Interview With Entrepreneurs On Business Strategy For Calgary-based Indian Restaurants

Background

In order to conduct the interview in a proper it is necessary to identify the entrepreneurs that have worked hard in the development of a company. For this particular interview, three entrepreneurs have been identified and interviews about their success have been taken for understanding the effectiveness of strategic management at an organisation. The three companies that have been chosen are restaurants located at Calgary. Description of the restaurants has been provided along with its target customers.

Moti Mahal Restaurant: Moti Mahal Restaurant is an Indian cuisine restaurant that is located in Calgary, Canada (Motimahal.ca, 2018). The restaurant is considered as one of the most restaurants that serve Indian food in the city. The uniqueness of the restaurant is that it possess refined traditional quarters with a full bar. The manner in which people can make reservation at the restaurant is easy and can be done within a minute. This provides an opportunity to target those people that prefer to consume Indian people along with enjoying a drink (Motimahal.ca, 2018). The target people for the restaurant are the Indian community that resides in Canada. This provides an opportunity for the restaurant to appeal to a larger group of people that prefer authentic Indian dishes so that they can gain a taste of the homely atmosphere.

Clay Oven Restaurant: Clay Oven Restaurant located in Calgary, is one of the oldest restaurants that serve authentic Indian food (Clayovenindianrestaurant.ca, 2018). It provides a taste of authentic Indian cuisine along with authentic flavours so that the taste can be matched with that of the Indian tradition. The target market for this restaurant is the Indian people as well as the Canadian people that have a desire to taste Indian food. The characteristic of the restaurant is that it provides an opportunity for casual eatery keeping in mind the tradition that is followed in India (Clayovenindianrestaurant.ca, 2018). Apart from this, the restaurant serves a weekday lunch buffet that is provided at a modern setting. The advantage that this restaurant provides is that it takes into account the food tastes of modern Indian people (Clayovenindianrestaurant.ca, 2018).

Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant: Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant is one of the classiest Indian restaurants that exist in Canada. The restaurant serves various types of curries, tandoori plates and other dishes that are famous in classical India (Namskar.ca, 2018). These foods are served in bright modern setting and have professional cooking staff and hospitable waiting staff. At the same time, the restaurant serves its customers with its signature dish that defines the authenticity of the food it provides (Namskar.ca, 2018). The target customers of the restaurant include the Indian population, other foreign tourists as well as the local people. This provides the restaurant with a wide variety of food options and it is because of this that the restaurant has been a modern classic in the Canadian market. Another unique characteristic of the restaurant is that it provides its food at a cheap price (Namskar.ca, 2018).

These three restaurants have three entrepreneurs that have formulate different strategies for the success of the business. Therefore, interview about the restaurants and the strategies applied need to be taken in order to understand the reason behind the success. However, due to intense competition from similar other restaurants in the city such as Hot Million Indian Cuisine, Indian Street House and so on, the names of the entrepreneurs are not disclosed. The interview has been conducted over coffee, face to face meeting an over phone for the three entrepreneur. Two days had been provided for each of the entrepreneurs so that the interview is conducted in a proper manner. Hence, with the start date of the interview being on 11^th October, the interview session was concluded on 16^th October. A brief of the interview is provided.

Entrepreneur	Dates assigned	Method of interview
Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	11th October-12th October	Coffee shop
Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	13th October-14th October	At the restaurant
Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant	15th October-16th October	Telephonic

Description of Selected Indian Cuisine Restaurants in Calgary

Table: Setting and date of the interview

(Source: Created by author)

Question 1: For how long has the restaurant in business at Calgary?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
The restaurant has been in effect at the city for more than 20 years	The restaurant has been a part of the Canadian culture since 1977	The restaurant has established itself as one of the leading Indian restaurants in the city for the past 20 years.

Question 2: What are the key strategies that are used for the success of the business?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
The key strategies that had been used include identifying the target customers and ensuring that the spices from India are made available so that it can attract the target market. The application of SWOT analysis is done over a period of 6 months	The strategies included gaining a proper support from the market and ensuring that employee-employer relationship is maintained so that the best product is served. This included identifying the target market by through market research. The key strategy that is used is the Porter’s five forces with emphasis on the stakeholders. The strategic changes are made in a space of 3 months	The strengths and weakness of the competitors was compared with the strengths and weakness that this restaurant possesses. Based on it, training was provided to the cooks and Indian chefs were recruited to provide a more sure insight into the preparation of the food with the right type of Indian flavour. Value chain analysis is used as a mode of strategic commitment. This strategy is changed every 2 months so that the restaurant remains unpredictable to its competitors.

Question 3: What strategic planning process had been followed and implemented? Was the process formal?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
The strategic planning process that had been followed included aligning the capabilities of the restaurant with that of the competitive factors. The process was made formalised as changes required to be made in the restaurant	At Clay Oven, the strategic planning process included providing a sense of direction to the employees. With a proper guidance, the employees can make the best Indian food that can help them to gain success in the business. This method was formalised with the formulation of goals so that the employees can reach the satisfaction level of the customers	Situational analysis was conducted that highlighted the significance of the competitors and gain an overview of the business market. The formalisation of the business was done after gaining support from the Canadian Government

Question 4: What was the influence derived for undertaking the strategic decision?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
The influence behind the strategic decision is based on the Indian population in the city. Competitors of an Indian restaurant are always high and any mistake in the preparation of food or in the service can lead to total loss for the restaurant. Hence, profit and a sense of competition is the reason behind the selection of the strategic decision	The strategic decision undertaken involved the understanding of the motivational factors required for employee engagement. Without proper cooperation from the employees it can be difficult to gain the trust of the customers at a high competitive market	Influential strategic decision is based on the strengths of the competitors. For Indian restaurant in a foreign country, competition is more than normal restaurants. Hence, evaluation of strengths and weakness need to be made before engaging in any strategic development

Question 5: How can you measure or define success?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
Success can be defined and measured based on the number of sales that has been made per day. However, continuous improvement also need to be made that can help in the development of the restaurant	Success can never be defined or measured, as the aim need to be to reach the maximum potential of a business and look for improvement	The success can be defined based on the progress of the restaurant since its inception. However, it cannot be measured as with changing times, different strategies need to be developed

Question 6: What are the greatest strengths that the restaurant possesses over its competitors?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
The greatest strength of the restaurant is that it provides a taste of authentic Indian cuisine. It has in its possession various Indian dishes that can provide the people with an advantage in tasting the traditional food	The strength of the restaurant is that it has been in business for over 40 years and has developed immensely in the market. Hence, the  trust of the people can be considered as a strategic move for the restaurant	The chefs recruited are mostly Indian and this can be considered as an immense strength as the right amount of spices and flavours to make the curries or tandoori can be measured by the chefs to the satisfaction of the customers

Question 7: How is the employee engagement at the restaurant?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
The employee engagement at the restaurant is fair as it provides a proper relationship with one another. The goals of the restaurant are shared with the employees to gain better productivity from the restaurant	Employees and employers have a good relationship at the restaurant. Goals of the restaurant are shared with the employees and at the same time the strategic decisions are taken based on the confirmation of the employees	The suggestions provided by the employees are taken into account while preparing dishes or while serving customers. This is mainly because the chefs recruited are Indian and insights provided by them need to be valued for success

Question 8: What are the ways by which the company achieves excellence?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
The company achieves excellence by applying continuous improvement method. The manner in which Moti Mahal Restaurant can continue to grow is by focusing on the present so that future problems can be solved instantly	Excellence is achieved by understanding the method required for improvement. Along with maintaining an employee-employer relationship, the restaurant maintains a proper relationship with the customers. Hence, future plans are made based on the assessment of competitive strength and weakness	Continuous development at the restaurant is achieved by the application of motivational theories. At the same time the restaurant provides cooking training to the people that has been newly recruited in the restaurant

Question 9: Do you have a formal vision and mission statement?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
Yes, we have a formal mission and vision. The mission is to continue to provide Indian food to the customers. The vision is to expand within the country within the next 2 years	The mission is to continue with the production of authentic food to the Indian population. The vision is to expand beyond the city within the next 5 years	The mission is to recruit chefs that are Indian and maintain a healthy relationship with the customers. The vision is to gain global recognition in the next five years

Question 10: How have you strategy changed overtime?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
With time, we have managed to adopt a more subtle approach to the strategic implementation of changes. We have managed to reduce the frequent changes at the restaurant	Our strategy has changed with the change in strategic implementation and the growth of the business. We have managed to ensure more in-depth relationship between employee and employer	Analysis of situation have helped in the development and maintenance of strategic change at the restaurant

Question 11: What process do you follow to stay innovative?

Entrepreneur of Moti Mahal Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Clay Oven Restaurant	Entrepreneur of Namskar Fine East Indian Restaurant
Continuous development process can be followed to stay innovative in the business	Innovation is made based on the changes that take place in the market	Innovative strategy such as enhancement of technology is done for the development of the customer service network of the restaurant

1. Before the interview was conducted I had an idea that entrepreneur needed to take into consideration that ideas that they believe in and start in a company without any plans. As stated by Hill (2017)one of the important things that need to be considered while developing business strategies includes analysing the competition in the market. However, I had no idea that the strength of the competitors need to be analysed so that effective strategies can be formulated. I came to know about the implementation of strategies so that business can be made into a success. Hence, the interview provided me with an idea about the importance of strategic goals.

At the same time Lasserre (2017) is of the opinion that it is important that continuous improvement be taken into consideration for success. The interview has provided me with an idea about the manner in which continuous improvement need to be taken place in an organisation. The interview highlighted the need for success and the effectiveness continuous management can have in the development of a successful market. I was of the belief that execution of strategies were done based only the assessment of the internal strengths. However, I came to know that strengths and weakness of the competitors is also required for execution of strategy.

1. After conducting the interview and analysing the conversations, I have seen that each of the entrepreneurs is competitive. The competition that exists among the Indian restaurants in Calgary offers a sense of fierce competition in the market. The entrepreneurs have provided direct opinion about the pressure that remains on them for delivering authentic and tasteful food so that the target customers can be retained. As stated by Hill, Jones and Schilling (2014)it is important that the customers be managed and satisfied so that competitive advantage can be gained. The entrepreneurs had given clear view about the importance of competition in the market.

At the same time, I have learned that the entrepreneurs take good care of the employees. This can be considered as one of the most effective business strategy that is undertaken by the restaurants as the importance of employees in the modern business scenario is an important part for the progress of the Indian restaurants. Hence, the strategy adopted can be considered as effective as without the support of the employees it can be difficult to continue with the development of the market. This can be related with the theories of motivation as the motivation of employees often lead to attracting more customers in the business (Hitt & Duane Ireland, 2017).

iii. The analysis of the interview showed that there were certain points of similarities as well as differences between the three entrepreneurs. One of the similar points that can be seen is the fact that all three entrepreneurs agreed on the fact that analysis of competition, its strength and weakness is important for the development of the restaurants. As observed by Doz (2017) the competition that exists in a market usually brings about the best in an organisation and this provides an opportunity to gain competitive advantage in the business. Hence, it can be said that the agreeing point of the entrepreneurs are directed towards the analysis of the competitors to build its own strength.

At the same time the difference lie in the longevity of the restaurants as well as the methods adopted for continuous improvement, strengths possesses and the perception of success. It has been seen from the analysis of the interview that each of the three entrepreneurs has a different perception towards success. While one of the entrepreneur is of the opinion that success can be measured by current achievements, others entrepreneurs believe that success cannot be measured or defined. Hence, these significant differences are seen after the interview.

1. iv. The surprising factor was the fact that each of the restaurants has an experience of more than 20 years and they managed to continue with the business in a steady manner. Despite the competition that exists in the market, these three entrepreneurs have managed to hold on to the business and meet the needs of the individuals. As stated by Wheelen et al. (2017) longevity of a business is important so that strategic management can be applied. Hence, this can be considered as one of the surprising things that I encountered while conducting the interview.

Interview Schedule for Entrepreneurs

At the same time, I have seen that the strategic planning process that has been taught to me is aligned with the plans made by the entrepreneurs. This is mainly because the strategic planning process involves about six stages, which also includes situational analysis, alignment and direction. The interview of the entrepreneurs provides an understanding of the application of the theories in a practical business situation. Hence, this can be considered as a satisfactory learning experience in terms of understanding the application of the strategies.

1. After the analysis of the interview it can be said that the areas of weakness of the restaurants rests on the fact that it lacks a proper view of the Indian culture. Despite hiring chefs from India, the restaurants can gain some form of success. However, the import of spices and herbs from India may not provide similar tastes as it would in the country itself. Therefore, this can be considered as a weakness that each of the restaurants may face. Hence, relation can be made to the fact that the application of proper guidance may not exist in the business.

As stated by Meyer, Neck and Meeks (2017) the application of proper leadership style can help in the formulation of strategies and success in business. One of the most important weaknesses that can be concluded from the interview is the lack of leadership ability of the entrepreneurs. This is mainly because the experience of cooking Indian food does not exist among the entrepreneurs. Despite its longevity in the restaurant business, it is important that spices and herbs that are used in India be used in accurate manner to gain the authentic flavour. However, with the distance that remains between the countries, it can be difficult to get the spices and at the same time guide the chefs to cook it in a proper manner.

The flow of conversation during the interview was smooth, as I had managed to ask the questions that I had set for the entrepreneurs. Initially I was nervous particularly while conducting the first interview, but I managed to be more confident with the flow of the interview over the course of the six days. I had learned a great deal about the strategic process that can be used by a company and so during the time of asking questions related to it, I managed to develop the question pattern that compelled the entrepreneurs to answer in an in-depth manner. However, despite this I need to improve the timing of the interview so that I can keep it short and get the necessary responses within the limited period. I had taken two days for conducting each of the interviews and that left me little time to analyse the answers and may have been the cause for bias answers on the part of the employees.

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