‘Many criticized the location I chose for the restaurant', how Chef Pillai’s one crucial decision changed fortunes

Celebrity chef Suresh Pillai said that his restaurant managed to generate revenue of over 100 crores without advertising. He asked how much money would have to be spent on marketing nowadays to generate revenue of over 100 crores within two years. He also said about the opposition he faced from many when he started the restaurant at the five-star hotel Le Meridien in Kochi. He was speaking at the Creators and Marketers Summit.

His words
The world's first standalone restaurant was allowed to open at the Le Meridien five-star hotel in Kochi. This is the first time something like this is happening in the world. A brand called Marriott, which has more than ten thousand hotels in the world, has not given a separate restaurant. When they worked on their revenue model and PNL, no one expected that a business like this could be done there.

Many told me that if you start a restaurant inside a five-star hotel, you will never succeed. You can start in Panampilly Nagar or in any other place in Kochi. Many said that no ordinary person or anyone else will ever come to your hotel. I took a decision then. I have seen Gordon Ramsay's restaurants in London and the Middle East. I thought, let's give a try.

If I had not made that decision, this wouldn’t have been my future. ‘The opportunities including J W Marriott in Goa came after seeing the restaurant at Le Meridien. Now, Prestige Group owns the restaurant called Meen in Forum Mall with an investment of Rs 10 crore. I did what I knew at that time,’ said Pillai.