Kamat-HPCL food joint opens at Butibori

Mumbai-based Kamat Group of Hotels, which has tied up with public sector Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to set up a chain of super snacks outlets at the oil company's highway petrol pumps, has opened its first eatery at Butibori and identified three other locations at Jam (near Hinganghat), Mansar (near Ramtek) and Talegaon (on Amravati Road).

Trade sources said ten other locations had already been identified in Chhattisgarh and Gujarat as part of the plan to start 60 "Vithal Kamat Super Snacks" outlets by end of the current fiscal.

All eateries will come up on HPCL's petrol pump premises in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. The Kamat Group eventually intends to open 200 such outlets over the next five years.

The initiative came after HPCL followed up on an Accenture Consultants recommendation and an ACNielsen survey report targetted at ensuring complete customer satisfaction.

The research, sources said, indicated that highway customers preferred clean and hygienic eateries on highway retail outlets while truck drivers wanted a 'dhaba'. The survey also found that most customers desired clean rest room services on highway petrol pumps.

As per the agreement with the Kamat Group, which runs the famous Orchid and Ecotel Hotel in Mumbai, HPCL will provide basic infrastructure like space and amenities while the Kamat Group will take care of the management and hospitality on behalf of the fuel company.

The eatery will be set up on an area of 1,500 to 4,500 square feet depending on the location.

Each outlet will serve pure vegetarian food to around 200 to 500 customers daily. The restaurant will have potential to provide employment to 15 to 40 people.

The Kamat Group has independently lined up three other projects in Nagpur and committed investment of Rs 130 crore. These include a catering college, a three-star hotel and a convention centre.

The catering college will be located near Chhatrapati Square while the hotel and convention centre will be near the airport on Wardha Road.

The catering college will cover an area of 1.5 acre and will have 60 rooms, two laboratories and six class rooms.