HospiBuz:- Barista is all about serving delectable coffee. Please tells us how has the food menu and ambiance helped Barista grow? 

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- Innovation is the key to Barista’s flourishing clientele, we make sure that if someone comes once to our outlet should be offered with something new from the last time. This very well can be seen in our products, we keep on doing product oriented festivals and campaigns across India like Latte festival, sweetness campaign, winter treat collection, etc were some of the latest campaigns we have concluded with and there are more in the pipeline. The ambiance has been upgraded to give our patrons a feel of a premium lounge which makes them come visit us time and again.

HospiBuz:- India is the country with the most youth population hence there is always a change in trend? How does Barista make sure to upgrade itself with the changing trend?

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- As I said, innovation is the key to everything for a small coffee shop. Unlike restaurants, coffee shops are frequented more by individuals on a monthly basis so, to keep the curiosity alive we keep innovating our menu. As far as the trend is concerned we as pioneers of coffee culture in India are the ones who start the trend in our domain.

HospiBuz:- According to the various studies, Coffee consumption in India has grown by 40% over the past decade, how much growth in sales cafe chain like Barista is looking forward in the upcoming years?

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- The trend in coffee consumption is upward but if we compare it with European markets we are just witnessing the tip of the iceberg. In India, coffee consumption is around 85-110gms per capita as opposed to 8-10kgs in European and US market. We are expanding at a rapid pace and would like to reach a tally of 500 outlets in next 3 yrs maintaining a healthy growth rate of 10% 

HospiBuz:- What motivated Barista to expand in Merchandising? How does Merchandising help the company grow?

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- Over the past few years we have seen a healthy 15% sales of merchandises off our counter. This sales pattern made us promote Barista branded stuff at our outlets. Merchandising helps us to create and sustain a connection with our consumers even after the sales or the outlet visit.

HospiBuz:- Barista is famous for introducing new dishes on their menu. Recently Barista has introduced a wide range of dessert like dessert kebab. Please tell us how do you strategies how and when should any new product be launched in the market?

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- The clientele of ours consists of repeat customers and to delight them we try to ensure that we offer them something new every time they walk in, our every campaign have multiple new offerings for a season which stretches from 1-2 months and during that period patrons can enjoy the whole range and can find something new happening at the store to keep the vibrancy of the brand alive.  

So for winters, we had Latte festival, winter treat and coming summers we are going to introduce Quenchers season 2 which will see 6 new drinks added to the quenchers portfolio, in April we are already finalizing new campaign which will be enthralling for our audiences.

HospiBuz:- Barista has come up with Barista Dinner wherein breakfast, lunch and dinner is also served. Please tell us what is unique about Barista Dinner?

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- We are having a live kitchen and all the excitement of a coffee shop is already there. The muffins, the coffee is already there. Apart from that, we have 3 or 4 cuisines of the various segments like we have Mexican, Italian, Indian and American (pizzas, pasta, burgers). 2-3 key marquee dishes, most of the dishes which are light for Indians. This product is unique because we are actively looking at creating and developing breakfast habits for Indians outside, we want it to be a very active breakfast area, so these meals are wholesome meals and they are all day diner kind of a thing.

You will have a keema and bread, so if we have Indian palate there will be butter chicken as well in a very fusion format as our focus is also towards fusion foods e.g. as we speak there is a fish festival we are doing for a couple of weeks and we are calling it “Something Fishy”. 

HospiBuz:-  Do Barista serves differently or operates differently in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities as compared to metropolitans?

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- We have a single standard offering across India.  

HospiBuz:- What makes Barista coffee different from the other cafes that are well – known for serving coffee?

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- We are very much stringent when it comes to our coffee, we have been using original Arabica beans to brew our coffee. The taste of the coffee has remained the same from the day it was launched today. The Arabica beans are the premium beans which have a distinct flavor to it and it takes utmost care to preserve it. 

Apart from it, we are not a go-to coffee shop for anyone or everyone, it’s not that people can not afford it but it’s the positioning that we have created for ourselves over the years. People with higher intellect, serious crowds prefer to visit us, it would a rare scenario where we may see groups of brash individuals creating a ruckus at our place.

HospiBuz:- Work delegation and trust are an essential part of running any cafe chain. Please tell us how does Barista works and have become so successful?

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- We have dedicated teams with their roles defined,  even our franchise partners are chosen after much of internal deliberation. There are a few reasons for our success like constant innovation and preservation of taste and standards.

HospiBuz:- What made Barista start Quenchers?

Mr. Puneet Gulati:- We have good sales throughout the year and winters are always better because of the hot beverages and delicacies. We have seen cold coffee, smoothies go off the shelf like hot cakes but there was nothing new of offer in beverages. Last year we launched Quenchers which are soda based smoothies and it was a hit. Going by the wonderful experience of last year, we are now coming with 6 different flavors.

Thank you so much for your prestigious time!!