The French Fries business is considered one of the most famous businesses in the world and almost all fast food restaurants ,fine dining restaurants are offering French Fries on their menu.Surf n Fries also started on the same lines and now comes under the famous Quick Service Restaurant. Andrija Colak the Director of Surf n Fries claims that their products have the most amazing packaging available in the indian market and he is sure that their products will be loved by Indians.Surf n Fries also plans to go up to atleast 100 stores in India and over 300 across the globe.
Start by telling us why have you picked this sector, and how has your journey been so far?
The Quick Service Restaurant industry worldwide has been on the rise for the past decade or so. Surf N Fries as a brand was conceptualized around an extremely simple but volumetric concept of French Fries along with various sauce flavours depending on the country of operation.The brand is built around a story rather than just it’s food, a story that attracts millennials to it and one that has successfully been implemented in over 17 countries across the globe.The journey so far has been splendid, we expedient expansion across the globe, and an acceptance rate from customers that we had only dreamt off. Now, it’s time we capture the Indian market. We are extremely bullish about the same and are sure that the brand would do wonders here.
How challenging is it to expand the business in India.And what strategies do you use for the same?
Challenging is one way to describe it, however, we find it exciting. The potential of the market excites us and also the journey that we are currently getting into. The product, undoubtedly will be well accepted by the Indian audience, but as I said earlier, for us, our story is more important than just the product. The story sells too!We are excited about our growth prospects, but on the other hand need to make sure that this growth is organic and sustainable. We are looking to build a model that would be a win win situation for both, our investors as well as the brand.The challenging part of sourcing the raw materials and creating the right menu has been taken care of already, now we are roaring to go in the South of India, with our first store opening in Hyderabad next month.
What is the USP of your brand? Where do you see yourself in next 5 years?
The USP of our brand lies in our packaging. It is possibly the most attractive packaging currently available in the India market and arguably across the globe too.The simplicity of our product is also a USP. It’s makes it a model that can expand quickly and one which can be operated by investors with little or no prior experience in the Food and Beverage industry.
In the next 5 years, we see ourselves as the Global market leaders in the concept we operate under with over 300 stores across the globe. A true global brand!
How long was the business operating before it became a franchise network and how long has the business been franchised?
The business has been operational for over 10 years now. Our first franchise was in 2009, and it was so successful, that without much effort, we grew it to nearly 100 stores in 17 plus countries.Our success lies in the concept and the ease of operations, which helps us expand without much difficulty. This is precisely what we want to show our investors; our scope and rate of expansion.
What are your expansion plans in the near future?
As mentioned earlier, we plan to go up to atleast 100 stores in India and over 300 across the globe. This would only be possible if we work with the right investors, who’s mission an vision is aligned with the brands.
We have currently signed a deal for the Southern region of India and are looking out for investors in the Western, Nothern and Eastern regions.
What are the criteria for choosing a franchise and what are your expectations out of it?
Our criteria is quite simple, we expect our investors to be aligned with the mission and the vision of the brand, along with an appetite to take a certain amount of risk in terms of investment. Our global and local teams are always there to support them to ensure that the brand grows exponentially.
How many franchise locations did you open at first and what is the current number of outlets you have?
We started with one outlet in Croatia and have now over 80 outlets in over 17 countries all across the world.We feel India is our biggest untapped market and aim to cross over 100 outlets in India itself in the next 10 years.
Please conclude your success story?
Our success has been based on the brand we have created and the story we have to tell. All our franchise partners are an integral part of this story and our success. It is our love for what we do that has helped us reach 17 plus countries in just 10 years. Not many brands have been successful in doing so.
Considering that we currently operate in so many countries, we can safely say, India, you’re next!