policy of Woolfs Rubber Factory whose executive had personal experience of the excellence of Punjabi staff and

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Bengalis continued to settle around the Tower Hamlets area. Until 1962 members of the Commonwealth were allowed to enter Britain freely but even thereafter many Asians came from Africa and a bigger group came from Kenya in 1968. The fifties and sixties saw a rapid growth in Indian restaurant numbers in Britain, especially London and the South East, where over 45% of Indian restaurants are still located. Gradually the Indian restaurant concept spread all over Britain, even though those running the restaurants were often not Indian at all. Until Bangladeshi Independence in 1971 at least three quarters of Indian restaurants in Britain were Pakistani owned. After 1971, the geographical differences became clear, with over half the restaurants owned and managed by Bangladeshis, most of whom were from the one area of Sylhet. Once you reach Birmingham, however, the situation changes with the number of Bangladeshis decreasing and Pakistanis increasing. By the time you reach Bradford and Manchester, the restaurateurs are almost entirely Pakistani , Kashmiri and North Indian and once you reach Glasgow the concentration is almost entirly Punjabi as it is in the Southall, Wembley region of London. In Birmingham Abdul Aziz opened a cafe shop selling curry and rice in Steelhouse Lane in 1945 which became The Darjeeling, the first Indian in Birmingham, owned by Afrose Miah although some say it was The

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Shah Bag on Bristol Street owned by Abul Kalam Nozmul Islam who also owned Anuh Bag. The growth really got underway in the 1950s. The Aloka opened on Bristol Street in 1960 and Banu on Hagley Road in 1969. Manchester started with the Bahadur brothers Kohinoor in Oxford Street followed by Malik Bokth with The Everest, Nojir Uddin who opened Monzil and Lal Miah who opened The Orient. Rajdoot, long a favourite in Manchester, opened in 1966. Malik Miah Guri, manager at The Kohinoor, moved to Birmingham and opened The Shalimar at Dale End. In Bradford,The Sweet Centre on Lumb Lane which opened in 1964 was one of the earliest after The Kashmir in Morley Street in 1958. When the owner of The Shafi, Mr Dharan died in 1963, Ahmed Kutub, who worked there, went to open his own restaurant in Newcastle and in the 1950s Rashid Ali moved from a cafe shop in Londons Drummond Street to Cardiff to open his own establishment. The first restaurant to open in the north was The Anglo Asian on Ocean Road, South Shields run by Syed Lukman Ali. North of the border, the first record is of a restaurant opened in Glasgow by Dr Deb from Nawakhali before 1939 and since that time the management staff in most existing restaurants seem to have developed from just two original Punjabi style establishments giving rise to a great similarity of menu.

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According to most pundits, however, the first curry shop opened in the city in 1954, although there had been cafes for seamen and others of Asian origin before this. The Taj Mahal was opened in Park Road by Sultan Ahmed Ansari. The great man died in 1995, having triggered the mushrooming effect that has created the Glasgow curry scene of today - that is unless you listen to the other stories that say the first was Green Gates in Bank Street in 1959! Whichever is correct, it was a time when you could have a feast for just over 3 shillings (15p today). The credentials of the Taj Mahal are confirmed by Ansari's daughter, Noreen, who remembers going to the restaurant after school. For his part, Nasim Ahmed, whose father Noor Mohammed started Green Gates and then went on to found the Shish Mahal dynasty, remembers 2 shilling (10p) curries and being pressed into service as a waiter and kitchen porter. Menus were basic and people would set their own cutlery to encourage speedier service. Then the Shish Mahal opened in Gibson Street offering a very different scene, with dinner-jacketed waiters and flock wallpaper, soon to be followed by the Koh-i-Noor, opened by their cousin, Rasul Tahir. Unfortunately, once the curry centre of Glasgow, the inlfuence of Gibson Street is no more. The Koh-i-Noor moved to its present incarantion in Charing Cross and the Shish Mahal to the premises that were originally occupied by Taj Mahal, Ansari having sold out after 30 years to move into the hotel business.

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The cuisine moved up-market again with the Indian (as opposed to Pakistani) influence of Balbir Sumal's Ashoka in the 1980s, which eventually led to the development of The Harlequin Group by his onetime partner, Charan Gill. Although Glasgow can celebrate 50 years of curry history in 2004, but, before they get carried away - would it be too impolitic to point out that Kushi's was opened in Edinburgh in 1947 - so which city was first, after all? In the sixties and seventies, owners began to make serious monies from the industry, with people such as Rajiv Ali, now Chairman of the South East Bank in Bangladesh having found his fortune with a curry house on Whitechapel Road E1. Haji Abdul Razzah came to Britain with an early wave of immigrants and lived in Kentish Town in 1960. He returned to Bangladesh in 1985 and now owns The Polash Hotel in Sylhet having made his fortune from chicken tikka masala. The three main influences on the growth of Indian restaurants were firstly the growing affluence and cosmopolitan nature of the British public and secondly the introduction of the tandoor in the sixties. The tandoor came, originally from the Middle East with the name deriving from the Babylonian word tinuru meaning fire. Hebrew and Arabic then made it tannur then tandur in Turkey, Central Asia and, finally Pakistan and India, who made it famous worldwide. The first tandoor in India in a restaurant is said to have been in the Kashmiri Moti Mahal in New Delhi in 1948 and several restaurants have claimed to be the first to have a tandoor in Britain. Initial research suggested

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the man responsible was, in fact, Mahendra Kaul who started the excellent Gaylord group and it was The Gaylord in Mortimer Street who advertised it in a Palladium Theatre programme in 1966. Mr Kaul had taken the tandoor to America for the Worlds Fair in 1964 then loaned it and his staff to a restaurant in Whitfield Street, London that no longer exists, before starting the Gaylord. He is still a partner in Chor Bizarre in London making him one of the most experienced people still working in the industry. Recently viewed archived documents at Veeraswamy indicate, however, a tandoor in use much earlier, in 1959 and so, this famous restaurant seems to have been responsible for the earliest introduction of tandoori style dishes to the UK, although it would be some ten years and more before the tandoor became widely used in Britain. If you had visited Veerawamy's, as it was then called, in December 1959 you could have enjoyed Chicken Tandoori (allow 1520 minutes) for the princely sum of ten shillings and sixpence. The first evidence of a tandoor in Glasgow is not until 1978 but is likely to have been some years earlier. The other major influence was the continued growth of immigration to provide the people to staff the growing number of Indian restaurants. 360,000 Bangladeshis are forecast for the year 2050. In 1960 there were just 500 Indian restaurants in Britain but by 1970 this had grown to 1200. With the influx after Bangladesh Independence numbers grew rapidly to 3000 in 1980 and by 2000 there were almost 8000 Indian restaurants in Britain turning over more than 2 billion a

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year employing some 70,000 people as one of the major industries in the country. Chicken Tikka Masala, a British-Bangladeshi creation predating the relatively short-lived balti craze has become so popular that it is available in a wide variety of forms ranging from crisps to pies and statistics show that 14.6% of all first choices in restaurants are for the dish which has no real recipe and can vary from hot to creamy and red to green. The first to claim its invention are descendents of Sultan Ahmed Ansari who owned The Taj Mahal in Glasgow in 1950s but it is also claimed by Ali Ahmed Aslam who took over the restaurant from him and called it Shish Mahal circa 1970. Sheikh Abdul Khalique from Essex also claimed the creation of CTM as it was nicknamed by Colleen Grove in Spice-n-Easy Magazine in 1994, as have half a dozen other chefs and, according to folklore, it came about when gravy loving Brits wanted a sauce with their Chicken Tikka and Condensed Tomato Soup with added spices was used on the spur of the moment in a flash of commercially motivated creation (see chapter on 'The Chicken Tikka Masala Story') . In 1982, Taj International Hotels flew in the face of advice and opened The Bombay Brasserie in Courtfield Road SW7 under Adi Modi and changed the entire Indian restaurant scene once again by setting a new benchmark for quality. Many of the previous owners and chefs had learned their trade hands on but now a new class of chef was to appear backed by years of

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training in Taj and Oberoi management colleges. Soon London boasted several top class establishments such as Namita Panjabis Chutney Mary, Amin Alis The Red Fort, Tamarind, La Port des Indes, Cafe Lazeez, Cyrus Todiwalas Cafe Spice Namaste, Chor Bizarre, Andy Varmas Vama and more recently, Zaika and Quilon. Enam Ali of Le Raj has set a standard for Bangaldeshi restaurants as well as being one of the founder members of The Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurateurs, created to serve the community alongside the Bangladesh Caterers Association first started in 1960. In 1984 Pat Chapman created The Curry Club and Good Curry Guide to publicise the cuisine and bring pressure to bear on supermarkets to stock both ingredients and chilled/frozen meals and was followed by The Real Curry Restaurant Guide in 1988/9 which today covers over 6000 Indian restaurants. Entrepreneurs such as Kirit and Meena Pathak of Pataks, G.K. Noon of Noon Products and Perween Warsi of S&A Foods identified the gaps in the retail market accompanied by rice brands Tilda, Veetee and Westmill and Indian lagers Kingfisher, Cobra and Lal Toofan such that the Indian food sector is now seen as one of the fastest growing food and drink sectors in Britain. More chapters of the story are yet to unfold as the cuisine moves upmarket, establishments become ever more refined, chefs become more adventurous and demand continues to grow.

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Ravikiran Rao who writes an interesting blog called the Examined Life wrote to me to ask about the origin of the restaurant in the west. He wondered how it came about. He could think of several cultural roadblocks that would hinder the starting of restaurants in India and he wondered how it evolved in the West. There were restaurants in ancient Roman times. There is evidence in Pompeii of some restaurants. But there were no restaurants in Europe after the Roman times until about 250 years ago and they didnt really become popular until after the French Revolution. What factors hindered the formation of restaurants? A restaurant doesnt seem like a high tech business. Anyone who can cook could set up a few tables in and sell food, right? But this business plan was a tough sell initially. First, restaurant cooking is different than home cooking. You need to operate at a much larger scale and being a chef is specialized skill. However, there were chefs in Europe dating back many hundreds of years ago. They could have been employed by restaurants (at least in theory) but they were not. Many belonged to guilds that specialized in catering. Caterers would cook for special events like weddings and royal events. So people would have opportunities to eat restraurant-quality food. They just would not pay for it.

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This is an important point: the tradition was that the diner never paid for food the host pays. People might have liked to eat out but they were expecting an invitation. There are many examples today of markets that just dont happen because people expect someone else to pay. For example, we expect someone else (an employer for example) to pay for our health care. Also, we are not comfortable with paying for an adopted child or for a vital transplant organ. Food seems to us to be a natural thing to pay for but people rarely (maybe never) paid for food 250 years ago. Inns served food but I believe it was always included in the price of the room. This came with the culture of host pays for food. I think you can kind of understand this issue if you have ever flown on an airline that asked you to pay for your food (which some do). You think, Hey, Im captive here. I have no choice. It is unfair to make me have to pay for something like that. So I doubt Inns really sold meals to the locals because they really werent in the business of selling food. One factor hindering the restaurant model was that in the absence of restaurants, alternatives sprung up. Many people with disposable income hired their own cooks. Then they wanted to invite friends and family over because the cook was paid for, they might as well use him. This lead to a culture of food barter. People would invite business associates and politicians to dinner frequently. Another establishment that served the purpose of a restaurant was a private club. Clubs were male-only and were by invitation only. Clubs

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were designed for meeting and drinking and discussing politics, but they later started serving meals as well. The first restaurant in modern Europe opened in Spain in the early 18th Century. A. Boulanger started the first French restaurant in 1765 and also coined the word restaurant which derives from a French word for something that restores (a refreshment). His business was immediately sued by the trade guilds for copyright infringement. Apparently almost all recipes were copyrighted by these food guilds. But the court ruled in Boulangers favor and his business survived. And it proved to others that there could be a market for this kind business. The French Revolution had an enormous impact on the French restaurant scene. Basically, it put out of business many hundreds of chefs who worked for the nobles. It also destroyed the food guilds. So many chefs with enormous skills needed some way of making a living. The restaurant model was already in existence. The revolution acted like a great supply shift. It lowered to cost of chefs and made it profitable to open hundreds of little restaurants. And like Says Law: supply created its own demand. In this case, the supply of restaurants effectively marketed the idea of dining in a restaurant and the culture of host pays was replaced with diner pays. Apparently, these restaurants quickly spread throughout Europe and to America as well. The first restaurant in the U.S. started in Boston in 1794. Naturally, it was French.

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Once restaurants came about, there was a natural venue for restaurants: the hotel. You had the captive guests that you had to feed anyway, so why not get double duty out of your dining hall by offering it as a restaurant to the locals? So once the culture of paying for food developed, it began replacing the older barter for food system and host pays system. As disposable income rose, more people had the money to occasionally dine out. The culture of taking a girl to a restaurant for a date didnt start until the early 20th century. A big factor for the growth of the restaurant industry was cheap transportation. Vedhmi is a sweet lentil stuffed chapatis. The people of Ahmedabad enjoy rich culinary traditions. The most popular form of meala typical Gujarati thali (mealconsists of rotli, dal, rice and Shaak (cooked vegetables, sometimes with curry), with accompaniments of pickles and roasted papads. Popular beverages include buttermilk and tea; sweet dishes include laddoos and mango. There are many restaurants, which serve a wide array of Indian and international cuisines. Most of the food outlets serve only vegetarian food, as a strong tradition of vegetarianism is maintained by the city's Jain and Hindu communities. The first all-vegetarian Pizza Hut in the world opened in Ahmedabad. Ice creams are consumed in plenty. Amul has many ice-cream parlours in Ahmedabad. Honest restaurant serves variety of ice creams. On Sundays dinner for most families, from the

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lower middle class to rich, are in restaurants.[citation needed] After having a Gujarati Thali, one should have a pan for smooth digestion. There are many Pan Stalls located near hotels and restaurants in the city A survey held in 2007 revealed that more than 1,200 Indian food products have been introduced in the United States since 2000.[30] There are numerous Indian restaurants in across US. Indian cuisines in US are quite diverse based on region culture and climate. Major cuisines are North Indian and South Indian. There are also several places in New York, New Jersey and Chicago that have specialized cuisines that serve authentic Gujarati food.[31] South East Asia An Indian food restaurant in Singapore. Indian cuisine is very popular in South East Asia because of its strong Hindu and Buddhist historical cultural influence in the region and on its cuisines. Indian cuisine has had considerable influence on Malaysian cooking styles nd also enjoys popularity in Singapore.[32][33] Indian influence on Malay cuisine dates to the 19th century.[34] Other cuisines which borrow Indian cooking styles include Filipino, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Thai. The spread of vegetarianism in other parts of Asia is often credited to ancient Indian Hindu and Buddhist practices

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Micro Section

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Swati

Swati was started in the year 2002 by Mr. Shaan Zaveri. It is located near Law Garden in Ahmedabad. The basic idea behind starting the restaurant was to bring back the traditional Gujarati food which had disappeared among the young generation basically in the restaurants of Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad once abounded in a class of eateries which had a well targeted niche market of immigrants nostalgic for the tastes of their regional food. This lay behind the astonishing variety of authentic regional cuisine available in the city and also for the surprising gaps in the coverage. In the last decade they have been shutting down; slowly giving way to high end restaurants with innovative "Indian fusion" cuisine, and chains of something non-descript known as "Udipi joints".

Swati Snacks was once a member of this old Ahmedabad rank of authentic Gujarati restaurants. It has moved with the times, without losing track of what

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its dedicated clientele wants. The half hour waits for a table, the businesslike bustle inside, the staff that has been with it as long as many customers are one side of this story. The other is the modern glass and steel decor, and the menu which testifies to the wonderfully deep and inclusive culinary traditions of Gujarat. The two together make this restaurant into a case study of how to change without losing identity.

There are no reservations. You arrive at the doors of the restaurant to put your name down in the queue. The chairs on the sidewalk are not empty even on a weekday. It seems to be a done thing to look through the menu as you wait and be ready with your order as you settle down at one of the twenty four tables packed close together.

The panki is traditional fare that no other restaurant dares to try. The thin layers of besan steamed between banana leaves are exquisitely matched to the chatni and marinated chilis they come with. This seems to be a favorite with everyone. The dal dhokli is one of those sweet Gujarati dals, but thickened with dhoklas. Great, if you like dal the way it is made in Gujarat Thepanoli and the satpadi roti are clearly Gujarati rotis, but are special. The latter comes with a very interesting gatta nu shak. If the malai

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malpura sounds like a bit of an indulgence after this, you can try out their special ice creams coffee orange, thandai coconut, or even sugar free ginger.

The one in Ahmedabad is the second branch of Swati. The first was opened in Mumbai. Swati maintain their food quality and taste which internally comes from Gujarati food to the customers. For this Swati has also got an award of Times Food Award in the year 2005.

The total staff strength is 65-70 people. The restaurant focuses on maintaining a good hygiene and for that purpose they clean the dining area at an interval of three times a day. These are in accordance with the health department of the central government. To manage the rush of the people during holidays and festivities they maintain a cue system to serve the customers their best food and services. No promotional scheme and offers of discount etc are given to the customers on holidays as they help them to maintain the stability and standards.

Swati doesnt focus on advertisement or promotional schemes as according to them their traditional theme and food is well enough to attract the food lovers

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of Ahmedabad. Their ambience and traditional beliefs and food make them the best among the other restaurants.

The basic motto is to bring back the traditional food which has lost its values in the new generation. Location:
Swati Snacks. Law Garden Road, Ahmedabad.

Photo Snaps Of Swati Snaks. New Sign of swati. Outside Waiting Area.

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Patang

Patang was constructed in the year 1984 by Hasmukh Shah, who was one of the most famous and genius builders of Ahmedabad. The architectural work of the restaurant was done by Mr. Hasmukh Patel who is one of the most famous people of India because he has designed the structure of Eden Garden, Kolkata.

Due to the bank liquidity and earthquake, in 2001 the restaurant was forced to close. In 2007, the restaurant was reopened and was purchased by the TGB group and now it is functioning under their assistance.

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Patang is known for its unique design and because of this it is called the landmark of Ahmedabad. Characteristics:

Height: 221 ft Periphery of Terrace: 207 ft Restaurant diameter: 150 ft RCC Shaft diameter: 21 ft Shifting Capacity: 110 parx

The restaurant has a seating capacity of 115 people. It has 5 HP 46 wheels made up of cast iron. It takes 2 hours for the restaurant to complete one round. The movement is based on the principle with which the trains run. This system is maintained by DSQ Version with the assistance of French technology.

It has been voted as the best restaurant by the foreigners. Its location makes it the best as it is located near the river front (Sabarmati). The only way of getting to the restaurant is through the lift and round shaped staircase. The total staff strength is 75-80.

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Achievements:

1. Exit poll of NDTV of Gujarat was shot at Patang.

2. The famous show of Tarak Mehta was shot here.

3. Whenever there is any program of Indian Idol, the lunch and dinner is done at Patang hotel.

4. It is also one of the offices of Red FM.

5. The auditions of a popular show of Star Plus Master chef India was been conducted in patang.

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6. The whole working and progress of the Sabarmati river front can be seen from the top of the Patang hotel. Other Factors:When the restaurant was been constructed a continuous shift of 56 workers in 3 shift for regular 62 days were working to complete the pillar of the building. The whole restaurant which makes it different from others in ahmedabad is just because of its hanging in garden in nature.

There is only two way of entering the restaurant that is either by lift or through staircase. But usually lift is been mostly used as it helps the people to reach the restaurant with ease. For the proper maintenance of the lift, the lift man is always present to serve the people for a better and comfort stay Mission:

Make Ahmedabad the perfect holiday haven for tourists from all walks of life.

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Philosophy:

The delivery of high-quality products and services in each of its businesses remains the cornerstone of Neelknth's philosophy. This has translated into our continuing growth and the very valuable hotel brand name.

Why Choose Neelkanth Patang:

We believe location is the single most important factor when choosing where to stay. When youre travelling for business or pleasure, its important to be right in the centre of the city and when you choose to stay at one of the Neelkanth Group of Hotels, youll find the best value for money offer with the city at your doorstep.

Our professional and courteous staff will cater to your every need. The 24-hour frond desk will answer all of your questions and see to all your requests. Whether you are seeking information it will be done promptly and professionally. Our reception staff is here to ensure your stay is a success by attending to every detail. Arrangements, information and assistance are available daily.

35

Madhuli

It was opened on 21 November 1999. The restaurant isnt on a lease basis. It is the property of the owners. It is owned and managed by Ashit Patel. Quality, quantity and reasonable price are their motto. The total staff strength is 35.

Every weekend the staff is provided with a special training to help the staff train and serve the customers better. The total seating capacity is 300 which helps them avoiding waiting.

The restaurant doesnt believe in advertisements as it believes that its name and location is enough to attract the people towards it.

36

It believes in maintaining long term relationship with the customers by providing best of their services.

Good food, services and respect to the customers is encouraged by the restaurant. They have a specialty is Punjabi and Kathiawadi food.

Location:-

MADHULI RESTAURANT

SARKHEJ GANDHINGR HIGHWAY SARKHEJ, Opp. Vaishno Devi Mandir, AHMEDABAD 382210, GUJARAT (T): 079- 3971095

37

Madhuli previously was a farm house of the owner, Mr. Ashit Patel. The land on which it was been constructed didnt helped him in providing proper and current returns. So, to get constant returns he decided to open an open headed restaurant which would also be very location as well as budget friendly for the people of both Ahmedabad & Gandhinagar.

Highways are always in first preference for both the passengers as well as the native of the city as it helps them with the happiness of both the food as well as long and enjoyable journey with family, friends and relatives. The idea of the restaurant was given by one of the friends of Mr. Ashit. He also had the advantage of the restaurant situated just opposite to the Vaishno Devi Mandir which is the worship place of more than 10,000-12000 people daily. This gave them the advantage of attracting more and more people. Madhuli is also situated just near the four cross roads which connects four major cities with each other. The customers passing through these cross roads may stop to have their lunch as well as dinner at Madhuli.

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Disadvantages:-

1) Madhuli may be able to attract a good number of customers, but the restaurants in the city attract more number of customers than highway restaurants.

2) Most of the people living in Ahmedabad prefer to visit the restaurants within a city. But highway restaurants can attract the people only if the posses any type of craze or specialty in them. Madhuli fails in both the conditions.

3) It also increases the budget of the family due to be located far away from the city.

4) The person who does not have his own vehicle may not prefer going to Madhuli.

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Facilities:-

Madhuli has a seating capacity of around 300 people which makes it as one of the largest restaurants in its class. It also has the facilities of hosting or organizing any party or reception. It also has the facility of ample parking facility which can park around 25-30 cars. It also has 2 watchmen which are always after helping people park their vehicles properly and safely at the right offered place.

Marketing Skills:-

Mr. Ashit Patel when he opened the restaurant Madhuli decided not to advertise much about Madhuli in hoardings, news papers etc. As according to him he wanted to utilize the advantage of location. The people should only advertise his restaurant by mouth. He wanted his food and service to the customers attracts the current as well as the new one. He had the target customers in his mind, which were the passers. He attracted the passers by the theme of village which could remind them the life as well as passion of the village as well as their people.

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Future Aspects:-

The future goal of the owner Mr. Ashit Patel is to open the branches and expand the restaurant in Vadodara, Surat, and Mumbai. He also has a plan to open a branch of Madhuli in a posh area of Ahmedabad.

Thus, from the above we can say and imagine that Madhuli has a very bright and strong future ahead of the 5yrs. We may also see many branches of Madhuli at various parts of the states. It has also some aspect of opening a restaurant specially serving only Kathiawadi food.

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Bawarchi

Bawarchi in Satellite area is famous for Indian, Chinese and Continental vegetarian food. A true vegetarian restaurant offering delicious choice to hard core veggies. The menu is elaborate and authentic. This interestingly decorated eatery with friendly waiters; quick service and good food are its hallmark. Each dish has its own distinct flavor.

It was started in the year 2009. There are three branches in the city, one of them being started a long time back.

Bawarchi is considered as the all rounder of cuisines as it serves all types of food like Punjabi, Chinese, Mexican and Continental.

The Restaurant Established since 2003 this restaurant is one of the most

42

popular and recognized "EATING PLACE".

It is ideally located on the main shopping, Business and Banking areas, visitors with ample parking space around, with an air conditioned ambience and soothing environment. You will find it the best place to dine with your family. Choice of Indian, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Jain Thali (Food), Chinese, Continental, South Indian cuisines is available to satisfy the taste buds of all discerning gourmands.

Most of the International and National travel guide books have highly recommended us to make your visit pleasant and enjoyable. We await your confirmation of the same with our budget menu.

It was started in the year 2009 (Drive in). There are three branches in the city, one of them being started a long time back located in C.G Road, Maninagar, Drive in.

Bawarchi is considered as the all rounder of cuisines as it serves all types of food like Punjabi, Chinese, Mexican and Continental. Punjabi food is considered as the trademark of the restaurant. The branch at Drive In is managed by Mr Varun Agrawal.
43

The basic motto of Bawarchi is to provide best quality food at competitive price. The total staff strength is 30-35 at each branch.

Vegetables Green

Aloo Tamato

Aloo Mutter

Aloo Gobhi

Bhindi Masala

Bhindi Dahiwala

Palak Matar

Paneer

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Palak Paneer

Mutter Paneer

Shahi Paneer

Paneer Punjabi (Spicy)

Navratan Korma

Paneer Pasand

Paneer Butter Masala Paneer Tikka Masala

Paneer Bhurji

Kadai Paneer

Mushroom Paneer

Mushroom Kari

Dal

45

Questionnaire

The following has to be filled out before the interview:

Serial No __________________Date _____________________ 1) Interviewer Name: 2) Address: 3) Age & Gender: 4) Occupation: Self Employed Service: specify):__________________ Professional: Other (please

5) Education:

SSC Graduate: Other:

HSC Post Graduate:

6) Monthly Income of your family from all sources: (Tick correct answer) a) Below Rs. 5000 c) 15000 20000 e) 60000 & above. b) 5000-15000 d) 20000-50000

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7) How many members are there in your family? ________________ 8) State your monthly expenditure on hotels & restaurants _______________ 9) What is your food habit? a)Vegetarian c) Both b) Non-Veg. d) Depends.

10) How often do you go for Hotel? a) Daily c) Weekly e) Monthly b) Every alternative day d) No fixed schedule f) Holidays & Weekends.

11) Which Hotel do you like the most in Ahmedabad? a) The Grand Bhagwati c) Courtyard Marriott b) Pride Hotels d) Others specify ____________

12) How did you came to know about this restaurant? a) Advertisement c) News papers f) Friends & relatives b) Hoardings e) Existing Customers g) Others specify____________

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13) Does the location of the hotel attract you? a) Yes c) not sure 14) Will you recommend your favorite hotel to your relatives & friends? a) Yes b) No b) No

15) This hotel is better because of a) Food quality c) Atmosphere e) Infrastructure b) Ambience d) Price budget f) Other specify ____________

16) Which type of food do you prefer? a) Traditional c) Fast food g) Sea food b) Chinese f) Continental h) Others ______________

17) Do you find timings of your restaurants suitable? a) Yes b) No

18) Which One do you prefer more? a) Buffet b) Ala-carte

19) Which of these restaurants have a better ambience? a) Swati c) Patang e) All of them b) Madhuli d) Bawarchi

48

20) Which of these restaurants have a better food quality? a) Swati c) Patang e) All of them 21) Which of these restaurants is more budget friendly? a) Swati c) Patang e) All of them 22) Which of these restaurants offer more variety of food? a) Swati c) Patang e) All of them 23) Which of these restaurants is recommended for Gujarati cuisine? a) Swati c) Patang e) All of them 24 Which of these restaurants is recommended for Punjabi cuisine? a) Swati c) Patang e) All of them b) Madhuli d) Bawarchi b) Madhuli d) Bawarchi b) Madhuli d) Bawarchi b) Madhuli d) Bawarchi b) Madhuli d) Bawarchi

49

25. Which of these restaurants is more location friendly? a) Swati c) Patang e) All of them 26) Which of these restaurants have a better service & assistance from the waiters? a) Swati c) Patang e) All of them 27) Which restaurant do you find the best overall? a) Swati c) Patang e) All of them 28) What changes do you recommended for your favorite hotel & restaurant? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ b) Madhuli d) Bawarchi b) Madhuli d) Bawarchi b) Madhuli d) Bawarchi

50

29) Give some of your disappointments not included in the questionnaire? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

51

Analysis

52

Gender Distribution

Gender
Male Female

Figures
140 60

Percentage
70% 30%

Degree
252 108

Gender Analysis

Male Female

Interpretation:
The survey covered 200 people. Out of these 140 were males constituting 70% of the total respondents whereas 60 were females constituting 30 % of the total respondents.

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Occupation of Customers

Occupation
Self Employed Professional Service Others

Figures
80 30 80 10

Percentage
40% 15% 40% 5%

Degree
144 54 144 18

Occupation of Customers

Self Employed Professional Service Others

Interpretation:
The occupation of the respondents can be broadly classified into Self Occupied (owning business), professionals, servicemen and others (students, housewives etc). Self Employed people and servicemen together accounted for 80% of the total respondents while professionals accounted for 15% and others accounted for 5% of the total respondents.

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Type of Food
Type of Food
Traditional Fast Food Sea Food Chinese Continental Others

Figures
80 60 2 24 20 14

Percentage
40% 30% 1% 12% 10% 7%

Degrees
144 108 3.6 43.2 36 25.2

Type of Food

Traditional Fast Food Sea Food Chinese Continental Others

Interpretation:
The most popular type of food eaten by the people of Ahmedabad is: traditional Indian food, fast food, sea food, Chinese, continental and others (Italian, Mexican etc). Traditional food is eaten by the majority of the respondents (40%) followed by fast food eaten by 30% of the respondents. Sea food is the least popular type of food amongst the respondents pegged at just 1%.

55

Food Habit

Food Habit
Veg Non-Veg Both Depends

Figures
160 4 30 6

Percentage
80% 2% 15% 3%

Degrees
288 7.2 54 10.8

Food Habit

Veg Non Veg Both Depends

Interpretation:
Majority of people in Ahmedabad prefer eating vegetarian food (80%) compared to non-vegetarian food (2%), whilst 15% of the respondents prefer eating both.

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Frequency of Visits

Frequency of Visits Fixed Holidays Alternate Weekly Monthly Daily

Figures 140 50 2 4 2 2

Percentage 70% 25% 1% 4% 2% 2%

Degrees 252 90 3.6 7.2 3.6 3.6

Frequency of Visits

Fixed Holidays Alternate Weekly Monthly Daily

Interpretation:
70% of the total respondents have a habit of eating at restaurants on a fixed schedule i.e. eating each meal of the day out. A majority of these people are bachelors and students who live as a paying guest in the city. 25% of the people have a habit of eating out on holidays or weekends. People eating every alternate day in the week account for the least number of respondents pegged at just 1%. People frequenting restaurants on weekly, monthly and daily basis account for 4%, 2% and 2% respectively.
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How do customers locate the restaurants?

How customers locate restaurants

Figures
80 40 80

Percentage
40% 20% 40%

Degrees
144 72 144

How do customers locate the restaurants

Newspaper Ads Hoardings Word of Mouth

Interpretation:
40% of the total respondents find about the existence of new restaurants from advertisements published in newspapers and magazines. Another 40% get to know about the existence of restaurants from word of mouth of friends, relatives etc. Hoardings as a way of locating a restaurants account for 20% of the total respondents.

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Suitability of Restaurant Timings

Are restaurant timings suitable?

Figures
190 10

Percentage
95% 5%

Degrees
342 18

Suitability of Restaurant Timings

Yes No

Interpretation:
A big majority of respondents (95%) find the restaurant timings suitable for going out whereas only 5% of the total respondents dont find the timings suitable.

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Do people recommend their favorite restaurants to their near ones?

Question
Yes No

Figures
196 4

Percentage
98% 2%

Degrees
352.8 7.2

Do people recommend their favorite restaurants to their near ones?

Yes No

Interpretation:
A big chunk of the respondents (98%) like to recommend their favorite restaurants to their near ones like family members, friends, relatives etc. Only 2% of the total respondents dont like recommending restaurants to their near ones.

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Is location an advantage to the respondents?

Question
Yes No Not Sure

Figures
100 20 80

Percentage
50% 10% 40%

Degrees
180 36 144

Is location an advantage to the respondents?

Yes No Not Sure

Interpretation:
50% of the total respondents feel that location is an advantage of an restaurant. The more accessible the restaurant the better it is. Around 10% dont consider location as an advantage. 40% of the total respondents are not sure whether location is an advantage to them or not.

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Preference of food serving

Preference
Buffet A la carte

Figures
140 60

Percentage
60% 40%

Degrees
216 144

Preference of food serving

Buffet A la Carte

Interpretation:
A majority of the respondents (60%) prefer eating food served as a buffet. 40% of the respondents prefer their food being served as a la carte.

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Quality of Service

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
70 40 30 60

Percentage
35% 20% 15% 30%

Quality of Service
40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%
hi rc a w Ba g an t Pa i at w S h ad ul i

Respondents

Respondents

Restaurants

Interpretation:
35% of the total respondents say Bawarchi has the best service provided out of the other restaurants in the city. Madhuli comes second as rated as the best by 30% of the total respondents. Patang comes third as rated by 20% of the respondents and finally Swati comes at the 4th position out of the four restaurants as preferred by 15% of the respondents.

63

Ambience

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
50 30 20 100

Percentage
25% 15% 10% 50%

Ambience
60%
Respondents

50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Respondents

Restaurants

Interpretation:
According to the survey Madhuli has the best ambience out of the four restaurants. 50% of the respondents gave it the best rating. Bawarchi comes second, Patang third and Swati fourth.

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Variety of Food

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
60 28 2 110

Percentage
30% 14% 1% 55%

Variety of Food
60%
Respondents

50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Respondents

Restaurants

Interpretation:
The respondents voted Madhuli (55%) providing the most variety of food out of the four restaurants. Swati restaurant with just 1% respondents votes ended up last solely because of the fact that it is a Gujarati cuisines restaurant.

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Food Quality

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
60 50 40 50

Percentage
30% 25% 20% 25%

Food Quality
35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%
hi rc a w Ba g an t Pa i at w S h ad ul i

Respondents

Respondents

Restaurants

Interpretation:
Bawarchi, with the vote of 30% of the respondents has been selected as the restaurant having the best food quality out of the four restaurants. Swati with 20% votes has been rated as having the least good food quality when compared to the four restaurants. Patang and Madhuli with 25% vote each end up having the same rating between Bawarchi and Swati.

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Budget Friendly

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
60 50 40 50

Percentage
25% 10% 50% 15%

Budget Friendly
60% 50%
Respondents

40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli Restaurants Series1

Interpretation:
Swati with 50% votes has been rated as the most budget friendly restaurant by the respondents followed by Bawarchi with 25%, Madhuli with 15% and Patang ending last with 10% votes.

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Location Advantage

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
60 30 100 10

Percentage
30% 15% 50% 5%

Location Advantage
60% 50%
Respondents

40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli Restaurants Series1

Interpretation:
Swati with 50% votes of the respondents has been voted as the most location friendly restaurant out of the four. Bawarchi comes second with 30% votes followed by Patang at 15% and Madhuli with 5% being voted as the most location unfriendly restaurant.

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Best restaurant for Punjabi cuisine

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
90 80 10 20

Percentage
45% 40% 5% 10%

Best restaurant for Punjabi cuisine

30% Series1 20% 10% 0% Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli Restaurants

Interpretation:
Out of the four restaurants, Bawarchi and Patang have been rated as the best restaurant for Punjabi cuisine with Bawarchi narrowly beating Patang by 5% votes. Although, Swati is a Gujarati cuisine only restaurant, there were certain respondents who gave it a vote for this question primarily because of lack of knowledge about this particular fact. Madhuli came as the third most preferable choice for Punjabi cuisine.

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Best restaurant for Gujarati cuisine

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
4 6 100 90

Percentage
2% 3% 50% 45%

Best restaurant for Gujarati cuisine

40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli Restaurants Series1

Interpretation:
Swati with 50% votes has been adjudged the best Gujarati cuisine restaurant followed by Madhuli at 45% votes. Bawarchi and Patang got 2% and 3% respectively reflecting the fact that they arent popular for this kind of food with the people.

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First Preference

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
50 60 50 40

Percentage
25% 30% 25% 20%

First Preference
35% 30%
Respondents

25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli Restaurants Series1

Interpretation:
When it comes to choosing the first preference for going to a restaurant, Patang tops the choice of the respondents with 30% with closely followed by Bawarchi and Swati at 25% and Madhuli at 20%. Patang is the preferred choice because of its unique revolving restaurant popularity.

71

Overall Best Restaurant

Restaurant
Bawarchi Patang Swati Madhuli

Respondents
50 60 50 40

Percentage
25% 20% 20% 35%

Overall Best Restaurant

Swati Series1 Patang Bawarchi 0% 10% 20% Respondents 30% 40%

Interpretation:
Madhuli with 35% votes by the respondents have been voted as the best restaurant overall by the people surveyed in Ahmedabad out of the four. It is followed by Bawarchi at 25% votes at the second position and Swati and Patang ending in a tie at 20% apiece.

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Research Methodology

73

Our group used the following methods for carrying out and completing the research work for the project:

1. Initial preparations: For the project we short listed four restaurants Bawarchi, Madhuli, Swati and Patang. We targeted those restaurants which are frequented by middle upper middle class populace of Ahmedabad. To collect the raw data for the project we made a questionnaire.

2. Surveys: To collect the data for the project we carried out surveys in different restaurants. We compiled a questionnaire consisting of 29 questions. The questionnaire helped us collect the data on the personal information of the respondent, their tastes and preferences in reference to the food they eat, their budget, frequency of visits to the restaurant, their views on the selected restaurants on different parameters like ambience, food quality etc and which restaurant they think is the best according to their rating out of the four. Apart from this we also collected information on suggestions or improvements the respondents added which helped us in getting to know what kind of changes the
74

people want in their favorite restaurant. To complete the surveys we divided our group into four sub groups, having two members each; with each sub group covering one restaurant each out of the four. We completed the surveys with 220 respondents. People from different income groups, occupation and gender were interviewed.

3. Interpretation: After completing the surveys we collected enough raw data to process it by constructing pie charts and other such charts. This made the comparative analysis a cake walk. The questionnaire was designed in such a manner as to facilitate comparison between different parameters. For example, in order to compare between the four restaurants we divided the comparison into different parameters such as ambience, food quality, quality of service, cuisines, prices, location of restaurants etc which helped our group narrow down the research on the minutest details.

75

Limitations of the Study

76

Every survey has some sort of limitations in it. Here are some of the limitations faced by us while doing the project:

1. Budget Problem: Our group has members living in far off regions of the city. While some live as near as Vastrapur, there are others who live in areas such as Bopal etc. Because of this the cost of transportation to reach the place of survey was high.

2. Time Adjustments: We have one of the most diverse groups in the college. While some members have commitments towards their respective businesses the others are busy preparing for entrance exams. Because of this different members have different time tables for surveys. Therefore the whole group couldnt find time together and we always had to make small groups within ourselves and carry out the different surveys.

3. Diwali Vacations: As the Diwali vacations rolled by many of our group members who live in the city as paying guest left to meet their families in other states and

77

countries. Therefore the complete group was not available for work in the vacation and thus we had to wait till the members were back to carry out certain surveys.

4. Erroneous Data: During the survey we found that many respondents were filling the questionnaire in a random fashion. Some of them didnt know any answers and were thus filling the answers up randomly. The best example is that of the question Which restaurant do you prefer for Punjabi cuisine? many respondents answered it as Swati which actually is a Gujarati only restaurant. Such errors by the respondents resulted in ambiguous data.

5. Non- availability of concerned person: There were times when during a survey

we couldnt meet with the restaurant manager or he was not available for a talk. Because of this we had to come back to the restaurant again and again. This wasted a lot of our time.

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Observations

79

We made the following observations while doing the surveys:

1. Many people took a very long time in filling up the questionnaires. They filled the questionnaires by asking many questions.

2. There were many respondents who filled up the questionnaires quite randomly. They randomly ticked marked the answers. This led to ambiguity in our data collection. For example - many respondents marked Swati as the ideal restaurant for Punjabi cuisine whereas it is a Gujarati cuisine only restaurant.

3. Language problems: Many of our group members are non Gujarati and they had some trouble in interacting with the people at restaurants.

4. When we entered the restaurants many waiters greeted us warmly.

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5. When we entered Patang restaurant we just knew the fact that the restaurant revolves but we didnt knew how it revolves and we found this out by interacting with the manager.

6. When we entered Swati we got to know that theyre helping to maintain the tradition of Gujarat by promoting the Gujarati cuisine.

7. Madhuli gives the impression of a village theme based restaurant which helps the people to remember their rural village roots.

8. We observed that Bawarchis Vastrapur restaurant is located away from the main road Drive in Road because of which it becomes difficult for the people to locate it as the address says its on Drive in Road.

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Findings

82

Findings of our project:

1. Type of Food: Majority of people who frequent restaurants prefer eating the traditional Indian food to any other food (40% of respondents). Fast food is the second most popular bite at the restaurants with 30% of the respondents. Sea food attracts the lowest number of respondents (1% of total) probably because of lack of restaurants serving fish and other sea food fare.

2. Food Habit: Vegetarian cuisine is the most popular cuisine in Ahmedabad with 80% people preferring it over others. People eating vegetarian and non vegetarian food account for 15% of the respondents.

3. Frequency of Visits: More than 70% of the respondents eat food regularly (all courses) at restaurants. People thronging restaurants on holidays account for 25% of the total respondents.

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4. Locating restaurants: Around 40% of the respondents locate restaurants through newspapers/magazine advertisements. Another 40% through word of mouth from friends, relatives etc. Rest 20% through hoardings and banners.

5. Preference of food serving: Somewhere around 60% of respondents prefer their food be served as a buffet compared to 40% going for a la carte serving.

6. Comparison of restaurants: When it comes to comparison between the four restaurants, the answers to all the different set parameters are different. Here is an analysis of this fact:

84

Parameter Quality of Service Ambience Variety of Food Food Quality Budget Friendly Location Advantage Punjabi Cuisine Gujarati Cuisine First Preference Overall

Best Restaurant Bawarchi Madhuli Madhuli Bawarchi Swati Swati Bawarchi Swati Patang Madhuli

Least best Restaurant Swati Swati Swati Swati Patang Madhuli Swati Bawarchi Madhuli Swati

Clearly, the findings are much skewed with Madhuli emerging as the clear winner of the four restaurants and Swati being the bottom choice out of the four.

85

Suggestions

86

After completing the surveys we came across the following suggestions:

1. Many respondents suggested that our questionnaire was quite long and time consuming. They suggested that it should have not more than 20 questions. Our logic behind having a long questionnaire was collecting as much information as possible.

2. Many respondents wrote that the restaurants they frequent must have a little better food quality and assistance from waiters.

3. Some respondents wrote that they want their favorite restaurants to retain the food quality and menu. They also wrote that diversifying menu for Jain food is done so that more and more cuisines become accessible to Jain people.

87

4. Some people suggested that the services of the restaurants should be as fast as possible without deteriorating the food quality and tastes.

5. A couple of people even reported that such surveys should be conducting at a larger scale so that more and more people come to know about the best restaurants of the city. The availability of such surveys at a larger level in the city is non-existent

6. People liked their restaurant as they are right now and they should retain their excellent ambience and taste which attract the customers. Restaurants shouldnt increase the prices frequently as they do after every festival.

7. Restaurants must be more location friendly. For example some people told us how the restaurants are coming up on S.G Highway giving a lot of choices for the people.

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8. Some restaurants do not focus on advertisements. They should focus on increasing their presence in the minds of the citizens by coming up with more hoardings.

9. Many people suggested a fact that during holidays and weekends the quality and taste of the food deteriorates. The restaurants must do more to increase the staff so that they can cater to the crowd during the holidays and special occasions.

10. Some restaurants are not open at noon time. They should open up as theyll cater to the office working people more.

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Conclusion

90

After completing the surveys and the analysis we came to the conclusion that the majority of people prefer eating vegetarian food at restaurants in Ahmedabad. More than 70% of the respondents frequent restaurants almost at a daily basis. Advertisements form an important aspect in promotion of the restaurants in the city. Hoardings and newspaper advertisements help around 80% of the respondents in locating the restaurants in the city. The better the marketing program of the restaurant the more is its popularity in the city provided that they show the true information in the ads. Majority of people who eat out prefer eating traditional Indian food followed by fast food. Sea food, because of its lack of availability in the city is the least popular type of food consumed by the people in the city.

Madhuli has emerged as the favorite restaurant for the respondents in the city. Great ambience together with quality services and good food quality has attracted the taste buds of people all across the city. Swati has ended up as the fourth best out of the four restaurants. The reason for this is the fact that it serves only a single cuisine. Nonetheless, it is helping the Gujarati food to become popular in the city. Patang restaurant after resuming its services couple of years back has become a landmark in Ahmedabad. It is being promoted by many actors and actress. However, Patang is the most expensive restaurant
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among all the four restaurants surveys thereby making it a restaurant of the class. Bawarchi has been rated as the best restaurant for its food quality, Punjabi cuisine and also for its ambience.

To conclude, we can say that people prefer eating traditional vegetarian cuisines to any other food in the city. They like such restaurant which has a good balance of quality food, ambience, service and price as shown by Madhuli.

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Bibliography

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1. www.wikipedia.org 2. Suggestions given by the respondents in the questionnaires. 3. Information collected from the branch managers. 4. www.neelkanthhotels.com/patanghotels 5. www.googleimages.com

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Declaration

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This project has been completed with the commitments of the following members of our group:

Name
Sparsh Kapoor Mudit Sood Ajit Baid Gagandeep Shukla Ashish Patel Nikul Kothari Bharat Prajapati Suryaprakash Surana Parth Shah Kaushal Khambhaliya Amit Chotai

Class/Division
T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B T.Y BBA B

Roll No.
155 206 117 201 170 159 182 207 196 156 128

Signature

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