Work is more about fun!

When Gaurav Goenka dined at Café Mangii and loved the Champagne Risotto on the menu, he did what others wouldn’t. Instead of complimenting the chef on serving a delicious meal, the foodie andbusinessman, challenged the owner of the café to a game of pool. "If I win, I'll invest in your venture," Goenka told him, before beating him square at the game. This story tells you one thing — Gaurav Goenka loves food and his business decisions come from this passion for all things gastronomical.

Born in a business family, it was only natural for Goenka to follow suit, but he was trying to find a footing. "I found the business pretty regular and traditional. Food is something that I was always interested in. So, we started picking up a few hospitality brands," he says and with a stellar team, Goenka branched out into the restaurant business. Today, he has about eight brands under his umbrella and the number is only increasing. "I guess if you live in Mumbai, its easy to fall in love with food because there are great options to choose from whether it is street food or restaurants. But just because you enjoy food doesn't mean you get into the food business. It was when I started working with the business, I realised that I wanted to do something I was passionate about," says Goenka.

The first brand acquired by the group was Rajdhani, the quintessential South Mumbai Gujarati thali restaurant. "But that was just a coincidence. We knew the owners for years and they wanted to expand. We sat down to talk and it worked out," smiles Goenka. After running Rajdhani for a couple of years, Goenka started bringing more brands under the Mirah group. "With Rajdhani, I learnt a lot about handling a brand. Once I was confident, we went out hunting for other brands," he smiles.

Soon enough Falafels, Manchester United Cafe, Café Mangii, Mad Over Donuts were on his plate. "Recently, we have partnered with Impresario," he tells us. With a brand bouquet that has something to offer to every segment of the society, Goenka is still unsatisfied. "I feel there are many gaps to fill," he says. Does that mean he wants to target the fine-dine segment more aggressively? "No, I am more interested in scalable brands. It is the number of outlets that gives me personal satisfaction. And I can't do just one restaurant and sit still. I get bored very easily," he laughs.

This penchant for something different is what made him start a hotel. "We actually wanted to buy a bungalow in Lonavla. But with a bungalow you have to send people to clean it up every now and then. So we bought a 20-room hotel that we'd run as a hotel and whenever we went for a weekend, it could be all ours," he says, as he recounts the origin of Citrus Hotels. "After my post-graduation, I realised that we ownedhotels in different parts of the country but they were run under different names and different styles. So I decided to brand them and bring some uniformity to these properties," says Goenka, who chose the brand name himself. "Citrus fruits are quite refreshing, the name sound nice and the colours are attractive too!" he explains. "At that time, there was a huge demand for budget hotels because you could either find really expensive hotels or lodges. Budget hotels didn't exist. With Citrus, we could give our customers a full-service hotel at an affordable price!" he says.

Goenka believes in being his own customer, which is why at Citrus hotels he has been able to create a comfortable experience. "When we were kids we were scared of touching the mini-bars. In our hotels, we have a maxi-bar where items are charged at MRP. I don't want to make twenty bucks on selling biscuits. I want to offer a comfortable room," he reasons. Goenka even asks himself whether he'd pay a certain price for a dish even at his own establishments.

Considering he runs a hospitality company, it is natural to wonder how he manages a work-life balance. "Honestly, I don't work at all! Doing what I love is fun, and I always ask my staff if they're having fun. If it becomes work, and everyone is burdened, they won't stay here for long," he says. Goenka is proud to announce that in an industry that has the highest attrition rate, his company sees the lowest amount of attrition. "It is a professionally run company but it has a very comfortable, family-like environment. If someone doesn't achieve their targets, we don't make life hell for them. I have faith in my staff and I like to give them a chance," says Goenka, who is very proud of the team that he has built. The fact that each team-member treats the brand they are working on as their own, is what has helped him achieve excellence.

Goenka is just back from a trip to London with his wife andtoddler. And he can't stop gushing about the experience. "I love London. I went there as a single man, I went there as a married man and now I went there with my son. Each time I've had fun. And there is so much new stuff happening there!" says Goenka, who came back with nearly 200 menu cards."The best part about our business is that the more you go out and party, the more you learn!" he laughs.

What Goenka has learnt over the years is that Indians in tier-1 cities are eating out more often. "The days when we would dress up to go out to eat, are gone. Now people eat out five times a week and because both the husband and wife work, the market has opened up for breakfast and lunches too," he says. He also thinks that the customers are now aware of quality and cooking techniques because of the exposure to various TV shows and magazines. And he is glad, because that way he gets to start new restaurants. "I need to start new things every now and then. As I said, I get bored too easily!" says the serial restaurateur.