Mumbai-based entrepreneur Francis Albert recalls spending hours at Social restaurant between 2015 and 2016 while planning the launch of his corporate gifting startup. “Well before WeWork and other co-working spaces opened in the city, I’d work from Social,” he reminisced. “By paying a monthly fee, I could use their WiFi and printer services, while downing endless cups of coffee and digging into their bite-sized snacks. It was also the ideal casual environment to meet potential clients and investors. What more could a struggling founder ask for?”
This is probably the best affirmation to the brainwave Riyaaz Amlani, founder and CEO of Impresario Handmade Restaurants, had when he launched Social in 2014. Observing office-goers using cafés for quick meetings, he had a lightbulb moment: Create a space for young professionals to work and play. Enter Social—a haven for millennials to work, eat, and hang out all in one spot.
This eye for detail is deeply embedded in Amlani’s business outlook. In the early 2000s, he launched Salt Water Café in Mumbai based on his own experiences where he wanted to bring fine dining out of the 5-star cocoon into a more accessible space. While a hit for leisurely dinners, it lacked the fast-paced vibe of his first venture, Mocha, which he launched in 2002.
Amlani then reimagined Salt Water Café as a more casual restaurant focused on comfort European cuisine and later introduced the chic Smoke House Deli in 2011. Today, the restaurant chain has brands like AntiSocial, Boss Burger, Flea Bazaar Café, Goodness to go, Lucknowee, Mocha, Prithvi Café, Social, Smoke House Deli, Salt Water Café (now Bandra Born), Slink & Bardot, Soufflé, and Tandoori Pizza, each with their distinct individuality and target base.
However, Impresario is laser-focused on Social, the vanguard brand in its portfolio, leading in overall revenue contribution, scale and growth, followed by Smokehouse Deli. It is also where the company’s chief growth officer Divya Aggarwal is channelling all her attention.
In her second stint with Impresario, she juggles the role of chief growth manager with that of a chief marketing officer and brand partnership manager. Taking the final call on alliances with brands for collaborating in joint campaigns or getting revenue from them, she also looks after data-driven processes like customer relationship management (CRM) and loyalty programmes, along with managing the delivery vertical.
This is where her past stints at Twitter, Jubilant Foodworks, Nestlé and Star India come in handy as she firms up Social’s position as the go-to neighbourhood restaurant. Her strategy is to blend personal touches with a hyperlocal vibe, creating a cozy, accessible casual dining space (CDS) that resonates with digitally savvy locals at affordable prices.
Impresario's focus on building CDS is no accident—it’s a booming segment, which industry experts estimate is five times larger than the quick service restaurant (QSR) market and growing 50% faster. With higher disposable incomes fuelling a desire to eat out, the fragmented CDS presents a golden opportunity to build a major player in the F&B sector; something that the company harbours ambition to corner.
Moreover, India's foodservice market is cooking up a storm, projected to more than double from $71.23 billion in 2023 to $165.24 billion by 2032, with a tasty CAGR of 9.8%, according to Zion Market Research. While the QSR scene is buzzing, the CDS has been quieter since Barbeque Nation's IPO in 2021. Now, Amlani is cooking up plans to take restaurant company public by 2026.
Talking about whether the company is on track to achieve this milestone, Aggarwal said, “I cannot comment on the date, but that's definitely the aspiration. Our focus right now is really to sort of grow Social and make it more cemented brand than where it is currently. We are opening outlets in several new cities.”
In 2017, Singapore-based private equity firm L Catterton Asia bought a 70% stake, but the company’s rapid expansion plans could do with a financial leg-up. This is especially because Impresario wants to own and operate all Social outlets, unlike Mocha, which operates on a franchisee model.
Banking on Social
Ever since its Church Street debut a decade ago, Social has emerged as a local hotspot with playful branding, Instagram-worthy interiors, and a menu full of quirky dishes presented even more quirkier tableware like battered aluminium plates. The brand has taken great pains to ensure that each outlet reflects its neighbourhood's vibe with an ambiance that feeds the imagination and conversations of a social media-savvy crowd.
Impresario is now looking at a hyperlocal expansion strategy for the CDR brand—opening more outlets in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru where it already has a presence. Last month, it opened its 10th outlet in Bengaluru along with the Prestige Group and earlier this year, it opened its 53rd outpost in north Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, to complement the various Social restaurants already present in the southern part of the capital.
“We have 54 Social outlets currently and plan to open around 10-15 outlets annually,” Aggarwal revealed. This is in line with Amlani’s plans to increase its company’s restaurant count to 100 and reach a revenue target of INR 1,000 crore by FY26. A good chunk of this growth will come from the non-metro cities; with lower living costs, residents in these areas are splurging their extra cash on dining out, making food services the hottest trend in town.
Hospitality industry expert, columnist and author Dr Himanshu Talwar feels that expanding into non-metro areas can indeed be a promising strategy for Impresario. These regions often have growing middle-class populations with increasing disposable incomes and evolving lifestyle preferences.
“As cities and towns outside major metros develop economically, there is a rising demand for diverse dining options that offer quality and a unique experience. Social’s approach, with its emphasis on both ambience and food, can cater to this emerging demand. However, the key to success will be tailoring the offerings to local tastes and preferences while maintaining the core elements that define the Social experience. Understanding regional nuances and building strong local connections will be essential in making this expansion successful,” he added.
Immersed in experiential marketing
With fierce competition and a 90% mortality rate in the restaurant business, Impresario is up against the odds. Guest loyalty is also elusive, with diners chasing the latest Instagrammable spots. Hence, Social is focusing on crafting immersive experiences to keep them coming back for more.
Nandhivardhan Jain, CEO of Noesis Capital Advisors, a hospitality focused research and advisory firm, observed that Social’s marketing campaigns has played a pivotal role in building and maintaining guest loyalty. By focusing on community building and creating a sense of belonging, it has managed to transform customers into brand ambassadors.
“Their marketing strategy goes beyond traditional advertising, it leverages social media, experiential events, and engaging content to foster a loyal customer base. For example, their themed nights and interactive events create memorable experiences that guests want to share and revisit. This approach not only attracts new customers but also retains existing ones by continuously offering fresh and exciting experiences,” he pointed out.
A case in point is the Kore-yeah campaign that the brand launched in July 2024 after noticing that K-pop, K-beauty and all things Korean were dominating Gen Z conversations. Riding the K-wave, all 54 Social outlets turned into vibrant hubs for K-culture fans, offering everything from K-Pop karaoke to kimchi-making workshops.
Putting food and beverages in the crosshairs of its marketing strategy, Impresario’s group executive chef, Shamshul Wahid curated a Korean menu along with Chef Soonye Choi of Sattori Food Lab. They jointly rolled out dishes like reimagined kimchi, bibimbap and Korean rice cakes, leaning heavily on ingredients like soju, gochujang paste; all while presenting in the Social’s signature outre style.
Aggarwal maintains that curating such experiences go a long way in fuelling a particular cuisine’s growth. Years ago, after Indians tasted Chowmein and Hakka noodles in Chinese restaurants, they started preparing it at home and it is now de rigueur to have it regularly as a meal in most households.
“Restaurants are a very important point for consumers to get exposed to newer formats and cuisines and Social has always played a key role in this,” Aggarwal maintained. Hence, besides food and beverages offerings, Social creates immersive experiences by collaborating with specialised curators as well as other brands.
While agreeing with this observation, Talwar added that Social’s immersive marketing experiences have contributed significantly to its brand strength. “By creating environments and campaigns that engage customers on multiple sensory levels, it has managed to differentiate itself in a crowded market. Successful initiatives like thematic events, interactive social media campaigns, and collaborations with local artists or influencers, enhance the overall brand experience and not only attract new customers but also foster deeper engagement with existing ones,” he said.
However, he cautioned that some campaigns may not always hit the mark if they fail to align with the target audience’s preferences or if they come across as overly complex or disconnected from the core brand message. Hence, it is crucial for Social to continuously assess the effectiveness of their marketing strategies and adapt it based on customer feedback and evolving trends. “While some campaigns may face challenges, the overall approach of immersive and experiential marketing remains a powerful tool in building and sustaining brand loyalty,” he maintained.
The brand bulwark
Brand partnerships are a cornerstone of Social’s marketing strategy, with recent collaborations including Cred, Johnnie Walker, and Red FM. For the Kore-yeah campaign, it partnered with Nestlé, featuring its ramen in the menu and had also launched a limited-edition plant-based menu with the FMCG company in the past.
Another standout partnership was with Netflix when the OTT platform was promoting its ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kaha’ movie. This campaign emphasised the need to disconnect from the virtual world, aligning perfectly with Social’s offline connection ethos.
Social’s in-house team conceptualises all these creative campaigns, often teaming up with videographers and photographers. “We prefer working with our in-house team because they understand the brand language well and can curate everything quickly,” Aggarwal explained. This agility is needed since Social churns out lots of content at rapid speed.
To strengthen its brand position, Social recently partnered with Big Bang Collective working with its legion of online content creators. These individuals use Social as a space to create their content and their content is then shared with the latter’s hyperlocal Instagram features. It becomes part of many social media conversations, giving it heightened visibility online that transcends ROI or revenue generation initiatives. This emphasis on storytelling and authenticity in its marketing efforts has enabled Social to create lasting connections with its guests.
Not putting all the eggs in a couple of baskets?
Considering that Social and Smoke House Deli have been around for a long time, it is time for the company to introduce another brand to diversify its business? While Aggarwal agreed with the rationality of this move, she feels that there is still lots of headroom for Social to grow in the country.
Nonetheless, Impresario has started experimenting with newer formats. In Mumbai, it replaced its Salt Water Café with Bandra Born, as a tribute to the queen of the suburbs.
Such a multi-brand strategy allows for both broad and niche expansion. While Social’s neighbourhood charm can help the company scale to over 100 outlets by FY26, boutique brands like Slink & Bardot and Soufflé I S'il Vous Plaît will retain their exclusive persona, while the cloud kitchens like Aflatoon and Lucknowee will build on their mass appeal.
Each brand has its unique marketing approach, watched carefully by Aggarwal and her team, so they can maintain distinct identities and cater to their specific audiences. By spotting trends that influence consumer preferences and purchases, they can craft campaigns that ride these waves, propelling the brand towards rapid growth.
Nandivardhan noted that Impresario has navigated the highly competitive CDS through a blend of innovation, branding and customer experience. This multifaceted approach, combined with unique and ever-evolving interiors, keeps the experience fresh for returning customers. Additionally, their agility in adapting to market trends and local preferences has ensured sustained relevance.
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