Why one biryani is not enough for India’s diverse palate

Biryani, the aromatic and flavourful rice dish, is one of India’s most loved cuisines. But with so many regional variations and preferences, a single type of biryani may not be enough to satisfy the taste buds of the Indian consumers. This poses a challenge for the food service brands that want to scale up and capture the market.

Biryani: A dish with many faces

Biryani is a dish that originated in Persia and was brought to India by the Mughals. It is made with basmati rice, meat, spices, and herbs, cooked in layers in a large pot. However, over the centuries, biryani has evolved and adapted to the local cultures and cuisines of different regions of India.

For instance, Hyderabad is famous for its dum biryani, which is cooked on a low flame with a sealed lid, creating a rich and moist texture. Kolkata is known for its Awadhi biryani, which is lighter and sweeter, with potatoes and boiled eggs. Ambur in Tamil Nadu is renowned for its spicy and tangy biryani, which is made with seeraga samba rice and served with brinjal curry.

These are just some of the examples of the diversity and complexity of biryani in India. According to a report by Redseer, a consulting firm, there are over 20 types of biryani in India, each with its own loyal fan base and market size.

Biryani: A lucrative but fragmented market

Biryani is not only a popular dish, but also a lucrative one. According to Redseer, the biryani market in India is worth ₹20,000-30,000 crore, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10-15% in the next five years. Biryani is also the most ordered dish on online food delivery platforms, accounting for over 10% of the orders.

However, the biryani market is also highly fragmented and competitive, with a large number of unorganised players, such as street vendors, local restaurants, and home chefs, dominating the space. The organised players, such as food service brands and cloud kitchens, have a relatively smaller share of the market, and face several challenges in scaling up and expanding.

One of the main challenges is the regional and local preferences of the consumers, which limit the total addressable market (TAM) of a single type of biryani. For example, a Hyderabadi biryani brand may not appeal to the consumers in Kolkata, who prefer a different style and taste of biryani. Similarly, a vegetarian biryani brand may not find many takers in a meat-loving market.

Redseer estimates that the organised market size of biryani in a typical metro city is only ₹800-1,200 crore, which means that a single-brand biryani player would need to capture 10-15% of the market share to achieve a revenue target of ₹100 crore, which is a significant challenge.

Biryani: A need for a multi-brand strategy

To overcome the challenge of regional and local preferences, and to tap into the growing demand for biryani, the food service brands need to adopt a multi-brand strategy, which involves creating and scaling multiple brands across diverse types of biryani, rather than relying on a single anchor brand.

A multi-brand strategy can help the food service brands to cater to the different segments and tastes of the consumers, and to increase their revenue and market share. It can also help them to leverage their existing infrastructure, supply chain, and distribution network, and to optimise their capital and operational expenditures.

Some of the examples of the food service brands that have adopted a multi-brand strategy for biryani are Rebel Foods, Cure Foods, and Specialty Restaurants. Rebel Foods, which is India’s largest cloud kitchen company, operates over 10 biryani brands, such as Behrouz Biryani, Biryani Blues, and Indigo Biryani, covering various types and price points of biryani. Cure Foods, which is a health-focused food service company, runs over five biryani brands, such as Eat Fit, Biryani by Kilo, and Biryani Central, offering different health and nutrition benefits of biryani. Specialty Restaurants, which is a fine dining restaurant chain, owns over three biryani brands, such as Oh! Calcutta, Sigree, and Haka, serving different regional and ethnic varieties of biryani.

By adopting a multi-brand strategy, these food service brands have been able to capture a larger share of the biryani market, and to offer a wider choice and value proposition to the consumers.