'Singh' Up a Burger Storm Gurugram-based Burger Singh claims to be the only burger chain in the country to offer an entirely Indian menu at highly competitive prices

Chotu Singh, Junior Udta Punjab, Jattputt Chicken, Chunky Paneer Pandey and Amritsari Murg Makhani: No, these are not the character names of a parody film satirising Hindi cinema. They refer to some of the food items on the menu of Burger Singh, a Gurugram-based burger chain. The seeds for this foodtech startup were planted when Kabir Jeet Singh was studying at the University of Birmingham and experimenting with spices and burgers at his part-time restaurant job. When he returned to India in 2014, 'burger' as a cuisine segment was growing rapidly. "The market was dominated by rapidly expanding American chains trying to feed an Indian audience an American product. We saw the market gap and gave the Indian audience exactly what they were looking for: Indian flavours at affordable Indian prices," says Singh, co-founder and CEO, Burger Singh.

On the consumer end, Burger Singh is part of a highly competitive segment but what sets it apart from rival companies, according to Singh, is its product line. "We are the only ones serving a completely Indian menu at very competitive prices." From a business perspective, the burger chains that lead this space have very deep pockets and are thus able to expand far more rapidly. Nevertheless, Singh insists, Burger Singh thrives because of the efficiency of its model. With a much lower set up cost, the company claims to be able to supply quality products across the country at a very competitive rate. "If you consider investment to revenue, we are three to four times more efficient even in comparison to international players. The low set up cost also allows us to target tier II and III markets, which are not feasible for larger chains," he asserts.

Burger Singh states that it is the country's third-largest company in the burger chain sector. By the end of the current financial year, the company plans to open additional 120 outlets across several cities. Further, by the end of FY23, this number is planned to be brought up to 200 outlets. Funding does not seem to be a challenge for the foodtech startup to realise these plans. "We are a bottom line-focused company and thus our funding requirement is very small, most of it having happened by inward inquiries turning into investments. We also have very patient long-term investors on the cap table, implying that most of our funding needs are met by existing investors. Our latest round of investment was closed in 60 days!" says Singh. He hopes that Burger Singh will continue its expansion stride and turn into a pan India burger chain in due course!