Baking Success : Ambrosia’s Success Saga

Being the first café in the capital of Kerala is a unique distinction that belongs to Ambrosia. Back in 1996, aneatery like this in a place like Trivandrum could have been a huge risk. But the couple Vinod Panikar and Cuckoo Vinod believed that any place with delicious food, wonderful hospitality and ambience will be a great success. And indeed it was. FWD Business caught up with the couple who has been pioneers in this business for almost two decades.

It’s been now almost 20 years since inception. How’s the journey been?

 Food and travel have always been our common passion. Wherever we go we make it a point to visit the best eating joints there. It has always been our vision to start something innovative. So we gathered a lot of ideas and put them together and Ambrosia is the result of all these ideas and dreams put together. It was way back in 1996 that we opened our first joint in the name of AMBROSIA-The Classic Bake house, at Bakery Junction Trivandrum. That was after a detailed market survey for the scope of such a joint that we ventured into it. The name itself means The Food of The Gods has been a great hit. It is from Greek“mythology and so we gave a Greek touch to the interiors. It was a black and white theme with a bar counter and bar stools, a self-service counter for breads and cakes– which was a totally new concept at that time. But this concept and the whole idea was welcomed by the Trivandrum crowd.

Mr. Vinod, how good an idea is doing business together with your life partner?

Doing business with your life partner I feel is an excellent idea due to various reasons. Cuckoo and I share the same passion for food.Being in the same business gives us a lot of time to spend together. We understand each other and that helps to face problems in business better.We complement each other though there may be differences of opinion and verbal conflicts regarding various issues. [Laughs]The final outcome and solutions to problems in business will always be more productive and fruitful.Moreover being in business together has given Ambrosia a good vibe to be in and many of our customers find it a safe place to send their young children too.

Are the four stores different from each other in any sense?

Our 4 stores scattered in variousparts of the city varies in terms of space and décor. Our Kowdiar outlet being in a more premium location is more spacious and has a vibrant ambiance.

What is the scope for cafes in the present market according to Mr Vinod?

There is scope for cafes in the present market. “A lot can happen over a cup of coffee.” [Laughs] Many business talks and other such discussions happen in cafes. Moreover friends’ reunion, birthdayparties etc. take place in such cafes.But now the competition is veryhigh. So you need to really put in a lot of effort and hard work to keep up with the tide.

People do feel that cafes and hotels charge quite a lot for food these days.

With the soaring price of raw materials and other over heads there is no way such eateries can keep the prices down. Moreover when one does not want to compromise on the quality of food and service,the price one has to pay cannot be compromised too.

What are the age groups Ambrosia targets?

We cater to all age groups young and old alike. During the day it’s mostly the young crowd flocking in but in the evenings and night time it is mostly the family crowd.

 Is your marketing strategy different from other cafes?

Our marketing strategy is quite different from others. What we dois try to keep our existing customershappy and satisfied and thus spreadour name by the word-of-mouth.We do not do much of advertising.We make use of the social media.Ambrosia has a Facebook page which is constantly updated. This is themedia of communication with ourloyal customers wherein they areupdated with the latest events, offersetc. We have a Customer Care team who constantly interacts with our customers and look into their needs and problems.

How do you keep it up with constantly evolving customer demands?

It’s human nature to get fed up with monotony, especially with food. So in order to keep up and go beyond the expectations of our dear customers we always try to keep up with the times and demands of people by bringing in new food items from time to time. We have well trained chefs in each of our departments and they are updated with the latest in culinary skills by sending them for periodical training. We also highlight all events like Mother’sDay, Women’s Day, Valentine’sDay, Friendship Day etc. by having special offers and creating the right ambiance through decorating the stores aptly for the occasion. We also have special weekend counters. On weekends we have special counters where in food items which are not in the usual menu are served. Weekend special menu is usually publicized through our Facebook page.

What is a must order in Ambrosia’s menu?

 Our cakes and pastries havealways been a great hit. To name afew– Blueberry, Caramel Cheesecakes, Tiramisu, Red Velvet, WhiteChocolate Magic, and DutchChocolate Fudge etc. Then ourBurgers are a lot talked about fortheir juiciness and exotic flavor. Thiswe owe to the freshly baked bunsand the patties made in house with100 percent pure meat. Our popularburgers are Bacon Cheese Burger,Dream Burger and Burger Classic.Milk Hawa and Devil’s Food Cake aretwo other very popular items whichtravels all over the world with NRIspurchasing them.

According to you, other than food, what should cafes nowadays give emphasis on to make their business a success?

Apart from food, Cafes should give equal importance to service,ambiance, hygiene, customer care etc. In this competitive world we need to really put in our very best in every sense.

 Any plans of expanding beyond the city?

As of now we have 4 main outlets in the city. 3 small ones plus we run the bakery counters in all Spencer’s. We also have an Industrial unit in Kinfra Park and bread products in the name of ‘Wholesome,’ are distributed to various parts of Trivandrum and Kollam. For future plans, our sonis doing his final year HospitalityManagement in Switzerland. Weare waiting for him to join thefamily business. We have made a foundation for him to build on.