State Level Seminar Organized by Suryadatta College of Hospitality Management ,Travel and Tourism, Pune on ‘Quick Service Restaurants – A Lucrative Career Option’ under the Quality Improvement Program of Savitribai Phule Pune University

State Level Seminar Organized by Suryadatta College of Hospitality Management ,Travel and Tourism, Pune on ‘Quick Service Restaurants – A Lucrative Career Option’ under the Quality Improvement Program of Savitribai Phule Pune University

A fast food restaurant, also known as a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant characterized both by its fast food cuisine and by minimal table service. The Indian fast food market has been witnessing rapid growth due to positive developments and presence of massive investments. The new government too is advocating an increase in foreign direct investment. Currently the growth of the fast food market is fuelled by the largest youth population on earth, working women, hectic schedules, and increasing disposable income of the middle-class households. Some of the unique properties of fast food like quick served, cost advantage, etc are making it highly popular among the masses. Thus, India offers enormous opportunities for both domestic as well as international players and therefore there are enormous career opportunities in the QSR sector for students studying hotel management

The aim of the Seminar was to

1. To discuss the rapidly growing fast food industry in India
2. To deliberate upon the likely Impact of the of Indian Government’s Foreign Direct Investment policy on the decision of International fast food brands entering or expanding into the Indian fast food Industry.
3. To make students aware that working in Quick Service Restaurants could be a lucrative career option.

The Chief Guest for the seminar was Mr. G.S.Bindra-Managing Director of Bindra Hospitality Services. He encouraged students to be entrepreneurs and told them that there are opportunities in every enterprise in the food industry. For e.g: At a fast food chain, one has opportunities in the food processing/production unit, supply chain management and cold storage facilities, apart from the usual jobs at ‘Front-of-the-house’. It is up to the individual to discover the opportunity and then work on it.

The key note speaker was Ms. Karamjit Shemar, who heads the Starbucks Coffee outlet at F.C.Road. She spoke to the students about the advantages of working in QSRs – the informal work atmosphere, the employee friendly HR policies and recognition for good performance through promotions and incentives. She also motivated the students by telling them the story of her own career growth. She said that one should not be afraid to take chances and confidence in oneself is the key to success.

Mr Suraj Shenoy and Mr Sameer Ghate from Starbucks Coffee took the students through a coffee tasting session. They discussed the pre-opening procedures of a QSR and the qualities and attributes needed to be employed in the fast food sector. They also presented the work ethics of Starbucks Coffee Company.

Ms. Samana Tejani- the Director Operations for Gits Food Products Pvt Ltd. Gits is known in India and abroad for it’s ready to eat packaged food and instant food mixes e.g – gulab jamun, idlis, jalebis, dosas, and many more. Ms. Tejani explained to the students that the latest technology for packaging food is the retort process. The food is first prepared, either raw or cooked, and then sealed into the retort pouch. The pouch is then heated to 240-250°F (116-121°C) for several minutes under high pressure inside a retort or autoclave machine. This process kills all commonly occurring microorganisms (particularly Clostridium botulinum) and prevents it from spoilage. There are no preservatives or additives added. The food is cooked under hygienic conditions and a standard recipe is followed each time. Therefore every dish tastes the same even if several packets of the same dish are tasted. The standardized recipes and hygienically cooked ready to eat packaged foods can be served in QSRs thus saving on time and labour.

Mr Rakesh Nanda is the master Franchisor of ’Eagle Boys Pizza’ from Australia. A resident of New Zealand, he is based in Pune since the last three years spearheading the opening of many franchise stores of Eagle Boys Pizza. He discussed the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the present government which has encouraged FDI in the food and hospitality sector, and how this has led to more international fast food brands opening their operations in India, thus leading to nearly 40,000 new jobs in the QSR sector. He spoke to the audience about the challenges faced in India while opening a Quick Service Restaurant.

Prof. Sameer Koranne – Assistant Professor of Sinhgad Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Lonavala, gave a lecture on growth of QSR in India. He presented a comparative report of region-wise distribution of QSR’s in India and their forecasted growth for the next five years. He explained the FDI policy in detail enumerating the incentives for tourism & hospitality industry.

Ms. Pooja Joglekar – AMMT Learning and development from Café Coffee Day spoke about the growth and presence of the chain in India and abroad. She also informed about the company’s goal to launch several more stores globally. Thus, she presented the numerous opportunities with the chain in the coming years. She discussed the growth structure of employees at the company which has motivated the students to consider QSR as an attractive career opportunity.

Research papers, on the theme and sub-themes, were invited from faculty and students for the seminar. Three students of Suryadatta College of Hospitality Management, Travel and Tourism and three faculty of Dr.A.B.Telang IHM presented their papers.

SCHMTT in addition to the delivery of the regular curriculum always strives to update the students about the latest trends in the Hospitality Industry. This seminar was a great learning experience for students and faculty alike. It exposed the students to the innumerable career opportunities in the hospitality industry especially the QSR sector and the students are very grateful to the speakers and the College for widening their career horizon. Finally, the seminar was a grand success in disseminating current industry trends.