HYDERABAD: Move over Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Hyderabad is fast emerging as a preferred ‘tasting’ ground for global casual dining restaurant chains. After iconic American brand Hard Rock Cafe trooped into the `City of Nizams and Pearls’ nearly a decade ago, and others like Chili’s, TGIF, Playboy Club followed suit, its now the turn of yet another American casual dining and sports bar biggie – Buffalo Wild Wings — to wing its way to Hyderabad.

The chain, which has nearly 1,230 outlets globally, is making its India debut in Hyderabad with what is its largest restaurant outside of the US with a 16,000 sft outlet at the upmarket Jubilee Hills area.”The only other outlets bigger than the Hyderabad one are located in California and Manhattan,” said Kedar Selagamsetty, founder and director, M Kitchens, the master franchisee for the American chain in India that is co-promoted by Tollywood star Allu Arjun.

What’s more, Buffalo Wild Wings will be carrying out the global pilot for its lounge concept – branded B-Dubs 2.0 – in Hyderabad, said techpreneur turned foodpreneur Sam Reddy, who is the CEO of M Kitchens. “If it works here, it will be replicated globally,” he said.

B-Dubs plans to open two outlets in Hyderabad

So what makes Hyderabad the preferred testing ground for foreign food brands looking to tap the fast growing Indian market and for new concepts like microbreweries that have caught on like wildfire in the past couple of years? According to food critic Sankalp Vishnu, Hyderabad has always been a melting pot of cultures and cuisines and hence an ideal ground for experimentation for for any food-based product. “People in the city are more open and receptive to exploring different cuisines unlike more conservative markets like Chennai or Kolkata, which is why it has emerged as a preferred testing ground for many restaurant chains,” he said.