Barbecue has become a staple in global cuisine. In fact, one may even offer that barbecue is the original American cuisine, as it is a blend of other influences and evolved into what it is today through the blending of cultures, mirroring the melting pot that is this country.
Barbecue is a lot of different things to a lot of different people. That’s why we have a whole line of spice blends and sauces that span the regions and styles of this delicious craft. From Georgia sweet to Carolina spicy, we have the experienced classic barbecue flavours you remember as well as new and smoky experiences to try.
So, let us slip into something a little more comfortable, preferably unique, with a relishing taste that is Absolute Barbeques.
Absolute Barbecues is known for its barbeque dine-in segment, where customers are to be served with more than 100 varieties of starters, main course, and deserts. The restaurant chain has an online presence in the home delivery vertical known as AB’s express and is available on all popular food delivery platforms.
In an interview with Insights Success, Prosenjit Roy Chowdhury, Founder, highlights Absolute Barbecues’ presence, uniqueness, and its journey in the food and beverage niche.
Prasenjit, please tell us about Absolute Barbeques in detail.
Absolute Barbeques Pvt Ltd started its journey in 2013 at Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, by the restaurateur Prosenjit Roy Chowdhury. This restaurant chain is popularly known as AB’s; the brand pioneered the concept of WISH GRILL, which serves a wide array of exotic food for guests.
From day one, ABs became a talking subject in the foodie’s community, garnered customers attention, and started getting severe trade queries from different parts of the country. This gave management the required fuel for brand expansion. The brand has 46 outlets across 20 cities in India and two international outlets.
The restaurant chain has an online presence in the home delivery vertical known as AB’s Express and is available on all popular food delivery platforms.
Customer centricity, quality food, friendly ambience, outstanding service, and value for money offering have been the brand’s main success factors. AB’s is one of the most successful casual dining brands of the country and awarded by the best, including Times group, Food Connoisseurs, Zomato and many more.
What kind of offerings do you provide to your clients?
Absolute Barbecues is known for its barbeque dine-in segment, where customers are to be served with more than 100 varieties of starters, main course, and deserts. WISH GRILL and live grill on the table are the key elements of the offering where exotic meat and other foods are being served.
The restaurants also offer different mocktails with unlimited food. Liquors are served from a few hand-picked outlets.
Customers can order delicious BBQ boxes from the online delivery platforms as per their requirements. Special a la carte items are also available online food delivery platforms, AB’s website, and App.
How was Absolute Barbeques affected in these pandemic times, and what were the steps you took to curb the damages while helping your clients and maintaining the safety of your employees?
Pandemic has hit everyone’s life directly or indirectly, and the restaurant industry was one of the most affected business segments. However, the management transformed the problem into an opportunity in disguise, and AB’s Express took birth during this volatile situation. Presently, our delivery vertical has become one of the key contributors to the organisation.
AB’s express was not launched to survive the business but keep the customers’ requirements in mind. Food lovers and the loyal customers of AB’s were missing their favourite dine-in experience; hence, the management decided to serve them a similar experience at home.
As a brand, Absolute Barbecues thinks about customer-centricity and employee welfare, which is one of the critical success factors for the brand. The management believes a happy employee can keep the customer more comfortable. Apart from the required financial aid, the brand has driven the employee vaccination campaign where the organisation took the responsibility to complete 100% vaccination for the employees at the earliest.
What would you like to advise the young generation of entrepreneurs and enthusiasts who want to venture into the food franchise space?
It is just simple, continuous innovation, listening to your customer’s feedback and giving freedom to your team to take ownership of the business and business would happen.
Where do you envision Absolute Barbeques in the long run, and what are your future goals? How do you plan to embrace the changes happening in the food franchise industry?
AB’s plans to open 70 more restaurants in the next three years’ time and expand footprints in the middle east, Asian countries, and Colombo.
What is the current industrial scenario of the food franchise industry?
Everyday innovations are happening, concept-based and theme-based food ventures are coming up, and many ready-to-cook food ingredients are now available in the market. A food business is taking an organised business format, and it’s a good thing to happen for everyone.
An Adept Leader
Prosenjit Roy Choudhury is a Hotel Management graduate from IHM Bhopal of 1995 batch; he joined Sayaji Hotel Indore as a Management Trainee and specialises in Food and Beverage Vertical. He took over as DGM – FandB in 2002 and successfully ran the hotel till 2005.
He ventured as a CEO with the retail food business and co-founded BARBEQUE NATION; during this tenure, he was awarded as “Youngest and most Innovative CEO by Indian School of Management Studies.”
He moved from BBQ Nation to pursue his further entrepreneur instinct and rolled out ABSOLUTE BARBECUES, popularly known as AB’s. This brand opened 46 restaurants across India and two in Dubai in just seven years.
