NRAI to mentor young restaurateurs

Taking a cue from incubating technology startups, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has decided to mentor budding and emerging restaurateurs.

The national restaurant's body will take forward the idea with their just launched NRAI Youth Committee.

"The Youth Committee will be working on creating an eco-system to engage younger and budding crop of restaurant owners in value driven activities by providing support and mentorship that will increase the sustainability of restaurants," head of the NRAI Youth Committee Karan Tanna told PTI.

The youth wing will be in Mumbai though its parent body - NHAI - is based in New Delhi.

The NRAI Youth Committee has clear cut agendas planned out in a phased manner, Tanna who is also the founder of Yellow Tie Hospitality said.

Many senior members have felt the heat of multiple regulations as a result of which their ideas got smashed or the project got wind-up well within six months, he said.

"There is a lot of budding talent, across the country in this sector. While many have the vision and the dream, the processes and the many legal and logistical loopholes can make owning and running a restaurant a daunting process," Tanna said.

He said besides mentoring younger restaurateurs they will try to create a platform to raise capital for these entrepreneurs.

"We will work towards an accreditation system for vendors, house-keeping agents among others. It will also work on the establishment and access of cloud kitchens, standardized database of vendors, etc for access for all members," Tanna said explaining the work the committee will undertake.

In the near future the committee proposes to tie-up with a strong CSR partner to give back to society as well, he added.