National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) launched its Kolkata Chapter in July 2019 and has quickly grown into a wonderful platform & voice for the Hospitality Industry of the city with 600 Restaurant outlets under its membership already. The NRAI Kolkata Chapter, headed by Mr. Aditya Ladsaria (Co-founder of Chai Break) has initiated an effort to conduct monthly events with the objective of best practice sharing and knowledge for the Restaurant Fraternity at large and also for those who aspire to venture into the F&B business.
Very recently NRAI conducted a series of events like Re-Connect wherein all members attended for a post pandemic meet and greet session, followed by several CSR initiatives like Santa’s Cause which saw food packets being distributed to more than 10,000 destitute and underprivileged kids. NRAI Kolkata also started an initiative called Re-Serve wherein restaurants have taken it upon themselves to educate their patrons to not waste food and instead Re-Serve left-over food to people who are hungry and needy.
NRAI Kolkata has recently started a marquee series called Energise Your Business, # EYB, in which industry leaders are called upon to share their experiences with NRAI members. This 29th June, #EYB featured Resilience with “The Most Influential Restaurateur”, Host and Judge of MasterChef India, Season 5, Mr. Zorawar Kalra, who shared his views and knowledge in a Fireside Chat with Ishani Priyadarshini, Owner of SurFiré The Coastal Café, also an NRAI member.
Aditya Ladsaria, Chapter Head, NRAI Kolkata, notes that: “Having spent a decade plus in the Industry and with the experience of working in a start-up eco-system, I personally relate to the challenges that any new foodpreneuer might face. At NRAI, with the vast collective experience that we have, we understand that sharing is an important part of growth within the ecosystem and with the society at large. I am really happy to see the enthusiasm of the participants, speakers and members in these initiatives and it just strengthens our beliefs that this Industry will thrive with a lot of new ideas, innovations and collaboration efforts.”
This episode of Energise Your Business by Zorawar Kalra was attended by over 250 luminaries of the Hospitality Fraternity including Sagar Daryani (Wow!Momo), Sudip Mullick (Balaram Mullick and Radharaman Mullick LLP) , Anand Puri (Trincas), Pratap Daryanani (Oasis), Asif Ahmed (Sanjha Chulha) , Varun Mimani (White Castle Hospitality – M Bar and Ozora), Anirban Sengupta (What’s Up! Café) along with the General Managers and Directors of many Five Star Hotels in the city.
This very enriching & informative session was preceded by High Tea, engaging sponsor presentations and followed by a Networking Dinner for the NRAI Kolkata Members & their guests.
Zorawar Kalra stated: “We wanted this Energise Your Business to be helpful to all NRAI Members, especially the new entrants. My vision is to take Indian Brands global. Brands need to realize the importance of Technology, HR and Location. Since Massive Restaurants has a presence in over 10 countries now and is set on a trail of expansion in India, I want everyone in our community to benefit from my experience.”
