From simple, classy colonial bars serving straight pours with white gloves service, the bar industry has crossed many seasons of fashion and fad to herald the millennial-loved bars and the modern high energy bars pouring world-class cocktails crafted by our homegrown and incredibly talented mixologists. Pravesh Pandey who started his journey two decades back in India with JSM Corp, today owns one of the largest craft brew house in India, Roxie in Bengaluru’s Marathalli, spread across 35,000 sq. ft and yes, that’s what we call a thrilling ride for a restaurateur. Let’s hear out from Pandey on his exciting journey and what’s happening in India’s bar and nightlife business. Excerpts from the interview:

How have you seen the beverage and the nightlife scene change in the country over the years?

Gone are the days when clubs used to play only rock and pop music - primarily the top 40 billboard charts. I have seen a drop in the nightclub culture and the market share it holds. I believe that the world has become busier as have today’s bars. There are more and more bars which are going the extra mile to meet the customers’ expectation and personalization is the secret to address the gap. 

You recently opened Roxie in Bengaluru taking the bar business a step ahead. How’s Roxie different from your previous ventures?

Oh, Roxie is my love - it is born from my story of meeting a beautiful lady who taught me life lessons when I was young. Personally, Roxie was less of a business concept for me, and more of a dedicating this place to the person I loved once upon a time. There are people who enter your life with a purpose, and she was the one who transformed me to be a better human being - a more compassionate, mindful human being. It was easy for me to visualize everything that went into building the mansion as if it was Roxie’s personal mansion. After all, Roxie is based on true events, and is a place where strangers meet, converse and celebrate life. This is a space where people are nurtured, trusted and thus, discover their bold self. Succinctly, this is where fine people enjoy the finer things of life. 

Primarily, what makes Roxie different from my previous venture is the fact that we aren’t a microbrewery, which allows us to experiment more with our food and beverage. This helps us to increase our culinary offering and showcase our expertise. The other factor that sets Roxie apart is the ambience and it is more opulent than my previous venture.

We see that today, restaurant business is not just about the food, it’s about drink and the fine beverages. How do you pair your food with the perfect beverage?

Especially, because I started my career as a bartender, beverages (fine wines and cocktails) were closer to my heart than food. There is so much creativity in beverages, however I have found the culinary space to be similarly creative. On a personal note, I feel that I am not attuned to run just a restaurant. If there are spirits involved, only then my spirituality, my inner self, my core gets involved. After years in the industry, I feel Roxie is the culmination of that ideology for me where we have created a cocktail menu based on the moods and whims of the people. I believe that the secret behind the perfect cocktail for a guest is to pour their personality into their drink. That’s why I feel Roxie is my personal playground where I get to do what I personally love and my friends cherish. It’s a space to reinvent and educate each other about our passions. For me, pairing isn’t that complex. One needs to stick to their favourites without any judgement! 

But, if you are looking at specific pairing, spicy, grilled and fried food pair well with beer. Red meat and seafood pair well with wines. Red wine enhances the taste of steaks and seafood goes well with the subtle flavours of white wines such as Chardonnay and Chennin Blanc. Shiraz pairs well with mutton. Wines with floral notes taste the best with poultry. Drinking tequila with Oysters is a fresh new concept because of Tequila’s subtle umami flavours. Vodka and Gin should be paired with food that is fresh and has exquisite flavours.

How have you designed the menu at Roxie?

After burning the midnight oil and careful curation, every dish and drink on the menu has been handpicked by me, and brought to life spectacularly by the finest team of mixologists and chefs. I am a tough person to please, especially when my ideas are on the table. I understand that while working with me, the core team feels the same way, and at times, I can empathize with their feelings. But, they support me with their best foot forward and we are filled with pride seeing our guests' comments. Perhaps, my years of experience in some of the finest brands have left me as a person who does not settle for mediocrity.
 
As mentioned previously, Roxie was inspired by the person that I met and she owned a diner in Amalfi. A lot of our cuisine is inspired from Europe, Italy and specifically, the Amalfi coast. We wanted to bring in that freshness and have added a lot of salads and pizzas to showcase the freshness and citrus flavours. The food is also an amalgamation of cuisines from around the world with a touch of Korean. The advent of K drama on Netflix has inspired me a lot to bring that cuisine closer to Indians. 

Your target audience at Roxie?

Roxie is transparently focused on the premium audience with the age group of 30+. It offers an ambiance ideal for senior leadership members in the corporate world and at the same time, gourmands who are well travelled and enjoy good food.

How has been the response so far? And, what’s your expansion plan?

The response has been excellent. I cannot thank this universe enough for the overwhelming response we have got for Roxie. It is my heartiest desire that my team here builds on this legacy by keeping the mission of ‘crafting memories’ alive. 

For me, the success parameter is not opening x amount of Roxie establishments in y amount of time. In my opinion, prosperity comes with doing something worthwhile which enriches the lives of other people. As of now, my focus continues to be nurturing the culture of Roxie. However, I would like to devote a restaurant and bar to another person in my life sometime soon.

You spent a brief role at Zomato, How was the experience? How do you see the delivery business in India?

I have always found great synergies between food and tech. For me, learning the future of delivery was the key to the integration. Concurrently, trying to get the real story of a common restaurant owner communicated to the core team was essential to me. My experience in adding value to Zomato and learning back from them has been extremely fruitful. We all know that the delivery business is in the ‘essential’ space. I have achieved some remarkable revenues through delivery which contributed to around 15-16% of the overall revenue making the experience even richer. 

Also, do you think that with ONDC in the race, there will be any harm to Zomato/Swiggy in the business?

The market we all operate in is huge. The size of the pizza is growing, and so is everyone’s slice in it. Apart from the duopoly, introduction of ONDC is a great idea provided that it is championed well. I am a first-hand witness into the effort made by the food delivery partners in making the country a beautiful place for delivery, and therefore, deserve a lot of credit. I strongly believe that ONDC will not be able to harm Zomato and Swiggy’s businesses. 

What’s your view on the growth of craft beers in the country? Do you see any competition from any brand?

I believe that craft beers will continue to grow. Yes, the pace might slow down as compared to the last five years, though. I am also certain that microbreweries will continue to flourish their top lines for the experiences they offer, but craft brew companies will attempt to go closer to the customers. However, I must point out that the competition is not from brewing brands as only the bigger players own the market share in the country. For craft brews to take over the industrial brews business will be a Herculean task. The introduction of taprooms with existing RVB licences has revolutionized the game in Karnataka. With this, they need to come closer to the beer-loving audience to continue grabbing the market share. Accessibility remains the only gap, currently. 

5 Beverages/Bar trends you foresee that will change the biz.

1.   Tequila - a new sunrise is dawning with tequila taking over gin’s market share. 
2.   Rum lovers will find a plethora of choices to choose from in a year from now. 
3.   Cocktails (modern take on the classics) will become more common as the reinventions are being aggressively marketed. 
4.   More flavours in brews will tempt the beer lovers.